According to a Gensler study, the number one answer when asked why employees come to the office was “to focus on my work.” I think most would have guessed to socialize and partake in the office amenities. Working from home must be distracting!

What employees want in a post-Covid office space

By Marq Burnett, Associate Editor, The Playbook

How to approach real estate in the post-Covid world will be a key question for employers to consider in 2023 — especially if economic conditions lead to cost-cutting measures.

But what do employees actually want in a post-Covid office space?

That question was a focal point of the Gensler Research Institute’s U.S. Workplace Survey 2022. Gensler is a global architecture, design and planning firm with more than 50 locations across the world.

One big takeaway? Employees want space where they can get work done, signaling a potential disconnect with managers who often focus on the office as a destination for collaboration.

When asked why they come to the office, “to focus on my work” was the most popular answer (48%), outdistancing many of the reasons often cited by managers or companies touting the need to return to the office.