People return to workplaces that give them something home can’t. An experience-led space is designed around why people come in (connection, learning, focus, recovery) rather than how many desks fit.
The office has stabilised, but it hasn’t caught up. Gensler’s 2026 Global Workplace Survey of over 16,000 office workers found the average respondent spends more than half their week in the office. Yet two-thirds report “hacking” their workspace to make it work, and one in four resort to DIY fixes for ergonomics, temperature or privacy. Looking ahead, workers consistently put wellness and access to nature at the top of their list.
“The best workplaces don’t just support work — they reflect what people value most.”
Janet Pogue McLaurin, Global Director of Workplace Research, Gensler
A worker jamming a laptop on a box or wearing a coat at their desk is sending a design brief. Daylight, quiet, places to recover between meetings, and furniture that fits the body: these are wellbeing decisions expressed in square metres.
The question for leaders isn’t “how many days?” It’s “what happens here that couldn’t happen anywhere else?”
Answer that well and attendance stops being a policy problem. People come back because the place gives something back.