In the high-stakes race for technology innovation, the workplace has become more than a backdrop—it’s now a strategic lever for growth, culture, and competitiveness. In the technology sector in particular, AI is reshaping everything from investment priorities to talent demands. Now, technology companies must rethink how their spaces support both people and progress. The emerging imperative: design flexible, cost-efficient environments that don’t just accommodate work—but inspire it.

If your company is concerned about how best to future-proof its spaces for evolving workplace expectations, you’re not alone. According to a JLL Research survey , only about half of all technology companies have optimized their corporate real estate (CRE) portfolios for new ways of working. Many tech companies are still seeking the right approach for modernizing their workplaces, to support potential future headcount needs while staying cost-conscious.

Today’s employees are looking for more than just a desk—they’re seeking spaces that reflect their values, support their well-being, and enable meaningful collaboration. Employees have come to expect flexible work options, and also want the office to provide a productive, enjoyable experience that justifies the commuting time. Furthermore, data finds that productivity tends to surge with in-person workplace experiences.

Big Tech companies are pouring investments into artificial intelligence innovation and want to reduce their footprints and real estate costs through higher-density office layouts and consolidations. For companies racing to invest in AI and innovation, there’s an urgent need to ensure that physical environments don’t fall behind. That means designing workplaces that can evolve in step with emerging workstyles, while supporting community, learning, and flexibility.

The landscape of workplace planning is becoming increasingly complex, driven by a confluence of factors. Organizations are balancing hybrid work models, evolving employee expectations, and a renewed focus on portfolio optimization. Many tech companies continue to maintain a hybrid program, however optimizing space utilization is the primary goal of these hybrid programs, cited by 100% of organizations. These shifts, coupled with the need to enhance collaboration and focus spaces, create a multifaceted challenge for corporate real estate leaders. As companies aim to increase seat-sharing ratios and improve density metrics, the need for sophisticated planning tools and strategies becomes paramount.

The continued advances of AI and other innovations could mean future changes in headcounts, space needs and workplace requirements, so it’s no surprise that agility has become a workplace and portfolio imperative across many industries. Flexible work environments allow you to quickly reconfigure spaces to meet changing needs and priorities.

To optimize space, more technology organizations are adopting data-driven hybrid work strategies, emphasizing structured in-office schedules that not only create for predictable attendance patterns, but also encourage in-person collaboration beneficial to innovation. Organizations are evolving their space designs to support diverse work activities. These designs enable employees to seamlessly transition between interacting with others—whether in-person or virtually—and concentrating on heads-down work without interruption.

To mitigate costs, one strategy is to develop modular, reconfigurable spaces that can quickly transform between different work modes, rather than making permanent, inflexible changes. Examples include moveable walls and easy-to-reconfigure modular furniture, along with ample power outlets and robust Wi-Fi to enable mobile working around the office. This way, a large space could be used for a training program one week and divided into multiple spaces for various project teams the next.

Adaptability should extend to furniture systems, technology infrastructure, and space allocation processes.

In the past, common workplace practice was to design corporate offices around dedicated workspaces, conference rooms and ancillary spaces in a fixed layout. Today, leading practice is to instead create a human-centered, dynamic ecosystem of workspaces that empower employees and create an enjoyable, productive experience. According to HP’s 2024 Work Relationship Index report , 87% of employees would trade a portion of their salary for a more tailored, engaging workplace experience. Furthermore, over 69% say a personalized approach to work would actively incentivize them to stay with their companies longer.

Among technology companies, the most effective workplaces are those that provide different kinds of spaces for different kinds of experiences. While employees today are most likely to choose the office for collaboration, learning, mentoring and socializing with colleagues, many also need the office to provide a productive environment for focused work.

It’s important to recognize employee needs for quiet and privacy versus socializing and collaboration, whether face-to-face or with remote colleagues. Options typically mean private booths for video meetings and phone calls; quiet-zone rooms and individual workspaces for focused work; a café or cafeteria for socializing; collaboration areas for group work and incidental booths or seating for informal conversations.