Organizations that actively engage in the happiness of employees are the most successful. Happy and committed employees are paramount for customer satisfaction and positive results. Enter the employee experience: an amalgamation of a variety of elements of culture, engagement, and meaningful work. The complete employee experience is one that excites, inspires and engages employees. Many businesses currently operate in sectors where a war for talent rages. Whether it’s retail, high-tech, or jobs whose need for highly specialized skills, it’s getting harder for many employers to attract and retain talent. Offering a superior employee experience can give employers a competitive advantage in attracting recruits to them and then engaging them in ways that encourage them to stay with their organizations. The stability that once characterized the best employee-employer relationships is being disrupted by employees’ tendency to change jobs more frequently. Employers need to be oriented around the different needs and expectations that today’s employees have about the workplace. Adopting "employee experience” as a strategic priority enables you to do just that! Join Lorri Rowlandson, SVP, Strategy and Innovation as she shares the latest industry trends in workplace experience, the Top 5 ways for you to design a “Freaking Awesome Employee Experience”, along with tips, tricks and lessons learned! Live electronic polling will be used during the presentation to encourage audience feedback and participation.

Lorri Rowlandson Senior Vice President, Strategy & Innovation, Brookfield Global Integrated Solutions
Lorri Rowlandson is the Senior Vice President, Strategy and Innovation at BGIS (a Brookfield Company). In this role, she works globally with account and product line teams to assist in identifying real estate solutions that create value for customers. As an advisor to senior executives and client organizations, Lorri provides real estate consulting support, which defines and drives value across businesses. Lorri holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, a business degree in Real Estate from Harvard University, a Masters of Corporate Real Estate from CoreNet, is an Accredited Outsourcing Practitioner, and is a Certified Deal Architect. With 20+ years of experience and over 50 speaking engagements on emerging trends and innovations in real estate under her belt, Lorri is a highly sought-after industry expert. Her influence across the real estate sector and beyond is further demonstrated through her social media presence with over 25,000 followers across Twitter and LinkedIn.

Many organizations are modernizing with a vision to transform into a flexible, mobile, innovative and sustainable workplace, where employees can perform their activities in a productive and efficient manner.

This session will focus on how a change management program helps employees adapt more quickly to their new workplace, embrace new ways of working and in the end, feel satisfied with their workplace change experience. As there is more than one way to manage a workplace change, this panel will share their experience in managing successful employees' transition into a new workplace.

Chantal Bemeur, Workplace Change Management Advisor, Public Services and Procurement Canada
Chantal Bemeur is currently a Workplace Change Management Advisor for Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) where she provides advice and guidance to organizations on how best to manage the employee's transition to a new workplace. Chantal is particularly interested in how the design of the workplace influences and impacts employee's well-being and productivity.

Before joining PSPC, Chantal spent seven years in various administrative roles including as a Business Manager for the Treasury Board Secretariat. Chantal is process-driven and strives to find efficiencies by challenging the status quo on established processes.

Before her career at the Government of Canada, Chantal worked in the tourism industry where she was able to share her passion for history, geography and culture.

Chantal holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Tourism Management and also has a Diploma in Nutrition and Tourism.

This presentation will include discussions on:

• Principals of a good change management program;
• What an organization should consider in preparing for change management;
• Outline of the workplace project with change management within a public sector organization;
• Outline of the workplace project with change management within a private sector organization;
• How were those experiences different in each of their organizations; and,
• Discussion on how each of these organization used change management effectively in their projects – explore challenges, successes and best practices.

Workplace Solution, under Real Property Services, will provide general purpose office space for ad hoc/short term use by multiple Government of Canada (GoC) employees in support of GCworkplace. Initially introduced under Blueprint 2020 which highlighted employees need for a healthy, connected, collaborative work environment and freedom to choose and supported by the Clerk of the Privy Council, the adoption of GCcoworking sites now forms part of the 2017 National Capital Area (NCA) Portfolio Strategy.

The pilot program will deliver a total of nine pilot projects: five pilot projects in the NCA, and four in the regions, including:

• L ‘Esplanade Laurier, and 335 River Road with an in-service date of March 1, 2019;
• 555 Legget Drive, Place D’Orleans and 480 Boulevard de la cite with an in-service date of October 1, 2018;
• Bedford Institute of Oceanography in the Atlantic region and 655 Bay in Ontario, with an in-service date of April 1, 2018;
• 3400 Jean-Béraud in the Quebec region, with an in-service date of December 1, 2018; and,
• Northern Forestry (NRCan) in Edmonton, Pacific region, with an in-service date of June 1, 2018.

GCcoworking locations are accessible GC workplaces which meet the security, workplace safety, ergonomic and telecommunication requirements of employees and programs for enhanced employee flexibility and mobility by installing commercial Wi-Fi so employees can log in to their departmental/agency network with their GC mobile device (VPN type access).

Monitoring of the space occupancy through the reservation system and the short user survey will allow the quantification of the benefits and demonstrate demand for shared GCcoworking spaces outside of the downtown core.

Change management, communications, marketing and engagement will be key elements to get GC employees to adopt co-working and use our GCcoworking sites. Workplace Solution's communications team will target departments that have shown a high level of readiness and maturity to allow for efficient use of these sites. By raising awareness and desire to participate on a departmental leadership level, Workplace Solutions will lead a community of best practices in order to share tools and support the recruited department in their journey to bring coworking to their employees.

Frédéric Guénette, Senior Analyst, Service Strategy and Design, Public Services and Procurement Canada
Frédéric Guénette is an Engineer leading the development and implementation of GCcoworking for Workplace solutions. Having started his career in the Montreal’s private sector manufacturing industry, Frédéric has worked at multiple levels of Real Property Services over the past 15 years for Public Services and Procurement Canada, Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada and Shared Services Canada, managing teams and delivering a broad range of facilities based projects. Well-versed in project management methodologies, process engineering, risk management, project planning, team building, and technical implementations of organizational change, Frédéric fosters an environment of teamwork and ensures that strategy is clearly defined while overseeing performance and maintaining morale. His strong communication and client service skills enhance Workplace Solution’s process-driven management philosophy.

Véronique Boton, Senior Workplace Strategist, Public Services and Procurement Canada
Véronique Bolton is a Senior Workplace Strategist with the Interior Design National Centre of Expertise within Public Services and Procurement Canada’s Workplace Solutions group. She has since been a leader in modernization and innovation for workplace design within the public service. Since graduating with Honours from the Bachelor of Applied Arts – Interior Design program at Algonquin College in 2008, Véronique has acquired comprehensive design experience from commercial design in Government settings to custom home plans, which she continues to do about one a year as a hobby. Through all of her design projects, whether commercial or residential, she has always had a particular interest in how people interact with space and the strong correlation between the built environment and our wellbeing.

The Public Services and Procurement Canada Quebec Region office located at Place Bonaventure in Montréal went from a conventional workplace to an activity-based workplace in January 2018. One of the key elements of a successful workplace transformation is the support given to employees and managers throughout the process. Despite the scope of this transformation, the first post-occupation survey conducted after three months revealed that 79% of the employees preferred the new workplace over the old one. The objective of the presentation will be to present the key elements of the change management conducted as part of the transformation, as well as the perspectives of an employee and manager involved in the process.

France Vigneault, Human Resources Manager, Public Services and Procurement Canada
France Vigneault has a passion for the development of organizations and the people working for them. She steered the cultural transition to an activity-based workplace without assigned workstations for the 400 employees and executives of the Department of Public Services and Procurement Canada in Montréal. She is now guiding other federal agencies in transforming their workplace to create a modern and high-performing public service that promotes innovation, collaboration and inclusion.

Caroline Séguin, Procurement Specialist, Public Services and Procurement Canada
Caroline Séguin co-chaired one of the two cultural transition committees created as part of the Montréal office rearrangement in early 2018. She was also trained as a change management practitioner and trainer as part of the project so that she could in turn train Department employees in order to prepare them for this major change.

Nancy Dyke, Environmental Programs Manager, Public Services and Procurement Canada
Nancy Dyke was involved from the very beginning in the project to reorganize the Montréal office space into an activity-based workplace. She navigated through this transition with the employees of her sector by ensuring the widespread dissemination of the information available, listening to needs and concerns and informing senior management of the issues raised by employees.

Françoys Bernier, Director, Office Transformation Project, Public Services and Procurement Canada
Françoys Bernier has been the director responsible for the project to transform the Public Services and Procurement Canada office in Montréal into an innovative workplace since January 2018. All employees, managers and senior management now work in an activity-based workplace without assigned workstations.

Effective organizations align their workplaces to support their strategic business goals. They consider their physical and virtual work environments, culture, business processes and technologies to develop strategies to drive desired behaviours and results.

Enterprise Alignment of Workplace is a new concept which positions the physical workplace, with its behavioural and virtual attributes, as a key driver of organizational success. Evidence in health, wellness, innovation, and culture shifts show that workplace is on the critical path to organizational success, and that there are measurable returns both in industry benchmarks and within reach of your organization.

Objectives and initiatives to which workplace must seek alignment range from BP 2020 (and Beyond 2020), agendas for innovation and digital services, greening government operations, and the well-being and inclusive experience of Government of Canada employees.

This discussion will present methods for leaders in workplace to engage their organization and senior leadership in supporting a workplace strategy and establishing a Workplace Vision. Workplace can shape culture and support the organization’s mission. Establishing senior leadership sponsorship is critical for success, and enterprise alignment supports that engagement.

Michael DeKelver CPA, CMA, Workplace Strategist, Workplace Solutions, Real Property Services, Public Services and Procurement Canada
Michael DeKelver has worked for the Federal Government for 18 years. Starting as a financial officer supporting operations in Natural Resources Canada and then Treasury Board Secretariat, he gained consulting experience in a private sector stint with CGI and then with Government Consulting Services (GCS) in PSPC. Landing in Real Property upon the demise of GCS, Michael worked with Portfolio Management in Real Property Services and joined Workplace Solutions upon its founding, for workplace is critical for improving employee experience in the Government of Canada, and driving excellence in service to Canadians.

If you search the term “workplace change management” on Google, you will return over 221 million results in under a minute. Is it a surprise that most of us don’t know where to start?

When we think about workplace transformation projects the words “fear” and “resistance” often come to mind. We want to help leaders and employees be successful but the reality is that leading a workplace transformation is more complex than leading a standard real estate project. Many of us don’t fully understand change management and the industry courses and certification are tailored for HR and technology transformations. This leads many people tasked with workplace change management to rely on complex tools and checklists that are not suited to their needs. The most familiar parts are communications and training plans that are executed a few months before the move.

We miss key opportunities to build commitment and to understand the requirements and concerns of people who are impacted by the changes. We also miss opportunities to equip influencers and leaders with the knowledge and skills to lead the transformation. Finally, we fail to coach and reinforce the desired behaviours after the move.

In this session, you will discover the misconceptions of workplace change management. Learn how to avoid common workplace change management pitfalls. Discover the importance of early engagement, ongoing enablement and sustainment in your workplace transformation.

Alison Spence, National Director, Tenant Facility Management Services, Brookfield Global Integrated Solutions
Alison Spence is a workplace strategy leader with 15 years’ experience in developing solutions for the workplace. As National Director of Tenant Facility Management Services on the BGIS RP1 account, Alison leads a team of professionals who work to develop and support federal government workplace transformation projects across the country. Alison has a deep knowledge base in workplace strategy and workplace related change management with a strong background interior design, functional programing, occupancy planning and strategy in the public and corporate sectors. She brings a focused approach to solution development and integration of business requirements into client-centered real estate solutions.

Louise Hamelin Yavo, Program Director, Tenant Facilities Management Services, Brookfield Global Integrated Solutions
Louise Hamelin Yavo is a change and strategy leader with over 15 years’ experience delivering change on multi-million dollar projects, programs, and initiatives. She has established a proven track record as a results-oriented and passionate leader by designing and developing practical solutions that enhance workplace experience for organizations in a variety of industries including corporate, government, crown, and non-governmental organizations in Canada and globally. Louise is currently a Program Director in Tenant Facilities Management Services team at BGIS, where she leverages her experience in workplace transformation, training and development, workplace experience and business strategy to provide expanded change management services to Public Services and Procurement Canada clients.

This presentation is a collaboration between Public Services and Procurement Canada’s Workplace Solutions Furniture Centre of Expertise and Acquisitions Branch Furniture Division. Together, the speakers will provide an overview of the furniture procurement process and vehicles, with particular focus on Supply Arrangements and the products that are offered. Valuable procurement tools, rules and resources will be presented, as well as what's new in furniture specifications and offerings as the current Workspaces Supply Arrangement undergoes a refresh in support of GCworkplace concepts.

Lisa Maidens, Manager, Workplace Solutions, Public Services and Procurement Canada
Lisa Maidens graduated from the Advanced Interior Design program from Algonquin College and has worked for PSPC for 8 years in various roles and most recently is acting manager of the Furniture Centre of Expertise in Workplace Solutions. As Manager of the Furniture unit, some of Lisa’s responsibilities include: Sourcing and researching the furniture the Government of Canada will purchase, writing the technical furniture specifications, developing other tools such as an Acoustic Information doc with Specs, Demountable Wall Master Specifications, 3D Furniture Layouts demonstrating types of furniture that can be purchased from the Supply Arrangements and best practices guide to help navigate the best way to assemble furniture and how to navigate the Client Search Tool.

Chantal Clouthier, Team Leader, Furniture Division, Public Services and Procurement Canada
Chantal Clouthier studied in biochemistry and currently works in the Acquisitions Branch, furniture division of Public Services and Procurement Canada as a supply team leader. Chantal has been a team leader in the furniture division for the last six years and has over 15 years’ experience in furniture procurement. Her professional interests focus on mentoring and improving the furniture procurement instruments. As Team Leader, her current responsibilities include leading the workspaces supply arrangement team and providing tools, guidance and training to stakeholders with respect to buying furniture.

Asset and facility management is evolving! While many good practices have been developed and embraced, historically these have tended to focus on managing "assets" as physical objects. Assets exist for a purpose – to enable and support the delivery of services that align with an organization's objectives. Failure to consider this in real property planning and management can be detrimental and limiting in terms of long-term success. Supported by growing interest and use of the ISO 55000 family of global standards, real property managers are using this "asset" to "service" shift in thinking to improve service outcomes, and the effectiveness and impact of supporting infrastructure plans and decisions.

As defined within ISO 55001, asset management supports organizations in realizing value from their assets, through portfolio alignment and support to front-line service objectives. Asset intensive organizations such as universities, transit agencies, and federal government departments rely on the real property they operate to service the needs of their students, passengers, and citizens. To be effective, asset management must therefore link and prioritize infrastructure investment to best support these outcomes. This link must be clearly and practically defined and communicated to stakeholders – whether they be political and administrative leaders, facility planners and managers, or to end users and public at large – in order to fully demonstrate value and results.

This foundational concept is aligned with any resource constrained organization’s work in better aligning its asset portfolio and related capital spending with strategic and service priorities. Though intuitive, this practice represents a change in thinking, requiring new skills, competencies, and perspectives amongst real property managers. How prepared is your organization to make this shift?

Catherine Dallaire, Manager, Global Infrastructure Advisory, KPMG
Catherine Dallaire is a Manager with KPMG’s Infrastructure Advisory specializing in asset management and strategy. She blends her education and experience in business and engineering with organizational behaviour concepts to support clients in adopting new ways of operating to better meet organizational and business needs. She has worked with governments on a variety of asset management initiatives, including comprehensive needs analysis, policy and strategy development, business process reviews, program evaluation, documenting changes required according to standards of practice. Catherine is a Board Member of the Canadian Chapter of the Institute of Asset Management and the Real Property Institute of Canada.

As we speed ahead into the next decade of the 21st Century, we are seeing unprecedented changes in workplace culture, technology, and the physical work space. How do we prepare for what the governmental workplace will look like in 2030? Activity Based Working is a proven methodology for creating a flexible, collaborative, and productive workplaces fit for the future of work.

Building on the morning keynote “Leveraging the Workplace as a Strategic Enabler”, this session takes a deeper experiential dive into Activity Based Working, examining the keys to successful implementation. It will explore what it takes to create a successful Activity Based Working program in an inspiring and thought-provoking session where you will learn best practices from 30 years of implementing Activity Based Working around the world.

Activity Based Working recognizes that people perform different activities in their day-to-day work and therefore need a variety of work settings supported by the right technology and culture to carry out these activities effectively. By creating a work environment based on this principle, Activity Based Working creates space that is specifically designed to meet the physical and virtual needs of individuals and teams. More importantly, Activity Based Working’s emphasis on the creation of a culture of connection, inspiration, accountability, and trust empowers individuals, teams, and organizations, to perform to their potential.

Luc Kamperman, Managing Partner, Veldhoen + Company

Luc Kamperman is a Managing Partner at Veldhoen + Company, a Dutch consulting firm that originally developed the Activity Based Working (ABW) philosophy in the Netherlands in the early nineties.

Luc joined Veldhoen + Company in 2002. Between 2008 and 2013 he founded the office in Sydney to coach leading organizations in Australia and New Zealand on their own ABW journeys. Many of these transitions have been highly recognized as leading-edge ABW examples in the APAC market and include governmental organizations.

Mid-2013 Luc relocated back to the Netherlands, focusing on further business development in Europe and North America. He worked on projects for PwC, Merck/MSD, and Scotiabank in Canada. In 2017, he set up a Veldhoen office in New York, delivering ABW consulting services to the North American market.

Luc holds a Master in Business Management and focuses on effective transitions to future workstyles, with a strong focus on people and change perspective. He regularly speaks about how Activity Based Working has proven to be a very effective tool for organizational and human development.

Julian Chender, Workstyle Consultant, Veldhoen + Company
Julian Chender is a Workstyle Consultant at Veldhoen + Company where he helps clients adapt to the future of work through Activity Based Working. Before joining Veldhoen + Company, Julian spent his career in public service, with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and the National Institutes of Health, where he focused on workplace strategy, organizational consulting, and leadership development. He holds a Master’s in Organization Development from American University and sits on the Board of the Organization Development Network.