Leaders redefine office purpose at Spaceful landmark event

With 50% of Australian executives finding it difficult to get staff to come into the office voluntarily, the panel explored the future of work and workplaces—highlighting today’s key challenges and the strategic opportunities shaping long-term investment in an uncertain environment.

The expert panel examined the evolving role of the physical office and how they are ensuring these spaces truly add value and justify the commute.

“The office is an enabler of industry and always will be”, said Dr Paul Luciani, Director Real Estate APAC, EY. “The people are the new workplace, and an office must be designed to enable them.” Luciani also emphasised a shift in how workplace success should be measured: “If you’re still using hard metrics for your bricks and mortar, you’re in trouble. The only metrics you need to rely on is the happiness, wellness and future of the person that you are in custody of. That’s it. There’s nothing else.”

Chris Low, Global Head of Vibe at Canva, emphasised intentional design: “It’s about identifying specific moments when teams need to come together and thoughtfully building spaces around them. When we are intentional about those powerful moments of connection and coming together, it puts people in the right mindset, and that’s when we collaborate in the most effective way.” Low also highlighted the importance of leadership visibility, “I believe so much more in leaders than I do in any policy. If leaders are present, then young employees that they are ambitious, proud of their work and feel part of the team, can show them. Leaders can also then feel the energy, collaboration and answers, coming much more freely.”

The panel also explored strategic approaches to designing workplaces that encourage productivity and well-being, highlighting Spaceful’s expertise.

Tica Masuku, Global Workplace Strategy Director at Spaceful, explained the office’s growing complexity: “The office is complex, and the interrelationship between people in place is so important. Employee expectations have risen significantly, which means the value and purpose of the office are much more front of mind.” Building on this, Masuku advocated for intentional structure in design: “When given total flexibility, we naturally create structure, because as human beings, we are creatures of habit. So instead of leaving structure up to chance, we can get on the front foot and design it intentionally to achieve better outcomes for both people and the business.”

Recently undergoing an office fit-out by Spaceful, Rebecca Harrison, Deputy COO at Iress, shared her insights on how workplace strategy directly impacts business goals and operational efficiency.

“Our business strategy was clear, to reduce our footprint and lower our cost base. What we didn’t anticipate was the cultural uplift that came with the new office fit-out. By rethinking how we use space, we’ve seen people engaging and collaborating in ways they hadn’t before, ultimately helping us solve customer problems more effectively,” said Harrison. On future planning, she added: ” The space has been intentionally designed to scale with us as needed. When you’re investing in a ten-year office, it’s critical that the environment can flex and evolve with the business.”

As a design, strategy, and build firm, Spaceful has seen significant growth in demand for flexible and future-ready office solutions, helping more and more businesses adapt their workplaces to evolving needs.

• Michael McQueen is a globally recognised speaker and expert on future trends, human behaviour, and disruptive innovation, empowering audiences to prepare for what’s next.