July 2025
Dr Sepideh Yekani and
Dr Peggie Rothe
The way we work has changed, but how companies respond to that change is where the real story begins. Across boardrooms and brainstorming calls, leaders are no longer asking if hybrid work is here to stay, they’re asking how to make it work?
In our latest research report, Focus Forward, we set out to understand how different companies across the world are navigating this new chapter. We gathered insights from 132 senior leaders across 118 organisations and more than 15 sectors to understand the top priorities shaping workplace strategies in 2025.
Among all respondents, two of the most represented sectors in our dataset are Financial Services (28% of responses) and Technology (18%). These two sectors are often seen as opposites in how they work and where they invest. Yet both are confronting the same pressing questions: How do we design a workplace that supports performance and wellbeing? Where should we invest in physical space and where should we scale back? And how do we turn policy into culture?
By looking at these two contrasting industries, we can examine sector-specific responses and see whether distinct patterns emerge when compared to the broader corporate real estate (CRE) landscape.
Across the full dataset, three strategic priorities clearly stood out:
1. Embracing hybrid working
One message came through loud and clear: hybrid working is now the norm as 97% of leaders said their employees operate in a hybrid model. While this shift spans both Financial Services and Technology, how hybrid is implemented and the expectations around it could differ.
2. Improving the employee experience
Results also show that experience has risen to the top of the agenda for many CRE leaders, with growing recognition that workplaces must be shaped around employee needs and informed by data-driven insights rather than be guided by one-size-fits-all solutions.
3. Optimising the real estate portfolio
While real estate reductions are still ongoing, the pace is slowing. 68% of respondents reported having reduced their footprint in the past 18 months, compared to 49% who expect to do so in the next 18 months. The focus is clearly shifting from broad cutbacks to more strategic decisions, with organisations increasingly retaining high-performing spaces and prioritising quality over quantity.
We are taking a closer look at two of the largest industry groups represented in our CRE poll data to explore whether leaders are heading in the same direction or diverging in strategy as they shape the future of work.
Structured, and space-conscious
In the world of Financial Services, stability is currency, and this is reflected also in the sector’s approach to hybrid working. Yet, while 95% of leaders report that they operate in a hybrid model, like the overall results of 97%, the similarities stop there. How this model is implemented reflects a more structured, top-down approach that sets the sector apart.
In Financial Services, hybrid work is not a loose set of guidelines, but a carefully engineered framework. There is a strong preference for centralised decision-making in managing hybrid work. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of Financial Services leaders say that attendance expectations are set at the organisational level, compared to the 57% across the overall dataset. And among those with top-down mandates, they lean more into in-office presence: 16% expect employees to attend the office 4 or 5 days, compared to 9% overall.
Despite the structure, there is still uncertainty. Just 32% of Financial Services leaders feel confident their return-to-office strategy is the right one, which is nearly identical to the 31% overall average. It may be a signal that even in the most controlled environment, the future of work remains a moving target.
Financial Services organisations seem to be approaching real estate changes more cautiously than other sectors. While 68% of all respondents reported having reduced their footprint in the past 18 months, only 57% of Financial Services leaders say the same. In an industry where permanence has historically defined workplace environments, this feels like a deliberate change of pace.
Looking ahead, 51% of Financial Services leaders expect to reduce their space, while only 11% plan to expand: closely mirroring the overall figures (49% reducing, 12% expanding).
Rather than seeing large-scale reduction, we’re seeing selective optimisation. A striking 79% of Financial Services leaders cite space quality as a key factor in retention decisions, well above the 62% overall. The office is not being discarded; it’s being refined. Real estate in this sector is clearly seen as a strategic asset, not just a cost to manage.
As with most sectors, the majority (65%) of the leaders within Financial Services cite collaboration and knowledge exchange as the primary reasons for maintaining an office (compared to 70% overall). Over half (54%) of the leaders in the sector emphasise employee pride and emotional connection as essential, which is notably higher than the 43% overall.
In short, while the Financial Services sector shares many of the same workplace pressures and goals, its response differs. Financial Services approaches these broader hybrid trends with a stronger emphasis on structure, stability, and high-quality environments. Change appears to be unfolding gradually purposeful, measured, and still grounded in the sector’s long-standing values.
Flexible by default, uncertain by design
In the Technology sector, transformation is a mindset. And when it comes to the workplace, tech organisations are moving fast, thinking flexibly, and rewriting the rulebook on what a modern office should be. Hybrid working dominates the Technology sector, with 100% of leaders reporting its adoption. Our data also suggests that the Technology sector tends to take a notably agile and decentralised approach.
Unlike more traditionally structured sectors, only 42% of Technology leaders say attendance expectations are set at the organisational level, well below the 57% across all organisations. Instead, control is given to teams, trusting them to define how, when, and where they do their best work. This reflects a culture that prioritises flexibility and empowers teams to shape their own ways of working. Among those that do issue company-wide mandates, they still fall on the side of flexibility. A striking 90% expect employees to attend the office three or fewer days per week, far exceeding the 69% across sectors.
And yet, even in this environment of innovation and experimentation, uncertainty remains, similar to leaders in other sectors. Technology leaders are still navigating the evolving work landscape with just 31% who believe they’ve landed on the right return-to-office strategy, mirroring the broader uncertainty across the CRE landscape.
Technology firms are not just adapting to how work gets done, but our data suggests they’re reshaping the spaces where it happens. In the past 18 months, 38% of Technology organisations have reduced their real estate footprint (by more than 25%), well above the 23% average across all sectors.
Yet, it seems that is simply a recalibration. Looking ahead, 29% of Technology leaders plan to expand their workplace portfolios, more than double the 13% overall. While this doesn’t necessarily mean the same companies that downsized are now reinvesting, it signals a sector in flux, balancing efficiency with future-facing growth. In Technology, the office appears to be shifting from a static space to a more strategic resource, gradually evolving with changing demands.
Why have an office? A remarkable 92% of Technology CRE leaders cite supporting collaboration and knowledge exchange as the driving reason behind maintaining an office. This is significantly higher than the overall (70%) and the 65% reported in Financial Services.
On the other hand, connection to organisation remains consistent with broader trends: 42% of Technology leaders cite it as a reason to have an office, compared to the overall average of 43%. Still, in the Technology sector, the office remains central: it’s the place enabling fast-paced teamwork and driving innovation.
What are the main reasons your organisation has office workplaces?
Rather than simply settling into a new normal, Technology organisations are redefining the workplace at pace. Many are adopting decentralised hybrid models. Some are scaling back their footprint, while others are preparing to reinvest. Their approach is defined by experimentation, and a clear focus on enabling collaborative work and knowledge exchange. The sector appears to be exploring ways to create workplaces that go beyond simply supporting work—perhaps even inspiring it.
Hybrid is common, but strategies differ. Financial Services prefers structured, top-down policies, while Tech leans into flexibility. Yet both sectors remain uncertain about what works best.
Real estate reflects sector priorities. Tech has reduced space more rapidly but some leaders signalling growth, while Financial Services is shrinking more cautiously, with a stronger focus on maintaining high-quality environments.
Office purpose depends on many aspects including sector. However, both sectors view the office as a place where collaboration, knowledge exchange, and a sense of togetherness help drive progress.
As workplace strategies continue to evolve, one thing is clear: without data, the path forward becomes a matter of perception rather than precision. What looks like alignment on the surface, (hybrid models, portfolio shifts, renewed focus on collaboration) reveals meaningful divergence when viewed through a sector-specific lens. By grounding decisions in data, organisations can move beyond assumptions and tailor strategies that truly reflect their people, their priorities, and their purpose.
