WORKTECH Academy

From AI-driven layoffs and shadow AI risk to mounting infrastructure costs and office mandates, this week's signals examine who is accountable when technology shapes decisions about work Technology is increasingly making, or at least influencing, decisions that used to sit squarely with people.

The global studio's new identity reflects a wider transformation in how it defines, approaches and delivers design across increasingly complex environments, with architecture now at the heart of its practice In April 2026, Adrianse Global unveiled its new identity as Design Alphabet, marking a significant milestone in the evolution of the practice.

Don’t set ambient conditions for working with machines. People want to feel valued in the workplace, so why not start by treating them how you’d like to be treated yourself? I am regularly amused by people who ask me how they can design their offices so that their employees feel valued, engaged and psychologically safe. I’m entertained by this question because it assumes that design has a magical power over people.

How will our places and spaces develop as the dynamics of work evolve at pace? Design Alphabet has become a Global Partner of WORKTECH Academy to share its wealth of ideas and insights WORKTECH Academy is pleased to announce that leading interior design firm Design Alphabet has become a Global Partner, bringing a wealth of expertise and ideas to the Academy’s inner circle. Design Alphabet has a significant presence in India and Singapore as well as Australia and the USA.

What mindset should designers be aiming to support? New research suggests that how we want to feel in the workplace is a stronger cultural indicator than how we currently feel The ways that sensory and other experiences in our physical and virtual worlds influence our mood and cognitive state is something that gets discussed often. But the mindset that designers should shoot for in any situation is regularly not specifically mentioned—this column aims to rectify that.

From AI-dependent bosses and a cooling job market to Gen Z quietly returning to the office, this week's signals show how personal behaviour is shaping the future of work This week’s signals look at the impact of tech deployment on how we make decisions in the workplace.

From the narcissism behind return to office pushes to the mental toll of remote work, this week's signals show how culture is shaped from the top down Workplace culture is often described as something organisations build deliberately, but this week’s signals point to a most complex picture. Decisions framed as being about productivity or collaboration are increasingly shown to be rooted in leaders’ personal psychology, while parents suffer the brunt on inconsistent decision-making.

From heatwave disruption in Europe to the economics of place, this week's signals show how the physical location of work is reasserting itself as a strategic question This week’s workplace signals put ‘place’ at the centre of debate. But it’s not a debate about whether the office matters, it focuses on a more complex question about which places matter, how they perform under pressure, and what it costs to get them right.

Research by design firm AIS, in collaboration with WORKTECH Academy, explores the opportunities to intentionally design the space between desks The desk has long been the unit of measurement in office design. Headcount determined floorplates, efficiency was measured in workstations per square metre, and the space between those workstations was largely incidental – a residue of layout rather than a deliberate act of design.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is already reshaping attendance patterns across UK offices. New research from Matrix Booking asks what late-night kick-offs reveal about flexibility, office experience and the commute Every four years the FIFA World Cup impacts the working week. Conversations shift, energy fluctuates, and the scoreline from the night before follows people into the office. But in 2026, hybrid work has changed the equation.