Workplace design is entering a new era. As data becomes a defining layer of the workplace experience, designers are moving beyond using metrics to inform space—they are leveraging technology to actively shape it. The next frontier of workplace design lies in creating environments that are adaptive, responsive and highly personalized.

Advanced tools—from AI-driven analytics to wearable sensors and behavioral tracking—have transformed data into a design catalyst. We are seeing concepts once confined to science fiction quickly become tangible realities. For example, wearables could deliver real-time insights into AI immersive workplace environments that recognize mood, predict needs and adapt to support engagement, collaboration and well-being.

With these tools in place, data will do more than inform decisions—it will fuel environments that respond dynamically to how people choose to work.

Boosting Engagement and Motivation

Gamification is emerging as a powerful, data-driven strategy for enhancing engagement in the workplace. By integrating game-inspired principles—points, leveling up, immersive storytelling, digital social connection and recognition—designers can create environments that motivate employees, encourage growth and celebrate achievement.

Forward-looking design strategies for gamified engagement could include:

• Designing digital or physical achievement walls that visualize progress and celebrate wins
• Creating interactive collaboration zones that encourage creativity and reward innovation
• Using dynamic lighting, color and spatial cues that respond to team energy levels or milestones 
• Integrating digital platforms that allow employees to set goals and receive real-time feedback 

These design elements have the ability to tap into intrinsic motivation, making work more interactive and rewarding. They also address the needs of a multi-generational workforce, engaging digitally fluent younger employees while providing recognition and shared purpose for experienced professionals. 

Strengthening Culture and Collaboration

Data-driven tools are also transforming how organizations cultivate culture and collaboration. Foot traffic sensors, meeting-pattern analytics and heat mapping can reveal where interactions naturally occur, enabling designers to create layouts that encourage spontaneous encounters and deepen team connection. Opt-in wearables could add another layer of insight, capturing individual work rhythms to optimize seating assignments and signal when colleagues are on site and available. 

Emerging design strategies for cultivating workplace culture and collaboration could include:

• Using analytics dashboards to visualize team interaction patterns and guide more intentional use of collaboration spaces 
• Leveraging AI to suggest optimal rooms based on meeting type and team patterns, ensuring teams land in environments that best support the work at hand  
• Designing AI-integrated rooms that automatically adjust tools and settings to collaboration mode, with simplified one-touch or voice-enabled AV 
• Deploying flexible, easily reconfigurable furniture systems integrated with advanced audiovisual technologies to adapt to changing team dynamics and evolving needs, including communal zones for cultural rituals, informal gatherings and team-building activities that strengthen connection and belonging

By aligning technology with the ways people interact, create and connect, workplaces can evolve into living ecosystems that reflect and reinforce company culture while enabling employees’ best work. As a result, these spaces will feel as responsive and connected as the teams they support.

Promoting Health and Well-Being

With increasing accuracy, workplace data can enable profound advances in health and wellness. Opt-in wellness tracking systems, wearables and biometric sensors can monitor environmental conditions and individual preferences, helping create spaces that support focus, comfort and recovery.

Innovative design strategies for employee well-being could include:

• Implementing environmental sensors that monitor air quality, noise and activity levels to guide real-time adjustments 
• Designing adaptive lighting, temperature and airflow settings cued by opt-in wearables that track wellness indicators
• Creating data dashboards that aggregate well-being insights to guide organizational initiatives and support social connection
• Using predictive analytics and AI modeling to identify patterns in employee movement habits, stress indicators and social interaction levels to enable proactive interventions

For organizations, these strategies position data as a powerful tool, optimizing the employee experience, informing space planning and supporting well-being with precision.

Ethical and Privacy Considerations

As technology becomes more deeply integrated into the workplace, new responsibilities arise. Privacy, consent and transparency are paramount, particularly as tracking extends between home and office. Companies must consider how these systems would affect inclusion, leadership practices, infrastructure and policy.

Ethical and privacy considerations are equally important in supporting employees who opt out of tracking while maintaining trust as new technologies are adopted. With wearables, sensors and AI systems, clear communication and opt-in frameworks are essential to ensure employees understand how their data is used and protected. Due diligence should be conducted with all primary stakeholders–including HR, legal, security and technology teams–to ensure a comprehensive and responsible approach to both design and the integration of new technologies.

As digital acceleration continues, designers and organizations alike will need to navigate not just what is possible; but what is right. Thoughtfully applied, data-driven design can cultivate motivation, well-being and connection across generations. The future workplace must go beyond information collection to learn, adapt and respond–creating environments that are both technologically advanced and deeply human.   

Special Thanks to Our 2026 Trends & Predictions Supporter:

Let’s design spaces that resonate and inspire great work. Explore the Resonant Spaces collection.

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Article originally published on Allwork.space.

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From Farm to Desk: The Parallels Between Slow Food and Slow Work

In 1971, chef Alice Waters opened Chez Panisse in Berkeley with a radical belief food should be grown, prepared, and shared with care. That belief would spark the slow food movement, a quiet revolution against industrial efficiency that re-centered human connection and time around a table. 

Half a century later, that same philosophy is finding its way into the world of work. As artificial intelligence (AI) accelerates output and technology blurs the boundaries of work time, a new idea is emerging. Intentional Slow Work is a movement to restore meaning and human rhythm to the way we work, collaborate, and live. 

Alice Waters’ slow food ethos offers a blueprint for a healthier work ecosystem. The lesson is not merely about slowing down, but about reconnecting with process, place, and purpose. It brings people back into the process of how work happens. It restores the middle of work, where conversations and edits create a deeper understanding. This is the part of work that, when it disappears, feels hollow.  

The cultural signals are everywhere. People are reaching for grounding experiences, including handmade craft, nature bathing, wellness clubs, and screen-free retreats. All of these point to a growing desire to feel more connected to one another. 

Designing Workplaces That Support a Human Pace

Workplace design reflects this desire and shapes how the built environment can enable human pace or disrupt it. To support slow work, space must become more than a physical container for tasks. A café can function like a small public square where people naturally reconnect. A quiet room can feel like a garden retreat that encourages deeper thinking without isolation. A project room can encourage and showcase ideas in view, helping teams maintain continuity instead of resetting each day.  

Workplaces that support both focus and restoration lead to higher employee engagement and retention.

Warm materials and natural elements reconnect people in an era dominated by screens. Light, air, and sound become foundational design rather than decorative choices. However, these spatial qualities only work when paired with thoughtful work behaviors. Flexibility succeeds when teams share rituals. Hybrid schedules thrive when days in the office have purpose rather than randomness. AI becomes powerful when it accelerates mundane tasks and gives people time for the kind of thinking that requires decision-making and creativity. Slow work is a recalibration toward workplace meaning. It helps people recognize themselves in their work again and makes collaboration feel energizing instead of draining.  

From Flexibility to Intention

The promise of work from anywhere has evolved into something more intentional. Employees across generations want to connect to the why, not just complete the what. The next era of workplace design will focus on regenerative work. Offices will support natural cycles of energy, creativity, and rest. Quiet spaces that invite focus and sunlit cafés that encourage conversation will help people reconnect with their own pace. Workplaces that acknowledge this are moving beyond functional layouts and toward environments that support intention and presence. 

Slow work offers a hopeful shift. It reminds us that meaningful work emerges when people have time and space to understand, connect, and create. If there is one direction for 2026, it is a return to intention.  

How to Bring the Slow Work Ethos to Life

Design for seasons of work: Create spaces that support focus, deep thinking, reflection, and rest.

Localize and humanize: Let rituals and cultural touchpoints grow from the organization’s own community.

Protect creative soil:  Provide places and time for individuals to reset and regenerate.

Engage the senses: Use natural light, warm materials, and texture to support presence and attention.

Create places for gathering: Make collaboration an act of connection rather than consumption. 

The post The Future of Work Is Slow: Why Intentional Working Will Redefine 2026 and Beyond appeared first on Work Design Magazine.

When AI thinks longer, output gets better. So, what happens when systems can think for hours or days?

Take AI-assisted code modernization. Blitzy’s AI refactored a 20-year-old, 150,000-line MATLAB codebase into Python in one week, a process that once took months. The AI handled 80% of the work; engineers completed the final 20%.

Most people fixate on the 80%. The real story is the 20%. This is where engineers made architectural decisions, resolved edge cases the AI couldn’t anticipate, and ensured the code actually solved business problems. That’s where human judgment multiplies value. AI’s efficiency doesn’t replace us; it amplifies our capabilities, freeing us to do work of far greater consequence.

That’s the massive unlock, yet it immediately raises uncomfortable questions: If AI can do 80%, what happens to entry-level roles? To training pathways? To how we design teams?

This means we’re in a period of reinvention: structural, cultural, and economic. Every company is rethinking how intelligence, people, and technology interact. Let me reassure you: It won’t happen overnight, but it will happen. Within the next decade, we’ll experience a century’s worth of innovation, driven by Agentic AI, robotics, quantum computing, and more.

Five radical shifts define this moment. Together, they reveal a meta pattern: intelligence is becoming infrastructure.

Here’s what matters now.

1. Welcome to the Agentic Mesh. You’re Now an “Agent Boss.”

We are the last generation to manage a human-only workforce. In a human + AI world, the key question isn’t how do I get this done? but what human-AI combination yields the best outcome? You’re not only managing people but also orchestrating AI agents alongside them. 

Microsoft research shows 42% of leaders expect their teams to be coordinating AI agents within five years.

Reality check:

• Reliability gaps: Agents hallucinate and make overconfident errors. Enterprises require human review for sensitive tasks adding oversight costs they didn’t anticipate.
• Integration pain: Legacy systems weren’t built for AI. Integrating securely can take months of process reengineering and change management.
• The handoff problem: Escalate too often and humans become the bottleneck; too little and AI acts beyond its competence.

Skills that now matter the most: prompt + context engineering (structuring inputs so AI agents perform accurately), AI workflow design, evaluation frameworks to catch mistakes.

Start here: Pick one low-stakes workflow. Add AI with human review. Measure speed, quality, and failure modes before scaling.

Implication: Work is shifting from doing the work to designing how work gets done. That design is harder than most leaders expect. 

As we coordinate AI agents, how we interact with them is evolving too.

2. The Screen Era Is Ending

For 30+ years, we’ve worked behind glass rectangles. That’s starting to shift.

If you haven’t used voice to interact with AI, try it. It is an accelerant. Then think about what happens as this integrates with AR glasses. Neither is science fiction. As these ideas combine, you can see why we may be looking down at our glass screens LESS and looking through glass screens MORE.

Early signs are emerging. Consider this: Meta’s EMG wristbands read neural signals. Apple’s latest AirPods translate speech in real time. Amazon is piloting AR glasses for delivery staff. The next era is ambient computing: voice, gesture, and thought-based control will compliment screens. This redefines interface design across industries, from logistics to health care.

Reality check:

• Privacy + safety: Always-on sensors, cameras, and neural inputs create new risks. Enterprises will need strict governance and consent/trust frameworks before scale.
• Accessibility: Voice and gesture interfaces exclude some workers, forcing companies to maintain multimodal options.
• Cultural friction: Professionals resist being “always observed.”

Five-year reality: Hybrid interfaces dominate. AR supports fieldwork, voice handles simple queries, but screens remain essential for dense information tasks.

Implication: The most valuable interfaces will be invisible and trusted. Build privacy, safety, and accessibility into design from day one.

Beyond changing interfaces, AI is entering physical space.

3. Robots Become Colleagues

There may be ten billion humanoid robots by 2040, and according to JLL Research, owning a humanoid robot could become a reality as soon as 2028 for many organizations and households. 

Amazon already runs over one million robots. The $16,000 Unitree G1 and Figure 02 (5’6”, 70 kg) are early examples of robots working beside humans. BMW is testing Figure robot in factories, as Amazon is testing Agility robots in warehouses. As physical AI matures, robotics moves from experimental pilots toward operational integration.

Reality check:

• Dexterity gap: Robots still struggle with tasks a child can do such as folding a shirt, picking up a pen.
• Economics: Maintenance, downtime, and human supervision make true ROI uneven across industries.
• Workforce transition: Companies will need to upskill and retrained hundreds of thousands of workers as they scale robotics.

What works: Start with collaborative robots that augment humans. Focus on repetitive or hazardous work. Plan for workforce training prior to implementation.

Implication: Hybrid work will soon mean working with and alongside robots. Progress is real, but slower and costlier than headlines suggest.

While robots perform physical work, new paradigms are emerging that aim to solve problems classical computers cannot solve.

4. Quantum Shows Promise

While AI dominated our collective attention, quantum computing has shown meaningful progress albeit in controlled environments.

Google’s Willow chip (2024) outperformed classical supercomputers on synthetic benchmarks. Amazon’s Ocelot, Microsoft’s Majorana 1, IBM’s Nighthawk and Loon, showcase each tech giant’s unique approach to advancing the field of quantum computation.

Early results show potential: HSBC reported quantum advantages for optimization; JPMorgan and Deloitte are exploring financial modeling and fraud detection.

Reality check:

• Synthetic advantage: Many “quantum wins” are benchmark-only, not business problems.
• Error rates: Results still require classical verification.
• Narrow value: Most real gains appear narrow areas such as molecular simulation and cryptography.

Timeline: For most companies, quantum remains a 5 to 10-year horizon.
Exceptions: Pharma, logistics, and firms tackling massive optimization problems.

Action now: Partner with cloud providers for experimentation. Prioritize post-quantum cryptography as defense matters more today than offense.

Game-changer: Quantum computing allows us to model futures that haven’t happened yet and this will be tomorrow’s advantage.

These technologies converge most visibly where the bits meet the atoms. 

5. The Built Environment Gets Truly Intelligent

Entire buildings are becoming adaptive systems. Real estate is a proving ground for applied AI where digital intelligence intersects with physical infrastructure at scale.

Platforms like, JLL’s Falcon with tools like JLL GPTTM and Azara enable professionals to query real estate data conversationally and unify connected and non-connected assets. Real world results show faster insight generation, millions in cost avoidance and energy optimization for client partners.

Smart buildings already reduce energy use 10 to 25% and extend asset life through predictive maintenance.

Reality check:

• Value drivers: Narrow use cases such as energy and maintenance optimization pay off fastest.
• Integration tax: Legacy systems from multiple vendors make data unification costly, often exceeding software costs.
• Contracting methods: Require procurement strategies that ground contracts in today’s realities. You do not want to be stuck with a pre-AI era contract in a world where AI agents can accelerate outcomes.

Start here: Implement AI optimization where ROI is clear, but rework procurement and operating models simultaneously to sustain value.

Implication: The built environment must evolve from passive to intelligent infrastructure. For success your vendors, contracts and operating models MUST keep pace.

The Meta-Pattern: Intelligence as Infrastructure

Intelligence is shifting from scarce resource to core infrastructure: from AI agents that think for days to quantum systems that simulate complex futures.

Infrastructure follows hard economics:

• Upfront costs > early benefits. Like electricity’s rollout, AI infrastructure build-out is seeing substantive investments. Benefit realization will follow.
• Reliability is absolute. Privacy breaches, lack of transparency, errors, and downtime erode revenue and trust.
• Integration is the hidden tax. Connecting new intelligence to legacy systems often costs multiples of the tech itself.
• Complementary investments are mandatory. AI needs quality data, governance, and trained workers just as electricity needed wiring and electricians.
• Transition costs are real. Workforce retraining takes years. Some workers exit; others stay but report higher stress. Responsible leaders invest early, often spending multiple dollars on training for every dollar on tech.

The Real Choice

This moment calls for leadership rooted in humanity: asking how does this make work more meaningful? before how does this make work more efficient?

The real work is making intelligence meaningful, amplifying human potential, not just efficiency. The choice isn’t adoption vs. resistance; both deploy the same tools. The real divide is in our decision-making impetus:

• FOMO-driven: Chases hype, ignores displacement, and learns too late that infrastructure without trust is just expensive equipment.
• Bold, pragmatic, human-centric: Acknowledges trade-offs, invests in transitions, designs for human flourishing, and measures more than quarterly returns.

The future of work won’t happen to us, it’s something we design together. Agents, ambient interfaces, robotics, quantum, intelligent buildings – these aren’t five separate bets. They’re one fundamental shift: intelligence becoming infrastructure. Success requires orchestrating all of it with human judgment at the center.

Leaders who act decisively today will set the foundation for the next decade.

The post Five Radical Shifts Happening Right Now (And What Most Leaders Are Missing) appeared first on Work Design Magazine.

Article originally published on Allwork.space.

This article is based on the Future of Work Podcast episode “The Real ROI of Having Fun at Work” with Bree Groff. Click here to listen to the entire episode.

What if having fun at work wasn’t just a benefit, but a core part of doing great work?

In the latest episode of The Future of Work® Podcast, transformation expert and author Bree Groff shared why fun, connection, and curiosity deserve a central place in how we think about work.

Groff has spent her career helping Fortune 500 companies like Microsoft and Google navigate complex change. Drawing on that experience, she makes a compelling case for rethinking what makes a good workday — and how to create more of them.

Rethinking the Cost of the Workweek

Many people measure their weeks in output and productivity. But Groff suggests a deeper question: how are we spending our lives?

“We are spending five sevenths of our lives each week at work. And that is far too much to consider only the input to a paycheck, only the input to a company’s bottom line,” she said during our podcast conversation.

Her point is both practical and philosophical. People perform better when they’re energized. But they also deserve to feel their time has value beyond the transactional.

Not One Kind of Fun, but Many

Groff resists a narrow definition of fun, especially at work. It’s not about ping pong tables or performative joy. Instead, she encourages people to find satisfaction in a wide range of sources — personal growth, camaraderie, mentoring, or even moments of quiet focus.

“The good thing about joy and fun at work is that you don’t have to get all of your joy from the same place,” she said.

Sometimes, it’s not about purpose or meaning. Sometimes it’s about relationships, curiosity, or mastering a skill. Fun is personal, and people should be empowered to find it in ways that are authentic to them.

Leadership Sets the Conditions

Leaders can’t manufacture joy, but they can create the space for it to emerge. That starts with paying attention to how teams work, not just what they produce.

Groff shares practical tools, like check-in rituals and “Do Nothing Days” — time set aside for deep thinking and unstructured conversation. These are not distractions. They create the conditions for better thinking, deeper collaboration, and more creative breakthroughs. And it also happens to be good for the business.

Start Local: The Power of Cozy Teams

Even if an organization isn’t fully aligned, managers and individuals still have influence. Groff encourages team leads to think of themselves as CEOs of their own small cultures. Cozy teams — where people feel psychologically safe, trusted, and known — can exist inside any company.

Small gestures matter. Making space for a quick laugh, checking in sincerely, or sharing the real reasons someone has their camera off can shift the entire tone of a team. And when all else fails, Groff suggests “thin-slicing” joy: finding even a minute in the day — like a peaceful coffee break — and fully enjoying it.

Fun Is Not Optional

Groff’s perspective doesn’t ask for less work; it asks for better work. She makes it clear that fun is not a tradeoff with performance, but rather a foundation for it.

Work will always bring challenges. But most of our lives are spent working. That time deserves to be well used, well felt, and yes, fun.

The post Making Work Fun Is The Secret To Getting More Done appeared first on Work Design Magazine.

Evolving from simple thoroughfares, these spaces are becoming hospitality-driven third spaces that invite occupants to linger. They offer larger, more comfortable, flexible areas where people can step away from their offices to work solo, host casual meetings or company gatherings, or simply take a break during the day. Several factors are driving this trend, including the evolving expectations of a new generation of office users and shifts in the retail market. 

Traditional lobbies are architecturally significant jewels that mark a building’s presence in the city and add beauty to our streets and communities. However, their secure, pristine interiors are typically considered private space. Despite the large volume of foot traffic entering and exiting each day, many cities have excluded these spaces from the definition of “active use” required on a building’s primary street frontage in zoning codes and design guidelines. Some municipalities limit lobby frontage—along with any necessary street-facing back-of-house spaces—to 25% or less of the street frontage. 

This exclusion is intended to encourage building owners and developers to incorporate retail and public spaces within the ground floor of buildings. The intent is sound and largely working; however, some cities have discovered that flexibility is necessary to avoid a surplus of empty storefronts and oversized bike parking rooms that have appeared since 2020.  

According to Cushman & Wakefield’s Marketbeat Retail and Office reports for Q3 2025, net absorption rates for retail remain at a historic low of 5.8%, while demand for high-quality office space is increasing. The office report notes that “nearly 60% of U.S. markets saw positive Class A absorption over the past year.” 

This market shift presents an opportunity. As traditional retail continues to evolve, reimagined lobbies can fill the void with curated offerings like coffee bars, grab-and-go kitchens, wellness kiosks, or boutique retail pop-ups. This new vision treats the lobby as an extension of the city street, blurring the line between inside and out. Lobbies are transforming from pass-through points to vibrant places that enhance occupant experience and connect buildings to the city through placemaking strategies. The following projects demonstrate how new developments are leading this transformation. 

The Eight, Bellevue, Washington

To create a prototype for the catalytic transformation of Bellevue, Washington, Skanska Commercial Development and Pickard Chilton took a hospitality-forward approach to design. The 25-story structure makes a bold gesture: pushing its mass to one side of the site and adopting a side core configuration to create a generous sunlit plaza along the street edge.  

This strategic move creates more outdoor space and fundamentally reshapes the relationship between public and private. By positioning the line of security deep within the ground floor, the design dissolves the typical hard boundary of the lobby. Operable facades and an open-concept ground floor enable exterior and interior spaces to blend and encourage free movement from the sunlit plaza to the interior.  

At the heart of the ground floor is the “Living Room.” Inspired by Bellevue’s mid-century modern architecture, the expansive lobby lounge extends from the lobby desk to the retail beyond. Defined by a rich material palette, the Living Room features varied seating options for independent work or collaborative gathering, accommodating a range of work styles. An architectural overlook doubles as a stage for events, transforming the space from a quiet refuge to a buzzing venue or vinyl listening lounge as needed.  

325 Main Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts

The Cambridge Redevelopment Authority (CRA) announced in June that after nearly three years of construction, Boston Properties (BXP) completed 325 Main Street, the newly designed Cambridge headquarters for Google. This transit-oriented development knits together retail, a mid-block through-connection, and two office lobbies within a central space called the Kendall Public Lobby. 

Inspired by the historic ships in the Boston Harbor, the lobby creates an inviting public room. A sculptural angled ceiling plane clad in warm wood evokes the image of a vessel docked above, creating a sense that one has discovered a special spot in the city. The design incorporates an abundance of natural light that transforms the space from a simple pass-through to a destination. Rotating exhibits and events in and around the space are programmed throughout the year to reinforce the lobby’s role as a true public amenity—a place where the building opens to the city and contributes to Cambridge’s creative and civic life. 

A Fundamental Shift

The evolution of the office lobby represents more than an architectural trend—it signals a fundamental shift in how we think about workplace experience and urban vitality. By incorporating warm materials and finishes, an abundance of natural light, and memorable entry experiences, architects are creating spaces that feel less like corporate gateways and more like welcoming destinations. 

As buildings compete for tenants in an increasingly selective market, the lobby has emerged as a critical differentiator. These reimagined spaces don’t just serve the building’s occupants; they activate street life, support local commerce, and contribute to the cultural fabric of their neighborhoods. The line between public and private, between working and living, continues to blur—and the modern lobby stands at that threshold. 

In reimagining the lobby as a hospitality-driven third space, architects and developers are doing more than enhancing the tenant experience. They’re redefining what it means for an office building to be a good neighbor and a vital part of the city. 

The post A New Type Of Welcome: How Office Lobbies Became A Building’s Best Amenity. appeared first on Work Design Magazine.

For years, we’ve fixated on one question: where should we work? Home, office, or somewhere in between? But now that hybrid working has become the norm, the real question isn’t where people work – it’s how well those spaces support them. And in the rush to keep up, many organizations have lost sight of the fundamentals.

Employees aren’t asking for gimmicks. They want the basics done better – workspaces that genuinely support their wellbeing and performance. 

Keeping Sight of What Matters

We’ve seen a huge increase in workplace experimentation over the past few years. Hot-desking, hybrid working, flexible zones – all designed with good intentions. But somewhere along the way, many workplaces have become more about the way they look rather than how they function.

Our latest global research confirms what many leaders already suspect: too many offices simply do not work as well as they should. 75% of employees say noise, distractions and a lack of space prevent them from performing at their best, and 80% find the office more distracting than home. 1 in 4 people say their workplace isn’t comfortable, and 21% say it doesn’t support their role. 

These aren’t small complaints – they’re a warning that some firms have lost sight of what really matters in workplace design, and that’s creating spaces that help people do their best work. 

Serving People, Not Trends

Employees spend 2.9 days in the office on average, with that number expected to drop to 2.6 days by 2030. That means every office day needs to count.

Too often, workplace design is driven by trends rather than what employees actually need. Big, open-plan layouts may work for some, but for others, it can be made exceedingly difficult to focus or relax.

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution – the best strategies start with understanding your people and devising an appropriate workspace strategy, then designing for it.

A recent project we completed with Tripadvisor in the heart of London is a perfect example of a company putting workplace strategy at the forefront. Before any space planning or designs were created, they prioritized understanding the precise needs of their people, extracting crucial data and anecdotes to ensure they not only designed the perfect, future-proofed space, but that crucially, they selected the perfect building and location to begin with. The result? Spaces designed to energize and empower. The three floors are designed to flow like a waterfall of energy, with the top floor being the most radiant and social, gradually transitioning to calmer, more focused workspaces on the lower levels. This intentional layering caters to a wide range of working styles and team requirements throughout the office. 

Great design isn’t about reinventing the wheel. It’s about getting the fundamentals right: creating spaces that help people focus and perform their best. 

Immediate Solutions

Noise was one of the biggest complaints, and it’s often the easiest to fix. For example, avoid having focus areas or teams that require complete quiet next to naturally noisy spaces like canteens. It may sound obvious, but layouts are often based solely on desk requirements or a predetermined general layout, rather than on how people actually work.

Understanding how your people want to work throughout the day allows you to create various zones that are genuinely fit for purpose.

Once that’s in place, general design choices can make a big difference. Furniture and biophilia can be powerful tools – shelving, planting, and upholstered furniture all act as natural sound barriers. Speciality curtains and panels, as well as ceiling baffles, can also help absorb sound, especially in areas where hard surfaces or open ceilings cause noise to reverberate.

You don’t always need a huge redesign to improve the experience – just thoughtful, practical interventions.

Comfort is another overlooked area. It’s not just about soft seating or temperature control. It’s about how supported people feel. That means giving them access to quiet focus areas, reliable WiFi, natural light, and clean, well-maintained facilities.

The best thing you can do? Listen to your people.

Designing for Diversity

No two employees experience the workplace in the same way. For example, introverts, extroverts, and neurodivergent individuals all have different needs. As leaders and designers, we have a responsibility to create spaces that support those differences rather than force everyone to work in the same way.

That means offering choice – a mix of quiet and social areas, collaborative spaces (informal and formal meeting areas) where people can focus or connect. It also means paying attention to the small details: lighting, sound, temperature, adjustable brightness and contrast on screens, the option to use noise-cancelling headphones, and seating away from busy intersections or corridors to minimize visual distractions and movement. 

Subtle as they may seem, these elements can make a massive difference to how inclusive a space feels. 

93% of employees believe the office will still be needed in five years’ time, but its purpose is changing.

Employees want environments that remove friction, enable focus, and respect their time and energy. For some, that means coming together in person; for others, flexibility drives results. The workplace of the future must be designed around people, not policies. 

The post Going Back to Basics: Have We Forgotten What Makes Workspaces Work? appeared first on Work Design Magazine.

Life is a series of surprises, and would not be worth taking or keeping, if it were not. 

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Space Between – Navigating the Hybrid Frontier

As we reach the end of 2025, already half a decade after the initial boom of remote work, one workplace trend has become undeniable – hate it or love it, hybrid work is here to stay. This year, Gallup reported that among remote-capable employees, 26% are exclusively remote and 22% are exclusively working from the office, meaning the other 52%, a majority of workers, have landed somewhere in between. Not only have these percentages stabilized since around 2023, but polls have also shown a desire for even more hybrid opportunities.

These numbers leave business owners, brokers, and designers alike all tackling the same question – how much space do these employees actually need?

Some organizations have decided to remove the variable altogether. Be it sweeping return-to-work mandates that run the risk of scaring off their top talent or half-baked hybrid strategies that turn the office into a ghost town every other day, ignoring the issue can have its pitfalls. But speculating at future square footage needs using dated programming metrics is just as risky, as the relationship between a growing business and a growing floor plate becomes more convoluted every year. 

If the post-pandemic landscape has taught us anything, it’s that the way people work, connect, and even think is changing faster than ever. The workplaces that succeed in this era will be those that embrace movement instead of resisting it, balancing risk and reward by leaning into the uncertainty with an office design that can adapt to whatever challenge or opportunity comes its way. Designers can’t predict the future, but an agile workplace can prepare companies for the unprecedented. 

Luckily, these last five years have also been a time of incredible innovation in design. The most successful of these emerging planning strategies and products come from a shared perspective – a mindset of modularity. By designing an office that can respond quickly to the changing needs, goals, and culture of a business, designers can avoid the trap of trying to guess what their clients will need in the next five, ten, twenty years, and focus their efforts on the office their clients need today. 

Don’t Box Yourself In – Rethinking Demountable Partitions

For those who were around when demountable walls were in their infancy, there may be a bit of trust building to be done here. Too often, early modular partitions would over-promise and under-perform – acoustics were poor, rework was difficult, and the sticker shock alone could be a deal-breaker. Since then, manufacturers have worked through the growing pains and modular construction has become the standard for some of the biggest names in the corporate world. 

From a planning perspective, developing a modular footprint suited for a variety of uses will give business owners the most to gain from these systems. For instance, a 120 square foot area could become a private office, a pod of workstations, a collaborative lounge area – the list goes on and on. Starting with this fundamental building block and tessellating it to develop the greater floor plan results in a space that can be carved or opened up into any number of different configurations. By adopting this mindset early in the planning process, designers can strategically place fixtures, devices, and finish transitions so that clients’ floor plans can ebb and flow with their headcount and culture – all while keeping costs and waste to a minimum. (That’s right – modular thinking supports more sustainable construction practices as well.) On top of this, today’s demountable partitions can relocate power, swap markerboards for digital displays, and integrate height adjustable furniture into an existing system over the course of a weekend, minimizing disruptions to an occupied workplace.

Small Moves with Big Impact – Letting Furniture Do the Heavy Lifting

Modularity in workplace design can be found in the smaller moments as well, though that doesn’t mean their impact isn’t just as strong. While demountable systems can give companies peace of mind over a long lease term, modular furniture allows them to be truly nimble, changing the office landscape on a day-to-day basis and responding to the needs of their employees the moment the need arises, instead of waiting on plan check and permits.

Not too long ago, hoteling or desk sharing seemed to be the perfect furniture fix for hybrid work, but many employers were quickly reminded that people can be very territorial creatures. If you’ve ever arrived at the office ready to start your day, only to find that someone else has lowered your chair, moved your monitors, and fiddled with your desk height, it isn’t hard to understand why this trend is already falling out of favor. Surveys continue to show that concerns about an unproductive workplace, a lack of comfortable seating, or simply not having the proper tools to do one’s job play a significant role in the mindset of employees avoiding coming into the office.

Looking to the future, rather than suggesting hybrid businesses allocate fewer desks for their people, designers can direct them to efficient furniture that does more with less and can even help incentivize their staff to show up and do their best work. Workstations with a center spine that can be easily reoriented for different types of teams or even pulled away on casters for quick collaboration reduce the need for redundant spaces, giving businesses enough room to provide their employees the dedicated home base that behavioral research tells us they need in order to thrive.  

Designers of a responsive workplace should also be wary of specifying furniture with too much built-in tech, or those without modules that can be easily swapped out, as the devices from which we work change every day. If the web of defunct cables and chargers filling so many of our junk drawers is any indication, designers should not be expecting a client’s hardware needs to be consistent over the lifespan of their furniture. A simple and elegant system that can easily integrate a range of end-user IT and AV solutions is far better suited to evolve with a client’s business than one that’s overloaded with flashy bells and whistles. In fact, some of the strongest modular furniture solutions are entirely analog.

Modular lounge seating can be reconfigured for different styles of connection or oriented to create division in a larger space.

A modular storage system can be used to carve out a new path of travel or create a sense of privacy for distinct teams within an open office. Sometimes the solutions that carry the workplace through uncertain times are not the most groundbreaking new products, but the truly timeless pieces that can be reimagined into new settings over and over again.

Forecasting a Flexible Future

Ultimately, a mindset of modularity isn’t a strategy for anticipating the unexpected, but rather a recognition by designers that the unexpected has become the new norm. Demountable partitions and adaptable furniture systems are more than just tools in the toolbox – they represent a design philosophy rooted in responsiveness, resilience, and sustainability. When businesses can reconfigure and reimagine their spaces without starting from scratch, they gain the confidence to evolve and face whatever surprises the future may hold. 

The post A Mindset of Modularity – Designing for the Unexpected appeared first on Work Design Magazine.

With more than 20 years of experience bridging the worlds of retail, hospitality and workplace design. Stephen Jay helps global brands translate their identities into physical experiences that are not only visually compelling but also agile, scalable and people-centered.

Driven by a passion for innovation and a belief that design should deliver both economic and human value, Jay brings an entrepreneurial mindset to every challenge. He has built high-performing teams, uncovered unmet customer needs and applied design thinking to help organizations grow, differentiate and connect more meaningfully with their audiences. We recently caught up with him and here’s what he had to share.

WDM: You’ve helped global retail brands rethink physical environments around experience and adaptability. How are those same principles influencing how JLL approaches flexible workplace design?

Stephen Jay: In retail, we design for perpetual change without rebuilding stores. We can apply the same logic to workplace: we can create spaces with a “kit-of-parts” such as reconfigurable walls, mobile hubs, power-anywhere, etc. Like retail stores adapt to different types of shopping trip missions, workplaces can quickly reshape for different work styles: whether people need to collaborate, workshop ideas or focus. We add support services like concierge, on-site tech support and light refreshment options to make space multi-functional in a meaningful way. 

Our research shows that when workplaces feel high-quality and adapt quickly, people actually want to use them — so flexibility isn’t just operational; it’s cultural.

This means flexibility isn’t just about saving money on workspace changes. It’s about creating a culture where people choose to come into the office.

When the space adapts quickly and feels premium, managers don’t have to force compliance with return-to-office policies. The environment itself becomes the draw. 

WDM: Many companies underestimate how brand identity should translate into flexible space. What are the most effective ways to keep a company’s DNA visible in spaces that continually reconfigure?

Stephen Jay: Your brand should work as a complete system and be the bones of your flexible workspace design, not just decorative touches. For our clients, we create a consistent set of materials and colors that can be used throughout any space. Then we anchor everything with one or two standout design elements. Digital displays can be updated with fresh content, while purposeful objects — like cultural pieces, modular furniture or movable partitions — encourage the different behaviors you want to see in a space. The result is adaptable offices that stay true to your brand through core design elements that never change, plus flexible layers you can easily update.

WDM: What metrics or indicators do you use to evaluate whether a flexible space is successful and how you go about measuring them? For example: occupancy utilization, employee satisfaction, time to reconfigure, cost savings?

Stephen Jay: We track several key areas to measure success. For space usage, we look at how busy areas get during peak times versus average days, how long people actually use different seats and rooms, and the balance of use across different zones or “neighborhoods.” We measure the practical side too — how long it takes to rearrange spaces and how much staff time that requires.

Then we collect space use insights: we gather feedback through tailored questionnaires, task-space fit evaluations and satisfaction scores. We ask whether the space actually supports the work they’re trying to do, if it’s comfortable, and whether it’s worth the commute. 

And we track the business impact: what each change costs, how much energy we save and how often people actually collaborate in the space. It can be useful to correlate policy sentiment versus actual attendance and test whether quality upgrades close any gaps. Some methods for measurement for this include sensors and bookings, pulse surveys, post-event debriefs, quarterly “space health” reviews and focus groups.

WDM: Occupancy is no longer a fixed variable. How do your teams design environments that can flex between peak collaboration and quiet focus – without losing aesthetic or functional cohesion?

Stephen Jay: To balance collaboration and focus, for example, we might design layered neighborhoods: a quiet core with library rules, a team perimeter for workshops and meetings, and buffers to absorb noise. One-touch modes can shift lighting, A/V and furniture from “Focus” to “Workshop” mode in minutes, enabled by power and data enabled everywhere. A focused material palette preserves aesthetic cohesion, frictionless technology enables instant participation, and clear wayfinding and light concierge support keeps it humming.

WDM: Retail excels at turning square footage into emotional experiences. How can workplace designers borrow that storytelling mindset to make even hot-desking and hybrid setups feel intentional?

Stephen Jay: Script the day like a store journey: welcoming threshold (lockers, tech check), orientation cue (schedule and vibe), anchor moments (community table, café pit-stop, demo wall), micro-scenes (phone alcoves, huddle nooks), graceful exit (reset ritual). When you use design to transform work into a narrative with roadmaps, prototypes and recognition, even a hoteling seat feels intentional.

WDM: The workplace has never been more fluid. From your perspective, what’s driving the shift toward flexible design – and what’s keeping some organizations from fully embracing it?

Stephen Jay: Drivers for shifting to flexible office design include variable occupancy rates, portfolio optimization, improved sustainability and enhanced employee satisfaction (which connects to talent attraction and retention).

Barriers include legacy leases/furniture, fragmented HR/IT/Real Estate governance, inconsistent policy enforcement and poor hybrid tech. Breaking down these barriers requires executive sponsorship, a unified space/service operating model, funded change management programs and key performance indicator (KPI) ties to culture and space performance — not just cost.

WDM: According to JLL’s Workforce Preference Barometer, how can adaptable furniture and reconfigurable layouts create truly “commute-worthy” office days that convert policy acceptance into actual attendance.

Stephen Jay: The study found 72% positive ratings on structured hybrid attendance policies, yet that rating comes with a caveat: the majority of those employees with a positive view work in offices that balance business needs with employee wellbeing through intentional office design, health services, social infrastructure and mobility support. Interestingly, employees with negative views on hybrid policies are communicating the same value system with the difference being that work-life balance is missing. When employees don’t feel valued or supported, they expect compensation for their commute and flexible hours. 

To draw employees into the office, they are looking for local character and community integration, creative spaces, onsite food and health services, and better hybrid tech in the workplace. Some ideas to achieve higher voluntary attendance with less need for manager enforcement include:

• Programming magnet days with client demos or learning sprints and restaging overnight with adaptable furniture
• Localizing office neighborhoods with materials/art that reflect the community outside the office, plus creative spaces and wellness micro-zones
• Hospitality where work happens with great coffee, healthy grab-and-go, and tech concierge embedded in team areas
• Frictionless hybrid technology where every seat is meeting-ready, and presets advertise the day’s vibe and where to plug in

WDM: Looking ahead, do you think the “flexible office” will become a core part of a company’s brand experience – much like flagship stores are for retailers? What does that evolution look like from JLL’s perspective?

Stephen Jay: Absolutely. People reward high quality experiences with their presence.

The most effective offices are shifting from place to platform – a dynamic, reconfigurable work experience that might host product showcases, partner residencies and community programming.

Add in seasonal drops of layouts and content; measurable audience outcomes like attendance, learning hours and client conversion; and a brand system that scales from hub to satellite, while honoring local character. Office flexibility will continue to evolve to support the brand, business goals and employee expectations, and so must be integrated into the design so that it’s a part of each workplace experience, every day.

Want more insights?

JLL’s Susan Chang reveals how “vibrancy mapping” and seamless tech integration are reshaping office design for engagement, flexibility, and long-term value.

JLL’s Christina Piper shares how Gen Z is shaping workplaces with values-driven, inclusive, and sustainable design that supports ROI.

The post Designing for Perpetual Change: JLL’s Stephen Jay on Building Workplaces People Choose to Use appeared first on Work Design Magazine.

The office is more than a site that provides a desk and a computer for its employees, it is a space to connect, engage, create, focus and support the mission of the business, as well as a backdrop for employee and business growth. 

The future of office design is no longer about maximizing headcount or assigning desks; it’s about enabling co-creation, fostering connection and delivering experiences that adapt to changing needs, inspire talent and connect employees to the purpose of the organization. 

From Static to Adaptive  

Prior corporate office layouts were designed to support task-oriented, individual work, with planning often emphasizing private offices and isolated workstations. Work is different now – and it is time for the workplace to respond.

People need the office to drive their productivity, and it’s time for the workplace to meet the moment. 

The workplace should not be approached as a monolithic solution. Today’s work environments must support dynamic workstyles, variable occupancy and hybrid interactions and engagements. This shift in how people, individuals and teams work demands:    

• Adaptable furniture that can be easily reconfigured to support varying team sizes, work styles, and activities. 

• Planning with demountable partitions that enable spaces to flex between private focus and open collaboration. 

• Access to mobile collaboration hubs that bring together people, tools, and resources- wherever and whenever they’re needed. 

These dynamic solutions empower organizations to respond quickly to the changing needs of the business, while giving employees and teams more choice and control over how they work. 

In partnership with CoreNet Global, Gensler surveyed corporate real estate executives to learn their progress, priorities and actions around the state of the adapting workplace. Updates, modifications, and relocations are shifting to prioritize experience and uncompromising quality. Relocations are seeking improved facilities with amenity rich offerings and walkable neighborhoods with active, engaging communities. 

Where modifications occur, footprints are adapting, and shared space is a priority. Collaboration spaces are in greater demand with quantity of team spaces, meeting spaces and social spaces driving need for fewer individual workspaces. Investments in technologies to support combined virtual/in-person collaboration go hand in hand with these modifications. 

From Expected to Experiential   

The modern workplace is experiential. It’s not just about aesthetics, it’s about how people feel, interact, with a direct connection to performance. Employees are looking for more than the corporate experience; preferences are shifting from business-like settings to nature retreats, creative labs, and residential experiences. 

The most recent Gensler 2025 Global Workplace Survey research shows that, globally, only 38% of employees strongly agree that their workplace provides a great experience

Today’s workforce wants an experience that is intentional, aligned, and purpose driven. Experience differentiators that can meet evolving expectations, include:    

• Hospitality infused experiences thoughtfully designed to meet the needs of both staff and visitors. 

• Amenities and incentives to create the office as a compelling destination. 

• Immersive branded spaces that tell an authentic story that connect back to the organization. 
• Kinetic environments that turn the workplace as a hub from community, growth and inclusion.

As these new experiences take shape, their success will depend on being self-explanatory, intuitive, and emotionally engaging— allowing users to navigate them effortlessly while fostering a sense of connection, clarity, and purpose. 

From Capacity to Connection  

Real estate metrics are shifting. Instead of measuring square footage and occupancy, leaders are asking does this space foster human connection. The workplace survey results also revealed the following:  

• 65% of employees say the office is where they feel most connected to company culture. 

• 68% say working in the office positively affects their connection to a shared mission or purpose. 

• 82% report an intense sense of belonging and community with colleagues. 

• Offices are now social ecosystems where friendships and mentorships begin. 

These intangible factors are difficult to quantify, but they have a tangible impact on performance, retention, and brand loyalty. It’s time to rethink how and where work happens. Workplace design isn’t just about looks—it’s about creating environments that inspire and enable human potential. 

Traditional settings, desks for focus space, enclosed spaces to minimize distraction and allow for confidentiality and concentration, should not be removed but rather combined with flexible spaces for collaboration, learning and socializing. Diverse settings to allow for choice should be balanced to support social, functional and restorative spaces. 

Design for Outcomes  

A workplace that doesn’t work isn’t a workplace. The workplace is a dynamic tool for productivity, culture, and well-being. The future of workplace strategy lies in bridging the gap between the current workplace experience and what employees value.   

In addition to seeking evolved workplace experiences, employees continue to crave flexibility and autonomy. Achieving this balance requires a shift in mindset—one that redefines control and trust. Leaders must design workplace norms that prioritize outcomes over visibility, fostering a culture where performance is measured by impact rather than presence. 

The workplace experience has a direct correlation to its effectiveness. The most effective spaces evolve in step with their people, empowering them to do their best work, wherever and whenever it happens. This isn’t just a matter of convenience; it’s a strategic investment in the long-term success of both the organization and its employees. 

The post Creating Spaces That Adapt, Inspire and Connect – The New Workplace Experience appeared first on Work Design Magazine.