The best conversations often happen when you stop trying to have all the answers, and start asking the right questions. That’s exactly what unfolded in this episode of Fika Friday at the Office, where I sat down with Jason Shearer, Workplace Field CTO at Cisco.
Jason thinks about the systems, sensors, and stories behind the offices. With a background that bridges technology and real estate, he’s helping global organizations build workplaces that aren’t just functional today, but adaptable tomorrow. His approach? Lead with curiosity.
“Be curious. Try to understand what the real problem is, not just the symptoms you see at first.”
Technology Is No Longer an Add-On
One of the clearest themes from our conversation was that technology can’t be bolted on at the end anymore. If you want a smart, scalable, and supportive workplace, infrastructure planning needs to begin with connectivity, sensors, and data in mind.
“Technology has to be part of the design process,” Jason said. That means integrating systems like lighting, HVAC, room booking, and even air quality monitoring into a unified network. It’s about making the environment intelligent, so it can respond, adapt, and support how people actually work.
Designing for Purpose, Not Presence
Jason is quick to remind us that nowdays people go to the office for something. Collaboration. Coaching. Culture. The office, he argues, must be designed with those intentions in mind.
At Cisco, they think in terms of function: talent hubs, innovation centers, experience spaces. A one-size-fits-all workplace no longer works in a world where hybrid is the norm and every team has different rhythms.
That’s why curiosity matters so much. To design for relevance, you need to dig deeper than surface-level attendance metrics and understand why people are choosing to be in certain spaces or not.
Hybrid Is Still a Work in Progress
One thing Jason made clear: no company has fully “figured out” hybrid work. Every organization is still experimenting, still adjusting, still learning.
The difference between those who are stuck and those who are moving forward? Willingness to ask questions, test assumptions, and respond to what the data, and people, are actually telling them.
And as AI becomes more deeply embedded in workplace platforms, it’s not just about gathering data but turning it into insight. “It’s not just about collecting data,” Jason said. “It’s about making sense of it.”
AI, Equity, and the Employee Experience
Our conversation naturally turned to AI, as a present force already reshaping work. Jason takes a human-centered view: AI should augment, not replace. Cisco’s approach focuses on responsible AI that supports workers while preserving autonomy.
This ethos shows up in meeting equity, too. “Remote participants should feel like they’re in the room,” Jason said. With more meetings happening in hybrid formats, technology must remove friction, not create it. It’s about leveling the playing field, so every voice is heard, whether in person or remote.
Infrastructure That Evolves With You
Jason’s idea of a future-proof workplace isn’t fixed, it’s built on flexibility. What a company needs today might look completely different in two years. That’s why infrastructure needs to be resilient, scalable, and modular.
Bringing multiple systems onto the same IP network is essential. It allows companies to adapt faster, test ideas quicker, and scale solutions more effectively.
It also supports personalization. With five generations now in the workforce, needs and expectations vary widely. From Gen Z’s desire for flexibility to Gen X’s focus on functionality, one environment can’t serve all use cases without adaptability built in.
Curiosity: The Unsung Skill of Workplace Strategy
More than any tech trend or system spec, what stood out most from our conversation was Jason’s belief in curiosity as a strategic skill.
“Curiosity makes you a better technologist. It also makes you a better designer.”
Jason isn’t chasing trends. He’s working to understand what workplaces really need to support people, today and years down the line. That starts with asking better questions, staying open to change, and designing for what’s actually happening, not just what we wish were true.
Final Thoughts
Jason Shearer brings a rare combination of technical depth and human insight to the workplace conversation. His work reminds us that future-proofing is about building spaces and systems that can flex, evolve, and respond to the unexpected.
If you're designing, managing, or rethinking workplace strategy, this episode offers a blueprint for what’s next: be curious, build flexibly, and design with people in mind.
Listen to the full episode with Jason Shearer to learn how curiosity can guide the next era of workplace design. Catch Fika Friday at The Office wherever you get your podcasts.
.png)