Drawing on data from nearly 1,600 workplaces and over 400,000 employees globally, Leesman’s 2025 Focus Forward report illuminates how post-pandemic working practices are evolving. Three major trends emerge: the rise of hybrid working, improving employee experience, and optimizing real estate portfolios. Let’s explore these insights in detail.
Hybrid Work: Becoming the New Normal
According to Leesman’s survey of senior executives, 97% report that their workforce now operates in a hybrid model. That’s a leap from 57% in 2021 to 83% by the end of 2024, while fully on-site work dropped from 9% to just 3%.
Hybrid Patterns (among hybrid companies):
- On-site three days a week: 48%
- Two days a week: 20%
- Flexible models (e.g. 40% of time in office): 21%
- Companies requiring five days in office: just 4%
Decision-making also shifted: in early 2022, about 50% of decisions about on-site frequency were made by local teams. By late 2024, that number fell to 39%, with 57% now decided centrally.
Employee Experience: What’s Being Offered vs. What Employees Want
Office experience scores (Leesman Index, Lmi) rose from 64.3 in 2019 to 69.5 in 2024. Still, home-working experience (H-Lmi) leads with an average of 79.5.
Employees’ Top 3 Needs:
- Quiet, individual-focused desktop work – 89%
- Planned/structured meetings – 74%
- Focused collaborative work – 58%
But companies most frequently design offices for:
- Collaboration and knowledge sharing – 70%
- Fostering belonging and pride – 43%
- Supporting creativity & innovation – 37%
Notably, individual focus work, which employees value most, is only prioritized by 27% of organizations.
Key Dissatisfaction Areas:
- Noise control: 35% satisfaction
- Quiet work zones: 40%
- Temperature control: 41%
- Basic equipment (chairs, desks, monitors): 25% dissatisfied
These unmet needs directly influence whether employees feel motivated to come into the office.
Real Estate Strategy: Shrink or Transform
By late 2024, 74% of leaders said they had reduced or planned to reduce office space in the past 18 months:
- 21%: reduced by 25–50%
- 45%: made smaller scale reductions
- 11%: increased office space
Looking ahead to 2025:
- 12% plan to upsize
- 33% intend to maintain current space
- 49% expect to continue downsizing
Common Downsizing Strategies:
- Not renewing leases: 63%
- Subleasing or transfer: 60%
- Lease termination: 55%
- Selling buildings: 26%
Quality matters: 62% of leaders cite it as a serious factor when deciding what space to retain.
Conclusion: No One‑Size‑Fits‑All Approach, But Data‑Driven Paths Are Clear
- Hybrid models are now widespread yet continue to evolve.
- Office experience is improving, but gaps remain between what employees want and what’s being delivered.
- Real estate strategies are becoming more strategic, with quality and cost decisions shaped by data.
Every organization needs to define its own “workplace why”—taking into account employee profiles, needs, and business goals—to design a tailored and sustainable workplace for 2025 and beyond.
Source: Leesman Focus Forward 2025 Report – leesmanindex.com
