In episode 408, host Mike Petrusky speaks with Kevin Sauer, MCR.w, Head of US Operations & Client Delivery at Nhance.ai, a digital twin and smart building platform, and Founder & CEO of Sauer Strategy Works, LLC. Kevin is a longtime workplace strategist with experience spanning architecture, corporate real estate, and global workplace consulting. He shares insights from his career journey and explains how organizations can better align workplace strategy with evolving business needs by balancing human connection with emerging technologies.
The conversation explores how the pandemic reshaped assumptions about where and how work happens, accelerating the shift to flexible workplace strategies such as activity-based working and shared desking. They also discuss the growing role of AI and robotics in facility operations, highlighting how automation and data-driven insights can improve efficiency while freeing teams to focus on higher-value work.
Agenda
- How workplace assumptions continue to evolve post-pandemic
- Why AI and robotics are reshaping facility operations
- How workplace leaders can balance human connection with technology
What you need to know: Workplace takeaways
Takeaway 1: Human connection remains essential in a technology-driven workplace
Even as AI and automation advance, the human element remains central to effective workplace strategy, explains Kevin. So, he encourages leaders to actively engage with people across the organization and beyond to fully understand emerging needs, challenges, and opportunities.
“Get out there and spend time with people, listen to people… talk to your business leaders, talk to other people in the field, talk to people outside of your field to really understand what’s happening,” he says.
Prioritizing human connection also helps you identify opportunities for improvement that are grounded in real experiences, he explains, allowing you to design workplaces that support collaboration, decision-making, and innovation in ways technology by itself cannot replicate.
Takeaway 2: AI creates opportunities to rethink how work gets done
Kevin describes AI as a powerful tool for accelerating analysis, testing ideas, and automating routine work that traditionally consumes valuable time. Instead of relying on manual processes and fragmented data sources, workplace teams can use AI-driven systems to improve responsiveness, increase consistency, and make better decisions faster.
“Now we can actually crunch that and test out theories and hypotheses much faster,” he says, pointing to the ability to evaluate complex workplace scenarios with greater speed and accuracy than ever before.
While AI often dominates the conversation, Kevin also wants to highlight how robotics are an equally important trend that is already delivering measurable impact across facility operations. From drones to autonomous security systems, organizations can improve safety, efficiency, and response times while reducing reliance on manual intervention.
He shares, “If a 100-year-old concrete plant can do this, why aren’t we doing this more in corporate real estate?”
Takeaway 3: Workplace leaders must challenge assumptions and adapt continuously
Kevin stresses that innovation requires questioning long-standing workplace norms, many of which persisted until the pandemic forced rapid and widespread change. Leaders who succeed in this environment are those who remain open to new models, willing to experiment, and able to rethink how work and space align as conditions evolve.
He explains, “You have to really kind of challenge prior assumptions and also not get caught in the trap of what’s been done before.”
Workplace management insights
- Human connection remains critical even as AI and automation become more prominent in the workplace.
- AI can reduce administrative workloads and enable faster, data-driven decision-making.
- Robotics are already improving safety, efficiency, and operational visibility across facilities.
- The pandemic accelerated adoption of flexible workplace models, including shared and activity-based environments.
- Challenging legacy assumptions is essential to designing workplaces that support modern work patterns.
- Workplace leaders must balance technological innovation with human experience to drive meaningful outcomes.
Explore the full library of Workplace Innovator podcast episodes for an in‑depth look at workplace insights and watch the full video here.
