The Office You Want

Business leaders want workers back. Workers are loath to resume their commutes. We asked five leading design firms to create plans that might make leaving home seem worthwhile.

- By Margaret Rhodes

WE NOW KNOW WHAT MANY EMPLOYEES HAD LONG SUSPECTED: The office isn't always necessary to do our jobs. Just four years ago, 75% of workers were fully on-site, according to Gallup, with only 4% of employees regularly working remotely. During the height of the pandemic, office attendance plummeted by as much as 90% in major cities; this year, with return-to-office mandates in full swing around the country and across almost all work sectors, those levels have only rebounded to about half of pre-pandemic occupancy.

As a result, businesses of all stripes are reevaluating their approach to office design, looking for ways to persuade employees to show up in person. Fast Company turned to five architecture and design firms, each of which is grappling with the challenge both for clients and for their own employees. We gave each studio a different workplace scenario - from the full-time, return-to-office mandate to getting Gen Z staffers to reconsider their attachment to their home desk-and asked them to show us an office that's not only worth the commute but is a place where contemporary employees might actually look forward to spending their time.

DESIGN FIRM - SPACES OF

The Full-Time Office

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