Digital HR Leaders with David Green From CHRO to Chief Work Officer: The Next Evolution of HR Leadership
Apr 7, 2026
Phil Kirschner, workplace experience consultant and author of The Workline, draws on experience at Credit Suisse, JLL, WeWork and McKinsey. He explores why workplace strategy is often overlooked and should be treated like a product. Short takes on tracking basic workplace data, designing spaces for specific purposes, defining a Chief Work Officer role, and why AI makes workplace design even more important.
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From Bank Pilot To Workplace Product Thinking
- Phil Kirshner fell into workplace design via a bank pilot called smart working that removed assigned seats and rethought space as a product.
- That hands-on program led him to JLL, WeWork, and shaped his focus on community, hospitality, and product thinking for offices.
Workplace Is An Invisible Variable In HR
- The workplace is often treated as a static asset rather than a dynamic tool that shapes behaviour and outcomes.
- Real estate's size, vested interests, and executive fatigue after COVID make place an 'invisible variable' in HR and people strategy.
Narrow Purpose Makes Offices Magnetic
- High-performing office spaces narrow their purpose (e.g., innovation hub, talent attraction) rather than trying to serve all needs.
- Narrow purpose makes spaces magnetic because they solve a smaller band of activities well and can be consumed flexibly from the market.