AN EXTRAORDINARY TIME, AN EXTRAORDINARY RESPONSE

In July 2020 Connect published Finding the Path Forward, a report measuring the immediate impact of COVID-19 on Macquarie Park.

Looking back, it is astonishing to see just how extraordinary those early days of the pandemic were.

Significant business changes which would usually take many months of planning happened almost overnight. Congestion evaporated at a stroke, as commuters stayed home. We all found ways to still work together – even when we were apart.

It’s a moment in the history of Macquarie Park we won’t forget.

When compared to the impacts seen elsewhere in the world since, Macquarie Park’s community has been fortunate. We’ve been able to open up more, with fewer restrictions and greater opportunities to come together.

But there are still significant questions about how to build a successful hybrid working culture, how to safely define the role of the workplace, and how to sustain an economic recovery in our area.

That’s why we returned to the employees we surveyed in 2020, and asked them “how are you going now?”

We canvassed members of the Macquarie Park community to understand how people’s lives have changed and what this means for you, for your workplace and for our area.

We acknowledge the tireless work of the Facilities, Human Resources and Comms and Culture partners at our member workplaces, and the significance of the time they have just worked through.

Connect has had an extraordinary year, too. While busy supporting our members through the crisis, we’ve also been working hard to plan our own next steps.

We’re expanding our mission, and our name. As Connect Macquarie Park Innovation District we will prioritise the needs of Macquarie Park and to help create places and spaces for new ideas, new innovation and new jobs.

We’re looking forward to working with you. WAYS OF WORKING GETTING HERE

MACQUARIE PARK NOW

YOUR OFFICE

contents

INTRODUCTION 2 AN EXTRAORDINARY TIME, AN EXTRAORDINARY RESPONSE 3

ABOUT CONNECT MACQUARIE PARK INNOVATION DISTRICT 5

DEMOGRAPHICS 7

WAYS OF WORKING 8 WORKING REMOTELY 9

BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL HYBRID WORKING CULTURE 11 YOUR OFFICE 12 THE ROLE OF YOUR OFFICE 13

GETTING HERE 18 GETTING TO MACQUARIE PARK: TRANSPORT CHOICES 19

MACQUARIE PARK NOW 24 A PLACE FOR BUSINESS, A PLACE FOR INNOVATION 25

CONCLUSION WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? 27