Go Global With The Workplace Network

 Greetings from Canada!

My name is Stéphan Déry and I am the Assistant Deputy Minister of Real Property Services at Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), responsible for the delivery of the entire suite of real property services for the Government of Canada. I am also President of The Workplace Network (TWN), an international community of public real estate experts who collectively influence, set the tone, study and suggest approaches and solutions to respond to emerging and common challenges.

As part of its activities, TWN holds regular meetings with its members, including an annual in-person assembly. Over the course of the past years, members have taken part in discussions and workshops led by international industry experts and innovators about the future of work trends, considerations and outcomes. For example, TWN hosted a presentation where Gartner Consulting prepared and presented their White Paper on the Future of Work Report, which was commissioned by PSPC. The report was done in two parts: the first part was to examine future of work trends on a global scale with a focus on implications for real property as well as to identify trends; the second part was about understanding what the results meant for the future of work in public sector organizations and what actions needed to be taken to advance to the target state.

We also launched a worldwide podcast series on the future of workplaces around the world. To date, eight countries and two Canadian provinces have shared their approaches, expectations and visions of the future of workplaces and in the modernization of office spaces in the public sector.

TWN’s mission allows public sector real estate executives to further the understanding and progress of broader initiatives, such as action against climate change and the advancement of employee health and wellness. So far, TWN activities have been focused on the next concrete steps required to adapt public sector organizations to the post-COVID-19 era and the future of work from a public sector real property portfolio management perspective. Recently, a working group on greening was created, in part, due to expressions of interest to share strategies and best practices to reduce carbon emissions and make meaningful and tangible contributions to the greening of public sector operations.

To date, TWN includes members from ten countries spanning three continents. Members benefit from the contributed expertise of many European countries, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, South Korea and beyond. Important connections are created between the world’s top experts, with business-based approaches to public sector asset management, and so much more, including greening, accessibility and visions for the future of work.

I encourage you to connect with TWN on LinkedIn to become a part of our community!