{"id":111133,"date":"2026-03-03T14:36:21","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T03:36:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/asia-en\/?p=111133"},"modified":"2026-03-03T14:37:25","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T03:37:25","slug":"charge-forward-5-workplace-shifts-for-the-year-of-the-fire-horse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/asia-en\/research\/articles\/topics\/culture-talent\/charge-forward-5-workplace-shifts-for-the-year-of-the-fire-horse\/","title":{"rendered":"Charge Forward: 5 Workplace Shifts for the Year of the Fire Horse"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Fire Horse does not ease into a year. It charges. Bold, passionate, and built for forward motion, it carries an energy that demands action over hesitation. As red lanterns glow across Asia and teams return from festive reunions, that same momentum is felt in boardrooms across the region. Leaders who understand that the office is a strategic advantage are not waiting. They are reshaping their spaces into something more intentional, more human, more flexible, and more connected to what people actually need from the workplace.<\/p>\n

Drawing on insights from nearly 500 US-based business decision-makers, Steelcase\u2019s research identifies five major shifts redefining the workplace, closely mirroring the values celebrated this festive season: connection, belonging, adaptability and wellbeing.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

1. Stability brings confidence. <\/strong><\/h1>\n

The Fire Horse trait: Clarity that creates confidence to act<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

After years of shifting mandates and unpredictable attendance, this volatility has settled. Steelcase research shows approximately 70% of employees are expected to be in the office at least three days a week, a figure that has held consistent for two years running. Nearly half (46%) of employees are expected to be in five days a week.<\/p>\n

That consistency matters. When patterns hold, leaders are more willing to invest in their spaces. And in a year defined by forward momentum, our research suggests many organizations are ready to do just that.<\/p>\n

Steelcase insight:<\/strong> Stable work patterns give organizations the confidence to make informed, long-term decisions about workplace design, collaboration, and culture.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

2. Flexibility is the strategy\u00a0<\/strong><\/h1>\n

The Fire Horse trait:\u00a0Bold, direct energy that moves forward without hesitation<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

An overwhelming 96% of leaders said they plan to update their\u00a0workspace\u00a0in the next two years. The figure reflects\u00a0years of pandemic-era pausing, followed by a collective decision to\u00a0act.\u00a0The urgency is not about catching\u00a0up\u00a0but about preparing ahead.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Steelcase research also shows that most companies are already planning to redesign their offices to accommodate artificial intelligence\u00a0(AI) and\u00a0the\u00a0new working patterns it\u00a0brings.\u00a0As AI takes on more routine tasks, the office becomes the space for people\u00a0to\u00a0ideate, challenge, connect, and build trust.\u00a0At Steelcase, this is not a future scenario. It is already\u00a0shaping the way we design.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Steelcase insight<\/strong>:<\/strong>\u00a0Flexibility is the strategy. Organizations that invest in adaptable spaces today are building for a future that AI is already shaping.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

3. The flight to quality is more than just aesthetics\u00a0<\/strong><\/h1>\n

The Fire Horse trait:\u00a0Commanding presence that others are drawn towards\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

70%\u00a0of\u00a0organizations\u00a0already have or plan to move to higher-tier office properties\u00a0to\u00a0elevate\u00a0the\u00a0employee experience.\u00a0<\/span>Steelcase\u00a0research\u00a0shows\u00a0how people\u00a0are willing to come\u00a0into\u00a0the\u00a0physical office for what remote work cannot replicate. Spontaneous conversation. Shared energy. The kind of informal knowledge transfer that happens in the corridor, not the calendar.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In Asia\u00a0Pacific, where\u00a0the\u00a0workplace carries deep social significance and\u00a0reflects what\u00a0an organization\u00a0stands for,\u00a0an\u00a0inspiring\u00a0office\u00a0signals care, ambition, and long-term investment in people.\u00a0The flight to quality\u00a0is a commitment to giving people a reason to show up.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Steelcase insight:<\/strong>Great spaces do more than impress. They tell people they matter. Organizations that invest in environments worth showing up to will find that the right people do exactly that.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

4. The desk is no longer a fixed point\u00a0<\/strong><\/h1>\n

The Fire Horse trait:\u00a0Free to move,\u00a0with\u00a0an aversion to being confined\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Steelcase research\u00a0indicates\u00a0that most organizations are now planning for 2:1 or higher workstation-sharing ratios. The driver is not cost\u00a0reduction\u00a0but\u00a0a genuine rethinking of what a desk is for.\u00a0When people move through an office\u00a0according to their work mode, be it\u00a0a quiet space for focus,\u00a0an open area\u00a0for collaboration, a lounge setting for informal connection,\u00a0the\u00a0fixed\u00a0desk becomes a constraint rather than a resource.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The modern office is designed for flexibility, connection, and flow. Much like the Fire Horse,\u00a0it\u00a0thrives on\u00a0movement and resists being held in place.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Steelcase insight<\/strong>:\u00a0<\/strong>Organizations\u202fthat embrace\u00a0dynamic desking\u00a0environments are more flexible, more equitable, and better aligned to the reality of how work actually happens today.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

5. Human-centered design is the enduring advantage\u00a0<\/strong><\/h1>\n

The Fire Horse trait:\u00a0Passionate, purposeful, and community minded\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Steelcase research consistently shows that the most\u00a0future-ready workplace decisions\u00a0are those made with both people and the long-term in mind.\u00a0Inclusive design and environmental sustainability rank among the highest priorities for leaders\u00a0planning their spaces.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A flexible, adaptable office is\u00a0more sustainable with\u00a0fewer fixed resources, lower material intensity, and longer\u00a0useful life. It is also more inclusive\u00a0by design, and able to\u00a0accommodate a wider range of working styles, physical needs, and cultural expectations.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Steelcase’s approach to workplace planning, Community-Based Design, draws on\u00a0urban planning\u00a0principles to create\u00a0workplaces\u00a0with distinct districts for collaboration, focus,\u00a0learning, and rejuvenation. The goal is an environment that feels less like an assigned seat and more like a community people want to\u00a0belong to.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Steelcase insight<\/strong>:<\/strong> Organizations that design with people and the long-term in\u00a0mind will\u00a0build workplaces that support productivity, wellbeing and belonging for years to come.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Drawing on insights from nearly 500 US-based business decision-makers, Steelcase\u2019s research identifies five major shifts redefining the workplace, closely mirroring the values celebrated this festive season: connection, belonging, adaptability and wellbeing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4981,"featured_media":111291,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"topic":[14324],"class_list":["post-111133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","industry-workplace","topic-culture-talent"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCharge Forward: 5 Workplace Shifts for the Year of the Fire Horse - Steelcase<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Drawing on insights from nearly 500 US-based business decision-makers, Steelcase\u2019s research identifies five major shifts redefining the workplace, closely mirroring the values celebrated this festive season: connection, belonging, adaptability and wellbeing.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/asia-en\/research\/articles\/topics\/culture-talent\/charge-forward-5-workplace-shifts-for-the-year-of-the-fire-horse\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Charge Forward: 5 Workplace Shifts for the Year of the Fire Horse - Steelcase\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Drawing on insights from nearly 500 US-based business decision-makers, Steelcase\u2019s research identifies five major shifts redefining the workplace, closely mirroring the values celebrated this festive season: connection, belonging, adaptability and wellbeing.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/asia-en\/research\/articles\/topics\/culture-talent\/charge-forward-5-workplace-shifts-for-the-year-of-the-fire-horse\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Steelcase\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SteelcaseAsiaPacific\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-03T03:36:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-03T03:37:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/images.steelcase.com\/image\/upload\/c_fill,dpr_auto,q_70,h_600,w_1200\/v1772498908\/19-0117606.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"aimeemai\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@steelcaseap\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@steelcaseap\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"aimeemai\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Charge Forward: 5 Workplace Shifts for the Year of the Fire Horse - Steelcase","description":"Drawing on insights from nearly 500 US-based business decision-makers, Steelcase\u2019s research identifies five major shifts redefining the workplace, closely mirroring the values celebrated this festive season: connection, belonging, adaptability and wellbeing.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/asia-en\/research\/articles\/topics\/culture-talent\/charge-forward-5-workplace-shifts-for-the-year-of-the-fire-horse\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Charge Forward: 5 Workplace Shifts for the Year of the Fire Horse - Steelcase","og_description":"Drawing on insights from nearly 500 US-based business decision-makers, Steelcase\u2019s research identifies five major shifts redefining the workplace, closely mirroring the values celebrated this festive season: connection, belonging, adaptability and wellbeing.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/asia-en\/research\/articles\/topics\/culture-talent\/charge-forward-5-workplace-shifts-for-the-year-of-the-fire-horse\/","og_site_name":"Steelcase","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SteelcaseAsiaPacific","article_published_time":"2026-03-03T03:36:21+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-03-03T03:37:25+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":600,"url":"https:\/\/images.steelcase.com\/image\/upload\/c_fill,dpr_auto,q_70,h_600,w_1200\/v1772498908\/19-0117606.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"aimeemai","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@steelcaseap","twitter_site":"@steelcaseap","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"aimeemai","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/asia-en\/research\/articles\/topics\/culture-talent\/charge-forward-5-workplace-shifts-for-the-year-of-the-fire-horse\/","url":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/asia-en\/research\/articles\/topics\/culture-talent\/charge-forward-5-workplace-shifts-for-the-year-of-the-fire-horse\/","name":"Charge Forward: 5 Workplace Shifts for the Year of the Fire Horse - Steelcase","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/asia-en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/asia-en\/research\/articles\/topics\/culture-talent\/charge-forward-5-workplace-shifts-for-the-year-of-the-fire-horse\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/asia-en\/research\/articles\/topics\/culture-talent\/charge-forward-5-workplace-shifts-for-the-year-of-the-fire-horse\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/images.steelcase.com\/image\/upload\/v1772498912\/19-0117606-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2026-03-03T03:36:21+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-03T03:37:25+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/asia-en\/#\/schema\/person\/283cc6d79a1da9112fa2ced5d02be915"},"description":"Drawing on insights from nearly 500 US-based business decision-makers, Steelcase\u2019s research identifies five major shifts redefining the workplace, closely mirroring the values celebrated this festive season: connection, belonging, adaptability and wellbeing.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/asia-en\/research\/articles\/topics\/culture-talent\/charge-forward-5-workplace-shifts-for-the-year-of-the-fire-horse\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/asia-en\/research\/articles\/topics\/culture-talent\/charge-forward-5-workplace-shifts-for-the-year-of-the-fire-horse\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/asia-en\/research\/articles\/topics\/culture-talent\/charge-forward-5-workplace-shifts-for-the-year-of-the-fire-horse\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/images.steelcase.com\/image\/upload\/v1772498912\/19-0117606-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/images.steelcase.com\/image\/upload\/v1772498912\/19-0117606-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1440},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/asia-en\/research\/articles\/topics\/culture-talent\/charge-forward-5-workplace-shifts-for-the-year-of-the-fire-horse\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/asia-en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Charge Forward: 5 Workplace Shifts for the Year of the Fire Horse"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/asia-en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/asia-en\/","name":"Steelcase","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/asia-en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/asia-en\/#\/schema\/person\/283cc6d79a1da9112fa2ced5d02be915","name":"aimeemai","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/asia-en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/edeab3c5b498b8626e4ba8712f60072d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/edeab3c5b498b8626e4ba8712f60072d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"aimeemai"},"url":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/asia-en\/research\/articles\/author\/aimeemai-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/asia-en\/restapi\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111133"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/asia-en\/restapi\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/asia-en\/restapi\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/asia-en\/restapi\/wp\/v2\/users\/4981"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/asia-en\/restapi\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=111133"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/asia-en\/restapi\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111133\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":111320,"href":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/asia-en\/restapi\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111133\/revisions\/111320"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/asia-en\/restapi\/wp\/v2\/media\/111291"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/asia-en\/restapi\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=111133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/asia-en\/restapi\/wp\/v2\/topic?post=111133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}