The relaxation of the dress code was a physical manifestation of these blurring lines. If we no longer have a “uniform” to take off, we have to find new, intentional ways to signal to our nervous systems that the workday is over.

To lead through change today, we need to stop blaming the pandemic and start addressing the three-decade-old habits that brought us here.

Too often, design decisions are made from a top-down perspective, assuming a universal “ideal colleague” who rarely exists. What senior management needs from a workplace may not reflect the needs of the wider organisation. True inclusion requires a shift: from designing for our colleagues to designing with them. So, how do we embed inclusion into our projects to achieve the objective of creating a genuine sense of belonging within a new workplace? When physical space is de