Spaceful’s Workplace Summit 2025 brought together more than 200 senior executives and industry leaders at the Art Gallery of New South Wales to explore how the role of the office is changing.
The event featured a keynote address by futurist Michael McQueen, followed by a panel discussion with leaders from EY, Canva, Iress and Spaceful.
With 50% of Australian executives finding it difficult to get staff to come into the office voluntarily, the Summit addressed a pressing workplace challenge: how to create workplaces that justify the commute, support people and deliver long-term value in an uncertain environment.
Why is the purpose of the office changing?
Hybrid work has shifted employee expectations, changed attendance patterns and made the office less automatic. For many employees, coming into the office now needs to feel useful, intentional and worth the commute. This means the office now needs to support the types of work that benefit most from being done together, including collaboration, mentoring, culture-building, problem-solving and connection.
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. As Dr Paul Luciani, Director Real Estate APAC at EY, said,
“The office is an enabler of industry and always will be”. “The people are the new workplace, and an office must be designed to enable them.”
What makes an office worth coming into?
An office is worth coming into when it gives people something they cannot easily get elsewhere. That may include face-to-face collaboration, access to leaders, informal learning, stronger team connection, better technology, client experience or spaces designed for focused and creative work.
Chris Low, Global Head of Vibe at Canva, emphasised the importance of 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.”
Why does leadership visibility matter?
Leadership visibility matters because people are more likely to engage with the office when they can see purpose, energy and connection being modelled by leaders.
Workplace policy can set expectations, but leadership behaviour shapes culture. When leaders are present and engaged, the office becomes a stronger place for mentoring, learning and informal connection. Chris Low highlighted this point:
“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.”
How can workplace design support flexibility and structure?
Workplace design can support flexibility by giving people choice, while still creating enough structure to help teams connect and perform.
The most effective offices are intentionally designed around how people work, where they need focus, when they need to collaborate and how the business wants culture to show up day to day. Tica Masuku, Global Workplace Strategy Director at Spaceful, explained:
“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.”
She also emphasised the importance of intentional structure:
“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.”
For leaders, the opportunity is to design workplaces that support autonomy without losing connection, rhythm or purpose.
How can workplace strategy support business outcomes?
Workplace strategy can support business outcomes by aligning the office with the organisation’s goals, people and operating model.
For Iress, workplace transformation was closely linked to business strategy. The company worked with Spaceful on a new office fit-out designed to reduce its footprint, lower its cost base and create a workplace that could support future growth. Rebecca Harrison, Deputy COO at Iress, shared:
“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,”
She also highlighted the importance of future flexibility:
“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.”
This shows how workplace strategy can deliver more than a new physical environment, supporting cost efficiency, culture, collaboration and customer outcomes.
What is the key takeaway from Spaceful’s Workplace Summit?
The key takeaway is that the office still matters, but its purpose needs to be clearer.
The future office is not just a place people go because policy says they should. It is a strategic tool that can support culture, performance, wellbeing, leadership, collaboration and business growth.
As organisations continue to navigate hybrid work, talent expectations and long-term property decisions, the most effective workplaces will be those designed with clear purpose.
About the keynote speaker
- 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.
About the panellists
- Dr Paul Luciani is the Director Real Estate APAC at EY, bringing extensive expertise in property strategy and real estate trends.
- Rebecca Harrison serves as the Deputy COO at Iress, overseeing critical operational and people strategies within the financial services technology sector.
- Chris Low is the Global Head of Vibe at Canva, responsible for creating a unique and engaging workplace culture and employee experience.
- Tica Masuku is the Global Workplace Strategy Director at Spaceful, guiding clients on future-proof workplace design and strategic space utilisation.
