Gazing deep into one another’s eyes, discussing the health risks of loneliness, and learning how to foster empathetic relationships might not sound like regular workplace conference activities. This year’s CoreNet Global Summit, held at the Intercontinental in Berlin, went down non-traditional routes to explore human connection. Its theme was “People Power,” a powerful ever-present topic that has dominated the built environment in recent years.
Our managing director Jo Sutherland and account director Sabrina Stubbs attended the conference and ran a session. Titled “Good business: leading the way,” their panel discussion was based on their recent good business campaign focusing on interviews with senior leaders across the built environment.
Throughout the summit, talks went beyond the usual ‘in-office days’ and desk allocation to discuss what drives us as humans, how to meet our needs, and how respect and collaboration create thriving workplaces. Jo and Sabrina shared their thoughts on the event and their main takeaways.
Connection in the epidemic of loneliness
One major theme of the event was “connection” – where “collaboration” is a common workplace buzzword, connection doesn’t just focus on working together to reach a common goal, but rather, the relationships between us. Keynote speaker Simone Heng, a human connection expert, highlighted that loneliness can be more detrimental to health than smoking, alcohol or obesity. Feelings of isolation worsened during the pandemic, causing an epidemic of loneliness that many still feel. Reconnecting with the inner self can build deeper, more authentic relationships with others. Heng urged the audience to rethink the traditional ‘in-office days’ and proposed an alternative strategic model that keeps teams accountable for their connections.
She mapped out five pillars of connection: rapport, commonalities, vulnerability, service and self-connection. Her keynote drew on the German concept of Herzenbildung – the cultivation of one’s heart to perceive the humanity in others – which challenged the audience to rethink how departments, like HR, IT, and marketing should connect to improve employee experience and in turn, performance.
Building good business
At the good business panel, led by Jo Sutherland and Sabrina Stubbs, panelists discussed how total human sustainability is not just about meeting regulations, but unlocking innovation and responsible growth opportunities.
Mitakshi Sirsi, sustainability director at WILL+Partners, the workplace strategy arm of Broadway Malyan, provided a real-life example of closing the sustainability knowledge gap from the WillAcademy. The educational initiative encourages individuals from underrepresented groups to pursue careers in architecture and upskill the next generation, letting them prioritise sustainability in every project. Sirsi also argued that companies need to dismantle silos and foster collaboration to retain ethical and sustainable practices – “where overlaps exist, change often follows,” she said.
John Hamilton, chief people officer at Bellrock Group, championed how ethical decisions concerning colleagues and culture can drive employee satisfaction and business success. After Bellrock adopted the Real Living Wage (RLW), staff retention, productivity, and overall organisational performance significantly improved. He also mentioned that a bottom-up approach for idea sharing at all levels can be effective calling for organisations to tap into their talent pool to contribute to the ‘good business’ conversation. Hamilton reiterated that making decisions like the RLW isn’t just a ‘nice thing to do’, but a compelling business case.
Commercial real estate (CRE) professionals also face the challenge of securing executive support for these initiatives. Esme Banks Marr, strategy director of BVN Architecture, showcased the financial and operational advantages of responsible business and CRE practices. She advocated for initiatives that prioritise both profit and purpose.
Working together
Industry leaders in the “Why owners and occupiers need to work together” session explored multiple approaches to owner-occupier engagement. They reflected how effective leadership cultivates open communications and trust that fosters unity, resilience and collective growth. Mariana Duarte, global account director at Johnson Controls, emphasised that today, leasing office space is not about the physical environment but creating spaces to enable deeper connections and in turn, better collaboration. They agreed that spaces matter, and those that interact within those spaces matter even more.
Hines Europe’s Shane Fentress aptly commented “When good minds come together, great things can be achieved.” That means sharing space, breathing the same air, and engaging in real-time conversations can significantly enhance rapport, trust and vulnerability, to foster meaningful relationships. Those relationships fundamentally support individual wellbeing, teamwork and idea sharing.
In another session, ‘The face of corporate real estate: strategic impact and collaboration,’ Mary-Louise Gray, VR of workplace real estate & facilities (WRAF) at GSK, highlighted how the workspace was once merely a desk. Now, the workplace is flexible and choice-driven, and Gray discussed how CRE was once a stand-alone team, but now it needs to work closely with HR, finance, procurement, and legal departments. Fostering this sense of communal shared goals, these connections need to contribute to society, as today’s workforce seeks employers committed to environmental responsibility and social value. Through these foundations, CRE plays an important role in retention and employee engagement.
Duarte also took part in the panel ‘Shared net zero goal: why owners and occupiers need to work together’. She called for a shift from traditional key performance indicators towards value-based delivery, asking for service providers and landlords to re-evaluate their approach. Rather than develop performance contracts on measurable outputs, and rather reflect value.
Step outside the echo chamber
In a session hosted by Code Advisory’s Phil Ratcliffe and Laughology’s Stephanie Davies, attendees had a good laugh and learned to embrace their lived experiences to better reach diverse and non-traditional talent. They challenged participants to define what ‘culture’ truly means, and to explore the critical role social interaction plays in the workplace.
Loneliness, they warned, leads to lower productivity, disengagement, and absenteeism. In contrast, psychological safety breeds happiness and workplace success because those who feel psychologically safe are more likely to take risks and grow in the workplace.
Ultimately, the summit taught attendees that actional strategies need to drive meaningful changes. Rather than hugging or looking deeply into each other’s eyes to connect, we need to put more effort into how we choose to connect within the workplace. That lesson was a key takeaway for many during the pandemic, when time spent with one another was too few and far between. Corporate real estate is no longer about assets, but the people within them, and the close connections we can build with one another.
We attend built environment industry events throughout the year – read more from our team on our sector news and comms views pages.
