ZEELAND, Mich., April 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Herman Miller (NASDAQ: MLHR), the globally recognized leader in furniture and office design, is joining the Future Forum, the Slack-backed consortium that's helping executives at leading companies deliver on the transformation needed to thrive in the post-pandemic world.

Herman Miller will become a founding partner of the Future Forum, collaborating on initiatives that help leaders rethink the way they design both the spaces and processes used to enable employee collaboration. Specific areas of focus will include:

• The future of the office: Whether it's a return to headquarters, sustained work from home, or a combination of the two, the physical spaces companies use for work will need to look fundamentally different. Herman Miller and the Future Forum will work together to develop concrete solutions that companies can implement to meet the evolving needs and expectations of their employees.
• Creativity and innovation: The spaces used for work are only part of the story—the processes and procedures people work with are just as important. Herman Miller and the Future Forum will develop playbooks helping companies establish new methods for fostering employee creativity and innovation.

"Designing the optimal employee experience is all about balancing diverse needs for individual focus with expectations for collaboration and communication," says Joseph White, the director of Workplace Futures and Insight for Herman Miller. "In the post-pandemic world, this redesign will be a critical competitive differentiator for companies. The best and brightest employees will seek out companies that help them cultivate balance, offering both support with home office setups and corporate office spaces that are optimized for choice."

"Thriving in the new world of work depends on giving employees flexibility in how, when and where they work," says Helen Lee Kupp, the director of product strategy and partnerships at the Future Forum. "We're thrilled to partner with Herman Miller to help companies evolve the way they think about office space, technology and work processes so that they can thrive in the new world of work."
Herman Miller joins other Future Forum partners, including the Boston Consulting Group, Management Leadership for Tomorrow, Fortune magazine and Stanford professor Pamela Hinds. Current initiatives from the Future Forum include:

• The quarterly Remote Employee Experience Index, which provides the data and analysis that organizations need to navigate this new world of work. The most recent report found that flexible work is the overwhelming choice for knowledge workers: 63% want a hybrid remote-office model, 20% want to work remotely full-time, and only 17% want to return to full-time office work. Click here to read more.
• Continued rollout of best practices and playbooks to make hybrid work successful through the Future Forum blog, including a breakdown of how companies can create flexibility in their office space.
• An ongoing event series bringing together leading thinkers to debate big ideas about the future of work. Click here for a recap of a recent event that dug into the 5 investments that CEOs must make to create an inclusive workplace.

Visit futureforum.com for the latest research, content and events.

About Herman Miller
Herman Miller is a globally recognized leader in design. Since its inception in 1905, the company's innovative, problem-solving designs and furnishings have inspired the best in people wherever they live, work, learn, heal, and play. In 2018, Herman Miller created Herman Miller Group, a purposefully selected, complementary family of brands that includes Colebrook Bosson Saunders, DWR, Geiger, HAY, Maars Living Walls, Maharam, naughtone, and Nemschoff. Guided by a shared purpose—design for the good of humankind—Herman Miller Group shapes places that matter for customers while contributing to a more equitable and sustainable future for all. For more information visit hermanmiller.com/about-us.

About Future Forum
The Future Forum is a consortium launched by Slack to help companies make the transformations necessary to thrive in the new economy. Future Forum delivers both original research, case studies and position papers, including the Remote Employee Experience Index, and an ongoing executive event series. Future Forum is dedicated to the concept that business challenges and competitive advantages come down to people—attracting and retaining diverse talent, aligning and engaging against common purpose, and acting with agility to achieve great things. The time to make comprehensive change is now. The Future Forum is your partner on the journey. For more information visit futureforum.com.

SOURCE Herman Miller, Inc.