You’re Asking Employees to Come Back. Has Your Office Changed Since They Left?

More companies are asking employees to spend more time in the office. But if expectations around attendance have changed, there’s another question worth asking: Has your office changed with them?

CBRE’s 2026 Americas Office Occupier Sentiment Survey found that 89% of surveyed employers now require at least three days in the office, up from 78% in 2025. Yet only 14% are making major workplace improvements.

So, what should companies be looking at?

Look at the Friction First

At UOI, we’d start with what’s making the workday harder than it needs to be.

Are employees coming in only to spend half the day on calls at their desks? Add smaller focus or phone spaces.

Are conference rooms impossible to book on Tuesdays and Wednesdays but empty later in the week? Consider more flexible meeting spaces that can serve multiple purposes.

Are people gathering around someone’s workstation because there isn’t a comfortable place to collaborate? That’s a space-planning problem.

Is your office either completely open or completely closed off? A better mix of focus, collaboration and social spaces may better support the way your team works now.

Don’t Just Add More. Make What You Have Work Harder.

A better workplace doesn’t necessarily require a complete renovation. Sometimes it’s about changing workstation configurations, introducing movable furniture, improving acoustics, adding privacy or turning an underused area into a space employees actually need.

And before making those decisions, watch how your busiest in-office days actually function.

Where are the bottlenecks? What spaces are always full? What never gets used?

If you’re asking employees to come back to the office more often, don’t start by asking what looks good.

Start by asking what would make being there work better.

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