Boiler Shop to put future of work to test

A historic Newcastle venue is set to become a testing ground for the future of work as hundreds of people take part in a two-day workplace experiment.

Boiler Shop will host Work Beyond Walls on September 9 and 10, bringing together around 300 people from business, design, HR, property, health, wellbeing and performance.

The free two-day event, created by Paul Glaister, brand principal at workspace consultancy Workpattern, will transform the venue into a functioning workplace rather than a traditional exhibition or conference.

Around 20 workplace brands, including MillerKnoll, EGGER, HAY and Deadgood, will help create the environment, giving visitors the opportunity to work, meet and test different spaces while taking part in discussions and workshops.

The programme will explore issues facing employers and employees, ranging from what makes an office worth travelling to and the importance of workplace relationships to neuro-inclusive design, sustainability, grief and employee wellbeing.

Speakers include Develop North PLC chief executive Michelle Percy; Phil Witcherley, director of economic growth and innovation at the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority; and former Olympic middle-distance runner John Mayock, founder of workplace performance consultancy EPIKOS.

MillerKnoll senior insight strategist Bertie van Wyk will examine how workplaces can be designed around relationships rather than solely around tasks, while Dr Josh Jackman and Dr Joe Kupusarevic, of Podium, will consider the effect workplace design can have on human performance.

Other sessions will focus on neuro-inclusivity, sustainability in the built environment and supporting colleagues through grief, alongside workshops covering workplace culture, reusable furniture and inclusive design.

Paul said: “The North East has always been creative and ambitious; we punch well above our weight in many ways. 

“Why should we have to go to London to have a conversation about how to make work ‘work’ better for us? 

“That’s why we created Work Beyond Walls – a space to hear the biggest ideas, meet national experts, and influence the future of our working lives. 

“The North East has the people, the ideas and the appetite to lead this conversation here.

“We’re running the event as a not-for-profit because the return we care about is a much bigger picture of workplace culture, performance and wellbeing for the whole region.”

The event will also mark the next stage of WorkPulse, an ongoing research project created by Workpattern and Audiem to understand workplace challenges and preferences.

More than 2300 UK workers have already contributed to the research, with 85 per cent saying their core colleagues are essential or very important to their working lives.

Visitors to Work Beyond Walls will contribute further evidence through a live survey that will capture feedback during the event.

The findings will feed into a report examining the state of work in the North East in 2026 and future workplace trends.

Paul added: “Our research to date found that close to half of people surveyed say that they work flexibly between home and an employer; yet very few fall into the ‘balanced hybrid’ category, with many people remaining anchored to one main setting. 

“What’s clear is that we’re not doing enough to make working environments great, and that’s not a criticism of anyone, it’s about learning and moving things forward. 

“We’re living through changing times, and work needs to keep pace, and recognise that the right workspaces go far beyond walls and empower people to do their best work.”

The choice of Boiler Shop also links the discussion about the future of work with the region’s industrial heritage.

Part of Stephenson’s Works, the site opened in 1823 as the world’s first purpose-built locomotive factory and produced locomotives including Locomotion No. 1, Rocket and Planet.

Philippa Lobb is design/architecture and design consultant at Workpattern, who has played an instrumental role in putting the event together, added: “As the idea for the event was emerging, we asked ourselves – what is the problem we need to solve for the community? 

“We soon realised that this is a debate which needs to happen across sectors and with a range of different people. 

“The more that we learn, the more we have the opportunity to enhance wellbeing, productivity and prosperity for people and organisations.

“You can come for a talk, work from the space for a few hours, join a workshop or stay for the whole experience. 

“It’s free, and we’d love people from right across the region to be part of it.”

Workpattern has also launched Work In Motion, a six-part podcast hosted by workplace consultant Ian Ellison, documenting the development of Work Beyond Walls ahead of the doors opening.

Work Beyond Walls is free to attend, with visitors able to register for either or both days and book individual workshop sessions. To find out more and to register, click here.

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