Back to the (Future) Workplace

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations around the world are grappling with how to safely bring employees back to their workplaces. In May 2020, the workplace studios in SmithGroup’s Los Angeles and San Diego offices convened a virtual event with real estate, facilities and workplace leaders to discuss the impacts of the current health crisis on the future of the workplace.  

Our team was joined by Regan Donoghue, Workplace Strategist, Bruce Simoneaux of Newmark Knight Frank, Genoveva Carmona of Netflix, Julie Kilpatrick of University of California, San Diego, Donny Starkins, Mindfulness Teacher and Personal Development Coach, Nasim Yalpani of Dropbox,  Peter Fritz of Longfellow Real Estate Partners, and Rex Miller of MindShift. 

Lise Newman, SmithGroup’s Workplace Practice Director introduced SmithGroup's research on the topic, colleague Megan Skaalen joined the conversation, while Rebecca Wanders helped me moderate the discussion.

Our conversation explored the emotional and physical impacts of returning to work, anticipated shifts to our evolving corporate cultures and envisioned the lasting impacts on business strategy.

Following are some of the key takeaways from our discussion: