This presentation introduces modern tools for managing portfolios and strategic analytical tools, new technologies and portfolio key performance metrics vital today. The standardization of IFMA/BOMA industry best practices provide views into past history and future forecasting needs. By showcasing several US and Canadian government real property examples, including Shared Services Canada, Government of Saskatchewan and Fisheries and Oceans Canada, attendees will see how others are creating smarter portfolios through the use of technology. Everything from managing the occupancy/capacity of real property portfolios to streamlining communication and creating more productive workplaces in support of program delivery. Listeners will also gain a better view of the current landscape, discover mature and emerging functionalities to make portfolio’s smarter and more resilient.

Greg Alevras, Business Development Director, Horizant Solutions Inc.
Greg Alevras offers a wealth of experience in the industry from years a top executive of ARCHIBUS Inc. as Vice President of Sales, North America, and he has developed a thorough understanding of a variety of vertical markets and 10s of 1,000s of client sites across the globe providing a unique and valuable perspective in complete portfolio management. As well, a former facility manager himself, Greg spent ten years running a top-tier high-tech property that included office spaces, labs, and manufacturing facilities.

Danielle Ouellet, Public Services and Procurement Canada

Dominique Pilon, Employment and Social Development Canada

COVID-19 will not only change the way we work, it will also change how we interact with people and physical objects. Over the past two years HOK has been researching neurodiversity and sensory elements in the workplace and how to rethink space to be more inclusive so all can thrive. This is especially relevant now, as there is a direct connection between our research and the heightened sensitivity to stimulation that many people are experiencing as a result of COVID-19. And as we return to the workplace, we will have to not only rethink the way we engage with the space but how we interact with each other. A new social dynamic will be created with potential for unease, increased anxiety and conflict. Adding that to the fact that we are living in a world where we are constantly connected, the in-flow of information seems never-ending, and the inability to disconnect is causing a dramatic increase in stress levels amongst workers today. To help people function at higher levels and feel refreshed, we must design intentionally to achieve opportunities for refresh and mindfulness in the workplace. This becomes even more important in the COVID-era. Going forward we need to create environments that can help accommodate all and address both physical and social challenges we are now faced with.

Sharon Turner, Director of Interiors, Interiors, HOK
Sharon Turner provides strategic vision and oversight to HOK’s interiors group in Canada. Based in Toronto, she also collaborates with current clients, builds new relationships and works with the firm’s interiors leaders worldwide. She has a unique understanding of all how all types of design can work together.

Sharon guides and inspires design teams through all project phases, from programming through implementation. She has a history of delivering creative solutions and successful projects that both delight and bring real value to clients.

Kay Sargent, Director of Workplace, Interiors, HOK
Kay Sargent is a director of HOK’s global WorkPlace practice. With a passion for using design to transform how and where people work, she spends her days (and many nights) working with clients on workplace strategy and design.

Kay leads project teams that solve clients’ business and organizational challenges related to real estate business process, strategic planning, workplace strategy and change management. She collaborates with organizations ranging from tech startups to Fortune 500 companies to optimize their real estate portfolios and create the most innovative work experiences.

Innovation and transformation strategies are using real time data from HR/IT/RP/Finance inter-connectivity to inform and support policies and programs and drive prioritization of initiatives and governmental mandates. Drawing from dozens of examples across the Canadian Federal Government in support of key goals, this session will discuss how cross collaboration and working together can shift organizational culture towards a new way of protecting productivity, managing resources and assets through access to data and strategic guidance, and developing communication strategies to help to shape decision making. Platform evolution, interconnectivity, and process maturity to enable smarter real estate strategy and operations inform policy and planning and the adoption of a longer-term response to mitigate risk and ensure compliance and success with policy informed by ongoing data-driven strategic guidance to optimize their real estate portfolios.

Participants will discover the key characteristics of workplace change management and how these can apply to them while making the departments more resilient and prepared for the future. Using industry best practice tools to collate information allow for a more complete real estate portfolio view that includes people, property, assets and process.

Wayne Liko, Managing Partner, Real Property Solutions, Horizant Inc.
With over 20 years in the real property and facilities management industry, Wayne Liko oversees Horizant’s business operations. As Managing Partner, and throughout his career, Wayne has been involved in providing technology solutions for small, medium and large clients across all industry sectors. Wayne’s strengths include his focus on building lasting partnerships with clients and other key service providers alike, along with his depth of industry and technology knowledge.

Darrin Neil, House of Commons

“Design founded on empathy and safety can help inform a healthier working environment for building occupants post COVID-19.” - Rachel Bannon-Godfrey in “5 Ways to achieve a healthier workplace now and after COVID”, Workdesign Magazine, (available at: https://www.workdesign.com/2020/04/5-ways-to-achieve-a-healthier-post-covid-19-workplace/).

When the COVID-19 pandemic winds down and communities emerge, residual fear about workplace health and safety will likely linger. This awareness will take a toll on our physical and, most notably, mental health.

Our workplace experts have combined their extensive healthcare experience with their in-depth knowledge of wellness certifications like the WELL Building Standard™  and Fitwel® to develop a 5-part plan that includes steps to make sure your workplace not only keeps employees safe from COVID, but also makes people feel safe and supported.

The WELL Building Standard™ is a comprehensive framework of design strategies, operations protocols, and organizational policies that aims to measurably improve the safety and health of people in indoor spaces. In this presentation, our workplace experts will share what short- and long-term actions workplace managers can employ in the five areas to ensure their workplaces are keeping people safe mentally and physically for the long-term. The five areas include:

1. Building condition assessments;
2. Indoor air quality;
3. Hand-washing infrastructure;
4. Industrial hygiene; and,
5. Mental health design support.

Within these areas, our experts will share technical information, such as choice of appropriate materials – including biophilic elements and their impact on employee wellbeing. They will also talk about employee communication and wellness strategies that can help you reassure your returning staff so they feel welcome returning to the office – whenever that may be. And they will touch on some of the latest research uncovered during their Workplace Transformation Study, which surveyed 130 workplace operators to assess their key concerns about returning to work, and how we might be able to move forward together as an industry.

Rachel Bannon-Godfrey, LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP, Envision™ Sustainability Professional, Fitwel Ambassador, Sustainability Discipline Leader, Global, Stantec Consulting Ltd.
Rachel Bannon-Godfrey is the Sustainability Discipline Leader for Stantec Buildings, leading the practice of sustainability, resiliency and energy management strategies in Stantec’s design work. Her experience in the building industry spans close to 20 years, across three continents, and focuses on the engineering and design of high-performance, net-zero energy buildings and communities. Rachel has presented at colleges, industry groups, government agencies, and both national and local conventions on the subject of building energy analysis, building envelopes, passive design, post-occupancy evaluations, and living infrastructure strategies.

Chantal Robert, BAID, P.Eng., PMP, Interior Designer, Stantec Consulting Ltd.
Chantal Robert's passion for architecture lead her to reorient her career in interior design following a successful career as a Professional Engineer and Project Manager. Her sense of curiosity and professionalism permeate all aspects of her design, and her compassion for others has forged a particular interest in human-focused design. Since joining Stantec, Chantal has specialized in interior design for corporate workplace and commercial projects, including tenant improvement.

In Part I of this series, we looked at what immediate short-term actions we can take to ensure employees return to a safe work environment where their physical and emotional needs are met.

In the second part of this series, we will focus on how workplace experts see the workplace transforming to be more human-focused in response to COVID-19 and other pressures. What role will choice play? How can we ensure a safe commute? How can we build wellness into our workplaces, as well as resiliency and hope?

We will also take a deep dive on one area we anticipate having a big impact on future workplaces: building and workplace smart technologies. Learn what smart technologies can help drive your department’s health and safety, wellness, and security agendas, as well as improve your overall employee experience

Much of what will be presented is new data garnered through a recent Workplace Transformation Study, where we surveyed 130 workplace clients to identify their pain points and concerns about returning to work and transforming our workplaces for a safe and culturally relevant future.

Rachel Bannon-Godfrey, LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP, Envision™ Sustainability Professional, Fitwel Ambassador, Sustainability Discipline Leader, Global, Stantec Consulting Ltd.
Rachel Bannon-Godfrey is the Sustainability Discipline Leader for Stantec Buildings, leading the practice of sustainability, resiliency and energy management strategies in Stantec’s design work. Her experience in the building industry spans close to 20 years, across three continents, and focuses on the engineering and design of high-performance, net-zero energy buildings and communities. Rachel has presented at colleges, industry groups, government agencies, and both national and local conventions on the subject of building energy analysis, building envelopes, passive design, post-occupancy evaluations, and living infrastructure strategies.

Chantal Robert, BAID, P.Eng., PMP, Interior Designer, Stantec Consulting Ltd.
Chantal Robert's passion for architecture lead her to reorient her career in interior design following a successful career as a Professional Engineer and Project Manager. Her sense of curiosity and professionalism permeate all aspects of her design, and her compassion for others has forged a particular interest in human-focused design. Since joining Stantec, Chantal has specialized in interior design for corporate workplace and commercial projects, including tenant improvement.