In episode 392, host Mike Petrusky speaks with Bex Moorhouse, Global Head of Strategy, Ops Excellence & Performance – Procurement & REWS at WPP, where she’s focused on helping prioritize employee experience and create environments where people thrive. They chat about her new role and her passion for cultivating engaging environments where all employees feel seen, valued, and empowered. Bex explains why she feels empathy and curiosity are crucial “power skills” for workplace professionals, enabling them to adapt, learn, and lead effectively in changing environments. She then shares how storytelling and clear communication are essential for FM leaders and discusses how real estate and facility management teams often need to better articulate their value in business terms, focusing less on justification and more on impact for end users.
Agenda
- Exploring the power of empathy and curiosity as essential “power skills” for workplace leaders
- Understanding how to speak the language of business and shift from justification to impact
- Identifying strategies for creating inclusive environments where everyone feels valued and empowered
- Leveraging AI tools to enhance emotional intelligence and leadership capabilities
What you need to know: Workplace takeaways
Takeaway 1: Empathy and curiosity are power skills for modern workplace leaders
“I think empathy and curiosity are the things that we need to continue to keep bringing to what we do,” Bex explains, emphasizing that these skills are essential for success in facility management.
Curiosity keeps professionals learning and adapting to changing human behaviors and workplace needs, she explains, especially as workforce demographics evolve.
So, at WPP where the average employee age is 26, Bex has learned to continuously adapt her approach to understand what younger generations want from their workplace experience.
The empathy component is becoming even more important as AI and automation handle more transactional tasks.
WPP uses an AI tool called Nadia that helps leaders recognize bias and judgment in their decision-making, demonstrating how technology can actually enhance rather than replace human emotional intelligence. The key is being open to feedback and checking in with team members multiple times, recognizing when someone says they’re “fine,” but their voice suggests otherwise.
Takeaway 2: Speak the language of business, not just facility metrics
Too often, professionals get lost discussing occupancy rates, utilization metrics, and technical details that don’t resonate with business leaders, Bex explains.
Instead, executives want to know practical information: how many people should be in the office, how many come in, and how facilities support business goals.
“We’re the 2nd biggest spend in most people’s budgets and actually we don’t need to always justify ourselves,” she points out. Rather than spending energy proving their worth, FM teams should focus on delivering exceptional service and demonstrating tangible impact on end users — creating safe, inspiring buildings where employees want to work.
The shift from justification to impact requires understanding each business’s unique language and priorities, then aligning workplace initiatives accordingly. When FM leaders can articulate how their work helps the business achieve its strategy, they naturally earn credibility and influence without needing to make the case for having “a seat at the table.”
Takeaway 3: Create environments where everyone brings their A-game
“If you’re managing workplaces, you’ve got a really optimum environment to create what could be the perfect world within those four walls,” Bex emphasizes, highlighting the unique role that workplace professionals have in shaping employee experience.
The goal, then, is creating a building where everybody feels valued, seen, and heard — going beyond one-size-fits-all approaches to accommodate increasingly diverse workforces with different backgrounds, ages, and needs.
It’s a philosophy that extends to every touchpoint, including front-desk experiences. “I do get tired of going to a reception and you see someone sat behind the desk and they’re like, ‘morning.’ You think, come on, bring the energy, show me you want me here,” Bex shares. It’s about ensuring everyone in the workplace ecosystem — from reception to facilities teams to leadership—brings their best effort to make others feel welcome.
Workplace management insights
- Empathy and curiosity are essential “power skills” that enable workplace leaders to adapt and connect with diverse, multigenerational teams.
- AI tools like WPP’s Nadia can enhance emotional intelligence by helping leaders recognize bias and improve decision-making.
- Real estate and workplace services represent the second biggest spend in most company budgets, giving FM teams inherent value.
- Workplace professionals should shift from justifying their existence to demonstrating measurable impact on end users and business outcomes.
- Speaking the language of business — rather than technical facility metrics—helps FM leaders earn credibility and influence.
- Creating inclusive environments where everyone feels valued, seen, and heard is both a challenge and competitive advantage.
- Every touchpoint matters, from reception desk energy to service delivery excellence across large portfolios.
- The FM industry offers remarkable career variety, spanning data reporting, sustainability, procurement, and capital projects all in one role.
- Staying curious about evolving employee behaviors and needs keeps workplace strategies relevant and effective.
Explore the full library of Workplace Innovator podcast episodes for an in‑depth look at workplace insights.
Watch the full video here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSkmmkVFvM4H3pwnlU2AuqynuRDpvnh4J
