How do you encourage people to spend more time in the office? Find out in our special report

In a world in which people have more choice about how and where to work, how can organisations meet their diverse and ever-changing needs? And how can they attract them to the office without issuing controversial mandates? Some of the UK’s most high-profile workplace, design, property and facilities management experts met recently at the London showroom of MillerKnoll to discuss one of the most vexed questions of recent years. Namely, how do you create workplaces that meet the needs of people who have more choices than ever of how, when and where to work? And its corollary: if you want people to spend more time in the office with each other, how do you entice them to do so without making it an obligation?

The touchstone for the conversation was a paper from Dr Nigel Oseland and Dr Gary Raw. It explores the factors that drive people’s preferences, what they mean for workplace strategists and how organisations can offer a working culture and choices that allow people to tailor the way they work while also meeting the wider needs of the organisation.

In this special supplement we explore the issues around this most important of topics, with contributions from the members of the panel. We summarise the findings of the research and offer seven pieces of actionable advice from the study.

The research provides valuable insights into the preferences and influences of employees when it comes to working from home or in the office. It is clear from the study that there is no one-size-fits-all approach, and organisations need to consider the specific needs and preferences of individuals. By creating office spaces that support concentration, privacy, teamwork, and a sense of purpose, organisations can attract employees back to the office while also providing the flexibility and personal benefits that come with remote work.

The onus is on organisations to find the right balance between home and office, creating a workplace that meets the diverse needs of employees and fosters productivity, collaboration, and wellbeing.