{"id":890329,"date":"2026-08-19T11:23:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T15:23:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/?p=890329"},"modified":"2026-08-19T11:23:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T15:23:15","slug":"why-the-office-isnt-calling-people-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/research\/articles\/topics\/culture-talent\/why-the-office-isnt-calling-people-back\/","title":{"rendered":"Why the Office Isn\u2019t Calling People Back"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hybrid work has changed where work happens\u2014but many organizations are still struggling with how to make the office matter. We spoke with long-time Steelcase Application Research Consultant John Hughes, a workplace strategy expert, to better understand why some organizations\u2019 return-to-office efforts aren\u2019t meeting expectations\u2014and what\u2019s really behind it.<\/p>\n

Work Better: Some organizations are still struggling to get employees to come to the office\u2014why?<\/strong><\/p>\n

John Hughes:<\/strong> At a high level, the issue is simple: oftentimes, their office isn\u2019t compelling enough. Many people have a choice\u2014and they\u2019re exercising it. If you\u2019ve implemented hybrid work but haven\u2019t rethought how the office actually functions today, you\u2019re likely seeing very low utilization. In some cases, density drops to 20% or lower, and at that level, the office loses its energy. Without that energy, it stops being a place people want to be. Without critical mass, the office doesn\u2019t just feel empty\u2014it feels unnecessary.<\/p>\n

WB: What are those organizations getting wrong about office design?<\/strong><\/p>\n

JH:<\/strong> One of the biggest challenges is that many companies are still designing for a single, uniform way of working. Those workplaces are still designed around a model that no longer reflects how work happens. Work is composed of five main types of activities: focus, collaboration, socialization, learning, and rejuvenation. They\u2019re all important, and offices need to support each of them effectively. If the office doesn\u2019t reflect that balance, it falls short of what people actually need.<\/p>\n

WB: How important is variety in today\u2019s workplace?<\/strong><\/p>\n

JH:<\/strong> Variety in the workplace is the number one driver of overall satisfaction. Choice and control matter more than ever. People want options \u2014 different types of spaces that support different types of work throughout the day. And if you have a lot of variety, that actually leads to greater satisfaction than having your own assigned desk. People still need places to do their individual work and focus, but they also need more flexible, shared environments designed around the activities they do throughout their day.<\/p>\n

WB: A lot of people invested in their home offices during the pandemic. How is that influencing their expectations?<\/strong><\/p>\n

JH:<\/strong> Yes, many people have really nice home offices. And if your office at work is quite dated, guess what? People have an opportunity to vote, and they\u2019re not going to choose an underperforming workplace if they don\u2019t have to. Homes have become a strong competitor, and if the workplace doesn\u2019t offer anything meaningfully better, it\u2019s simply not compelling enough to draw people back.<\/p>\n

WB: But the office can help people feel more connected to each other and the organization. Doesn\u2019t that make a difference?<\/strong><\/p>\n

JH:<\/strong> That\u2019s true \u2013 if the office is intentionally designed to foster connections. We regularly meet with C-suite leaders in our work, and one of the big things they talk about is silos \u2013 organizations want more cross-team collaboration. But the way space is designed often reinforces separation. The office has the potential to help build relationships and connection to the organization\u2019s culture, but only if it\u2019s designed to encourage movement, sharing and interaction. You have to create areas that encourage people across the organization to gather, and then leaders need to model the behavior they want to see. Without that sense of permission that leaders demonstrate, people won\u2019t go into even the best-designed spaces.<\/p>\n

WB: What\u2019s the bigger takeaway for organizations trying to bring people back?<\/strong><\/p>\n

JH:<\/strong> Hybrid isn\u2019t going away, but for many organizations, it\u2019s not yet working effectively. The core issue isn\u2019t policy; it\u2019s that the workplace hasn\u2019t caught up. Until organizations rethink the role of the office \u2014 designing it around variety, collaboration and real patterns of work, it will continue to feel optional. And when the office feels optional, people choose what works best for them.<\/p>\n

For ideas on how to solve common workplace design problems, see: Reinventing Five Essential Spaces:\u00a0 Before and After<\/a><\/p>\n

To get stories like this one right into your inbox, subscribe to the Work Better Weekly<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Getting people back to the office takes more than a mandate. Learn why workplace design, choice and connection are the real drivers of attendance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60004,"featured_media":884269,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"topic":[47679],"class_list":["post-890329","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","topic-culture-talent"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhy the Office Isn\u2019t Calling People Back - Steelcase<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Getting people back to the office takes more than a mandate. 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