Our recent Australia Tenant Talks event, hosted by Axiom Workplaces, was a great discussion about how we can use technology in 2021 and beyond to innovate and strategize our workplaces. 

We had representatives from Canva, Axiom, Salesforce, and Xero. Lucy Lin from Forestlyn and the Australian Computer Society (ACS) moderated our conversation. 

Our panelists discussed the challenges in the workplace as we continue in this hybrid work environment. There are a lot of unknowns, but our panelists had a lot of valuable input on this topic.  

Read on to learn more!

Are you more of a watcher than a reader? Watch the full event right here! 

Question #1: What further innovations might we see in the future at your organizations, given the changes in the last 18 months?

• Virtual events
• New products
• Productivity innovation
• Desk booking technology

Chris Low, head of Vibe at Canva, talked about the fact that COVID has taught us that we can be productive, and sometimes more productive, in our own offices or focus spaces. 

“We’re learning we can work anywhere, so the work station is no longer as relevant,” Chris said.

Chris said that Canva has adopted an internal tool for productivity; it’s essentially a virtual whiteboard where colleagues can collaborate and come up with ideas and create presentations together, even if they are in two separate spaces. 

Cassandra Kirk, Head of Design & Strategy at Axiom Workplaces, talked about the shift to remote work and how the office has become a hub for culture, rather than productivity. She said they have adopted technology where employees can book spaces when they do come into the office. 

James Frawley, Senior Director of Real Estate and Projects at APAC, Salesforce brought up “Dreamforce” which is a tech event that hosts 100,000 people every year. With the pandemic, they had to switch over to a completely virtual event. 

James also talked about a new product that Salesforce is introducing, called the Vaccine Cloud. 

James said, “It will help businesses track customers and guests and those that are vaccinated to ensure that when you do come into your office, you’re attesting to your health.”

Question 2: How do we create more immersive experiences or environments within the workplace for those who are also working at home or on a hybrid schedule?

• Adopting fully remote roles
• New onboarding processes
• Understanding employee preferences
• Using online tools to collaborate

Joel Oldridge, Head of Workplace Experience in Australia & SE Asia at Xero started off the discussion. He said that Xero has taken the “people” approach, where they aim to understand their people. They have created positions that are fully remote which was a new concept for them. 

“Let’s not forget that we need to get all of our people on the same pages as far as our company values, and everybody demonstrating that in how we work,” Joel said. 

James talked about the challenges at Salesforce, one being the nearly 15,000 new hires that they have welcomed this year. He talked about how the onboarding process has changed significantly and is even more important in this current environment. 

Chris talked about how at Canva they have adopted a “future of work” model. At Canva, that means a focus on balancing flexibility and in-person connection. 

“What are their preferences? How do they want to work? And when are they planning to come together? We kind of give full autonomy to managers to organize their own team connections,” Chris explained. 

Cassandra talked about the importance of using tools like Miro, Canva, or Slack. These tools help teams at Axiom collaborate with each other. She talked about the “built environment” which refers to the physical office and its purpose. 

Cassandra said that they are in the process of distributing surveys and interpreting them to build the type of environment that will support their people and their needs. 

Questions #3: What’s your greatest engagement success or strategy in terms of promoting a culture of connectedness, online or in the office?

• Being purposeful
• Technological support

Cassandra talked about how important it is to be purposeful in how we bring people into the office and making sure they are able to connect. He talked about how important it is to create an inclusive built environment. 

Joel continued on with what Cassandra was saying, adding that offices need technology that supports the inclusive built environment. Whether that’s desk-booking technology or collaborative technology to support in-office staff.

Watch the video in full here to see the poll questions and answers, audience Q&A, and each panelist’s “golden nugget” of advice as we navigate this new work environment.