Returning to the Office: Balancing the Needs of the Business and Employees - Part 2

Listen to part two of a two-part discussion led by Thorpe Benefits President, Roger Thorpe with panelists Mette Johansen Keating, Founder and Creative Director at mettespace, and Lisa Taylor, President at the Challenge Factory, Inc. focused on what's needed for a successful return-to-office policy

Questions in Part 2 Include:

• Lisa, you suggest that trust is at the core of a successful return-to-office policy. Beyond a trustworthy brand, how much more does a potential employer need to offer to distinguish themselves as an employer of choice when competing with firms offering WFH alternatives?
• Mette - In order to truly practice safety-first employment policies, employers should – to the best of their abilities – ensure employees feel safe and comfortable while working from home and at the office. Why do you believe that the ‘Great Resignation’ means employers simply can’t mess up the safety-first message? Beyond the health and safety aspects, what else can employers do to prove they care about employees and candidates in new and deeper ways?
• How will human interaction work differently, perhaps, in the “future of work”?
• What statistics or trends can you point to that would suggest that, whenever possible, employees should have ‘face time’ to ensure we all work to peak performance and maximize the chances of sharing learnings with colleagues for the betterment of the company’s bottom line?

About Our Guests

Mette Johansen Keating, Founder & Creative Director

Mette has carved out a leadership role in the Toronto office-space design community over the past 15 years upon arriving from her native Denmark. She founded Mettespace on human-centered and Scandinavian design principles when they were basically unheard of in North America and has since grown a dynamic and impressive tribe of clients and followers.

Fast-forward to 2021 and her soon-to-be-released book “Take Your Space” will share her insights into what she describes as “Scenography for life and work”, disintegrating borders between work and personal life accelerated by the pandemic and the critical contribution physical space can provide as we look to the future and a once-in-a-generation opportunity for people to find more balance

Lisa Taylor, President, Challenge Factory and the Centre for Career Innovation

Lisa Taylor is a sought-after expert, speaker, and columnist on today’s changing world of work.

As President of Challenge Factory and the Centre for Career Innovation, Lisa offers invaluable leadership and insights about the Future of Work—with a focus on how talent equity, demographics, the freelance economy, and new market dynamics present opportunities to gain strategic workforce and career advantage.