• Employees have broadly accepted office attendance policies, yet positive sentiment does not always translate into compliance. Employees expect employers to acknowledge their personal circumstances and to meet their high expectations for office environments.

• The desire for work-life balance is stronger than ever, outweighing salary. Flexibility needs are shifting towards management of time over place. While most employees recognize the benefits of being in the office, all aspire to have some autonomy over their hours and how they integrate work and life. 

• Wellbeing concerns, particularly burnout, pose a persistent threat to organizational outcomes and employee retention, raising the need for employers to create more supportive work environments.

In many global organizations, hybrid working has become a permanent feature. Work-life balance expectations are evolving for both employees and their employers, continually shaping a new world of work. JLL’s Workforce Preference Barometer 2025 surveyed 8,700 office workers across 31 countries, employed in organizations with more than 1,000 staff in sectors including finance, technology, manufacturing and public services.

Our analysis offers insights into what employees expect from their work environment and the impact of structured hybrid policies, shifting flexibility needs and resulting retention challenges. These findings reveal key areas for employers to address at a time when cost pressures demand highly strategic investments in the workplace.

How companies can address non-compliance

Great office environments matter, but they must be part of a comprehensive strategy addressing the deeper personal and professional drivers of non-compliance:

1. Personalize the approach. Tailor policies by career stage and personal circumstances. New parents, senior employees and long-tenured staff have different needs and motivations.

2. Make office time valuable. Focus on meaningful in-person experiences over mandates and provide compelling reasons for office presence.

3. Address retention risk. Create pathways for high performers to remain engaged without strict compliance. Ensure leaders can have nuanced conversations about individual circumstances.

4. Support holistic well-being. Go beyond physical perks to address wellbeing, work-life integration and burnout prevention. Develop community-building programs to combat isolation.

5. Prioritize engagement. Track outcomes and contribution, not just attendance. Continuously assess and adjust strategies based on employee life changes and business needs.

Expectations for office experience rise and vary

Despite the level of hybrid policies acceptance, the return to physical spaces has laid bare a mismatch between policy and office experience: almost 40% of global respondents believe their office experience could improve. Top areas of dissatisfaction include building location (traffic, connectivity, safety), workplace environment factors (ergonomics, acoustic comfort) and the quality of amenities on offer (food options). More than other cohorts, younger workers expect access to nutritious food and beverage options. Clear opportunities exist for improvement, but in today’s cost-conscious environment, employers must assess which can deliver the greatest return for their workforce.
 

More than one in three believe office experience could improve

The case for tailored flexibility

Hybrid arrangements remain critical for 41% of the global workforce, but caregivers have more complex needs: 42% require short-notice paid leave, 33% want remote training options and 43% seek greater hybrid flexibility.

This reinforces the imperative for employers to dispense with a one-size-fits-all approach to flexibility. A modular employee value proposition, offering choice and personalization can help workers align rewards with their lifestyles. And managers must be trained to support diverse workforce expectations.

Rethinking the office itself matters too. Security protocols should allow extended access hours, while smart lighting, HVAC and space-booking systems support flexible work patterns. Allocating seating by neighborhoods for teams or departments can also create opportunities for more dynamic space management, enabling shared workspaces and providing flexibility for employees to work across different spaces and offices. Successful organizations will plan occupancy in real-time, based on forecasted occupants and individual workstyles. This can materially reduce the costs of space provision and optimize occupancy rates while improving employee experience and community building.

The 2025 Workforce Preference Barometer reveals a workplace that is more structured and more accepted, but with higher expectations placed upon it. Employees tend to comply with office attendance policies, but engagement hinges on the quality of work environments and overall experience delivered. Work-life balance is now a universal requirement, centered on time management beyond the place of work. While salary and flexibility remain fundamental, employers that focus solely on these factors risk falling short: addressing the emotional dimensions of work—burnout, purpose, recognition—are critical to sustaining performance and long-term retention.

Meeting these expectations in a cost-conscious environment will require organizations to assess which measures can deliver the desired returns for their business outcomes. Our findings suggest several priority actions for employers:

The physical workplace

• Coordinate teams’ locations and presence to make the commute worthwhile, ensuring opportunities to collaborate, strengthen culture, spend time with managers or engage in informal learning.

• Create differentiated office environments, with high-quality finishes, personalized amenities, nutritious food options and modern social spaces. 

• Leverage technologies to create AI-enabled collaborative environments and make office spaces more responsive, accessible and community-oriented.

• Use the physical workplace to strengthen company culture and professional growth, providing opportunities for recognition, community, networking and mentorship.
   

The broader experience

• Tailor employee value propositions, including varied amenities and flexibility options adaptable to different life stages and responsibilities.

• Expand flexible policies to emphasize autonomy over working hours and support short-notice leave, and tailor options to distinct employee groups.

• Establish holistic wellbeing programs addressing mental wellbeing, caregiving support and burnout prevention—especially for high-risk groups like managers and caregivers.

• Invest in manager training focused on emotional intelligence, remote leadership and awareness of team pressures.

• Continuously gather and act on employee feedback, segmenting strategies by demographics, roles, tenure and regions to keep policies adaptive and relevant.

Today, the workplace must do more to earn its place in employees’ lives. The most successful organizations won’t simply adapt to change but will intentionally design for it, focusing on what their talent truly values.

Strategic workplace solutions for the hybrid era, powered by JLL

Ready to transform your workplace strategy to meet rising employee expectations and drive retention? We help organizations design flexible, engaging work environments that balance structured policies with employee wellbeing.

Contact JLL Consulting Services today.

¹Structured hybrid policies blend in-office collaboration with remote flexibility, offering a balanced approach to work (usually between one to three days on-site). They involve predefined guidelines for when employees need to work from the office, while still allowing for remote work some of the time. Among those policies, an RTO (return-to-office) mandate is a workplace policy that requires employees to work from the organization's offices. These mandates often involve rescinding flexible or remote work policies previously in place and usually require employees to work four to five days on-site.

² For more insights about office obsolescence challenges, refer to www.jll.com/en-us/insights/opportunity-through-obsolescence