The pandemic changed the corporate workplace landscape forever. It forced organisations to make structural decisions on their people and place strategies whilst understanding the shift to hybrid working. Although riddled with risk, it has provided organisations with an immense opportunity. Leaders must ask themselves: do they have the right information to adapt to this landscape?

The continuing media threats of a ‘great resignation’ suggest location flexibility is a critical component in talent strategies. So, do you mandate employees’ return to your workplaces or do you leave them remote? Employees have proven they can work effectively from home, so why should they concede to instructions to come back when the average home supports the average employee better than the average office?

The evidence is conclusive. Employees who have a great experience in corporate workplaces want to get back to them for the majority of the working week. But those who have a poor experience are better off at home. This will upend your business’ historic operational and financial justifications for workplace and mean your existing workplace supply chains will need radical remodelling.

Building a flexible work and place system will rely on deploying new processes that can bend and adjust with the needs of a more fluid approach to where your workforce is based. This will also rely on knowing exactly what role your workplaces and workplace systems play in connecting your employees with each other and your corporate purpose.

Employees are spending more time planning their visits to the office than ever before and questioning the purpose of their journey. The considerations being placed on going to the office are bringing the same logistical burdens as a long weekend at a hotel. Knowing why your employees choose their work locations is vital, and our data is showing that a purpose-driven approach is now heavily influencing employee sentiment on what they do and, importantly, where.