At NZ Design Week, Audrey joined a panel discussing how hybrid work is changing what organisations need from their spaces. Hybrid is now the everyday setting, and this shift is influencing how leaders think about cost, performance and long‑term planning.
The panel highlighted several practical themes.
01 Changing expectations
Workplaces are being judged by how well they support people day to day.
For CFO and CRE leaders, this means understanding which spaces people use most and which ones support real outcomes.
What this helps with:
- Less spend on space that sits empty
- Clearer investment choices
- Better use of the footprint
Do you know which spaces genuinely support work, and which ones are maintained out of habit?
Seeing this clearly supports better decisions. Leaders can identify what to keep, what to adapt and where costs can be reduced without undermining performance.
02 Hospitality influence
Hospitality thinking is helping create smoother, more supportive experiences.
This is not about style. It is about removing friction in everyday tasks.
Benefits include:
- Spaces that feel welcoming and easy to use
- Easier movement through the workplace
- Fewer small delays that slow teams down
Where does the workplace make simple tasks harder than they need to be?
Reducing these moments of friction has a compounding effect. Fewer interruptions, fewer support requests and a workplace that is easier to operate day to day.
03 Multi layered environments
Teams need different types of spaces to work well.
This affects how footprints are planned and how costs are managed.
Key points:
- A mix of focus, collaboration and shared areas
- Spaces that can adjust as teams grow or shrink
- Better use of every square metre
Are your spaces designed around how teams actually work, or how they are expected to work?
Understanding patterns of use makes it easier to rebalance space, reduce under‑used areas and avoid overspending on settings that add limited value.
04 Treat employees like clients
Supporting people well leads to better use of the space and better performance.
What this means in practice:
- Clear, intuitive settings
- Less time lost to confusion or poor layout
- Workplaces that help people stay productive
How does supporting employees in this way lead to better use of the workplace?
Clear and supportive environments remove small barriers that slow people down. When teams can find what they need, understand how to use spaces and feel supported, the whole workplace performs more consistently.
05 Beyond space
Technology and physical space need to work together.
When they do, teams can move between tasks without disruption.
CFO / CRE value:
- Fewer support issues
- Fewer delays caused by tech problems
- More consistency across locations
Does technology quietly support work, or does it regularly interrupt it?
Reliable and consistent tools reduce downtime and variation between locations, supporting smoother collaboration.
06 Why it matters
A successful workplace is not defined by how many people show up.
It is defined by how well it supports:
- Autonomy
- Culture
- Collaboration
- Human connection
What behaviours does your workplace enable, and which ones does it make harder?
Signs of strong performance include people using a range of spaces, fewer bottlenecks and smoother collaboration. When a workplace supports high quality work, attendance becomes a natural outcome rather than a target to be enforced.
Athena Blue is appreciative of the thoughtful conversation hosted at NZ Design Week, and the contributions of Zenith Interiors, moderator Rui Peng (CRITICAL.) and fellow panellists Teresa Fowler(One New Zealand), Alexander Wastney (Designwell), Kate Henderson (Warren and Mahoney) and Oliver Field(Zenith Interiors).