The Perks & Pitfalls of Return to Office

The Utilisation Imbalance

Hybrid working is firmly established, yet occupancy data shows a persistent imbalance. Offices typically peak midweek, particularly on Tuesdays, while Fridays remain markedly underused. In cities like London, midweek attendance can approach 75%, but occupancy may drop to around a quarter of capacity by the end of the week. 

This pattern presents a structural issue. Organisations are funding space that operates at high intensity for three days and sits underutilised for the remainder. For finance directors and estate leads, that raises difficult questions about ROI. The office risks becoming a high-cost asset without clear performance metrics. 

At the same time, the market has polarised. Standard office space is struggling, while premium, smart-enabled and sustainable buildings are thriving. Best-in-class environments offer technology integration, thoughtful design and credible sustainability credentials, and give employees a reason to attend. 

Offices can be the most expensive and most underused assets on the balance sheet. Leaders are giving a variety of reasons for their return-to-office mandate- from collaboration, learning and mentoring to creativity and employee engagement, but is the real reason that they want to see their very expensive office space being used?

When Return to Office Goes Wrong

There are a few recent examples of return-to-office going wrong: 

•  Manchester United Football Club faced reputational fallout after linking office presence to email traffic metrics 
•  HSBC downsized its London headquarters before introducing a 60% attendance expectation that required additional leased space 
• • WPP encountered staff petitions and share price impact following a four-day mandate announcement. 

By contrast, JPMorgan Chase has maintained a consistent five-day model backed by substantial investment in premium space, while Standard Chartered embedded a structured 40–60% hybrid approach aligned to collaboration and diversity goals. These different models proved to be extremely successful. 

The Structural Tension

Return-to-office friction is not simply employee reluctance – it often reflects competing priorities. 

From an organisational perspective, physical presence supports: 

•  Culture and cohesion  
• • Mentoring and knowledge transfer  
•  Innovation through coordinated collaboration  
• • Justification of real estate spend.

From an individual perspective, the pressure points are different. Rising commuting costs, time lost in travel, caring responsibilities and the sensory challenges of open-plan offices all influence engagement. For many employees, attendance must feel purposeful rather than symbolic. 

Sustainability intensifies this tension. Remote workers can have significantly lower carbon footprints because commuting emissions are reduced. As attendance expectations increase, commuting becomes a central ESG consideration. For organisations committed to net zero, travel behaviour must sit within workplace strategy, not outside it. 

Standard Chartered’s focus was about improving the employee experience when you’re in the office, but the expectation was that you would do between 40 and 60% of your work at home and only use the office for collaboration meetings and workshops, et cetera. It has been incredibly popular with their staff.

Designing Purposeful Presence

The solution lies in intentional design. If employees are asked to travel, the office experience must justify the journey. 

That requires: 

•  Coordinated anchor days across departments   
• • Organising collaboration into defined in-office windows 
•  Avoiding fragmented one-meeting commutes
• • Supporting lower-carbon commuting options.

Data is essential; leaders need insight into who is attending, how space is used and what the commuting impact looks like. For Mobilityways clients, combining commuting analytics with workplace utilisation data provides a clearer view of performance and carbon exposure. 

From Occupancy to Performance

Smart buildings now offer real-time occupancy tracking, AI-driven energy optimisation and detailed reporting capabilities. However, occupancy alone does not define success. Forward-thinking organisations are integrating behavioural insight, utilisation data and sustainability metrics to understand whether their workplaces genuinely perform. 

The two biggest strategic risks in 2026 are damaging culture through poorly explained mandates, and committing millions to real estate decisions without robust evidence. Yet when organisations align strategy, space and behaviour, they can strengthen collaboration, improve retention and manage greenhouse gas emissions more effectively.