• Italian employees broadly accept office attendance policies with quality expectations. While 63% of Italian employees have structured hybrid policies - closely aligned with the European average of 64%- and 60% view these policies positively, their acceptance depends on overall workplace experience. Italian workers demonstrate higher expectations for office environments and location quality compared to global averages, emphasizing the importance of delivering compelling workplace experiences.
• The office as collaboration hub: bridging workplace expectations. The office maintains its central role in Italian professional life, with clear recognition of its unique value proposition. Among Italian employees expressing positive sentiment toward office attendance policies, collaboration emerges as the primary driver: 44% believe they work better together in the office and 40% prefer working from the office rather than remotely.
• Work-life balance reaches unprecedented priority levels in Italy. Italian professionals lead in prioritizing work-life balance, with 79% ranking it as their top career consideration versus 65% worldwide. This represents the strongest regional preference recorded, signalling a fundamental shift in Italian professional values where quality of life definitively outweighs traditional career advancement metrics.
• The workplace environment becomes critical competitive differentiators in Italian talent markets. The research reveals that workplace satisfaction directly impacts policy acceptance, with globally 84% of employees satisfied with their office expressing positive sentiment toward attendance mandates, versus 48% negative sentiment among those dissatisfied with their workplace. Italian organizations must prioritize strategic location selection, ensuring offices deliver superior neighbourhood vibrancy, connectivity, and amenities that support hybrid work success

JLL's Workforce Preference Barometer 2025 surveyed 8,700 office workers across 31 countries, including 152 respondents in Italy, employed in organizations with more than 1,000 staff in sectors including finance, technology, manufacturing and public services.

Our analysis offers insights into what Italian employees expect from their work environment and how cultural values shape workplace preferences. The findings reveal distinctive patterns in policy acceptance, collaboration expectations, and work-life balance priorities that Italian employers must address when making strategic workplace investments in an increasingly competitive talent market.

The Italian office market demonstrates a mature approach to hybrid work implementation, with 63% of surveyed employees operating under structured attendance policies. This figure aligns closely with European trends (64%) while remaining slightly below global adoption rates of 66%. However, the success of these policies depends heavily on workplace quality and location strategy. 60% of the Italian respondents are showing positive sentiment, but significantly below the global average of 72%, a disparity that highlights how Italian employees demonstrate conditional acceptance that could underline satisfaction gaps.

The research shows a direct correlation between office satisfaction and policy acceptance: employees who consider their workplace great are significantly more likely to embrace attendance requirements, while those in suboptimal locations resist return-to-office mandates. This dynamic creates a critical imperative for Italian organizations to invest in premium office locations and experiences. With only 43% of Italian employees satisfied with neighbourhood vibrancy compared to 62% globally, location selection becomes a key factor in hybrid work program success and employee retention strategies. Italian employees maintain higher expectations for environmental quality that current office offerings fail to meet, such us modern design or acoustics. Satisfaction levels for these features in Italy are indeed below average.

Italy's professional landscape is also experiencing a dramatic values realignment that positions work-life balance as the definitive career priority. With 79% of Italian employees ranking balance as their top consideration—compared to 65% globally—Italy demonstrates the strongest regional preference for life integration over traditional advancement.

The office retains its fundamental importance in Italian professional culture, serving as the preferred environment for teamwork and collective achievement. This recognition of the office's collaborative value creates a solid foundation for workplace strategy, even as organizations work to fully realize this potential.

Italian offices excel at supporting individual productivity, with focused work capabilities (66%) nearly matching global standards (70%) and productivity levels (63%) remaining robust compared to global benchmarks (71%). This positions Italian offices as environments well-optimized for deep work and individual performance effectiveness.

However, a critical gap exists between employee expectations and office delivery on collaborative experiences. While 44% of Italian professionals clearly value in-person teamwork—making it their top reason for positive office sentiment—workplace-supported collaboration lags at 56% compared to the 66% satisfaction with focused work capabilities. This performance gap in what the workplace actually delivers for collaboration and socialization capabilities may explain why conditional acceptance persists: employees recognize the theoretical value of office collaboration but don't consistently experience it in their current environments.

The challenge for Italian organizations lies in bridging this expectation-reality gap. Employees want to "work better together" and appreciate office environments, but current workplace offerings must enhance their collaborative infrastructure to fully justify commuting investments and strengthen positive sentiment toward structured attendance policies.

Unlike global professionals who prioritize food services as their primary workplace benefit, Italian employees prioritize mobility and accessibility. Subsidized travel tops Italy's workplace amenities list, followed by food services and healthcare, highlighting how getting to work itself defines the Italian office experience while maintaining strong focus on wellness essentials.

The Italian workforce transformation reveals several important considerations for office real estate strategy. The research highlights key areas where property performance and tenant satisfaction intersect with evolving employee expectations:

Enhanced collaboration environments: The data suggests value in spaces designed for planned collaboration, as employees increasingly expect their commute to facilitate meaningful in-person interactions rather than individual work that could be performed remotely.

Workplace experience differentiation: Italian employees' conditional acceptance of office mandates indicates opportunities for properties that offer distinctive collaboration capabilities, technology infrastructure, and amenities that clearly differentiate the office experience from home working environments.

Flexible utilization patterns: with Italian professionals prioritizing temporal autonomy, properties may benefit from supporting varied schedules and peak utilization patterns that accommodate employee preferences for time management control rather than rigid occupancy models.

Technology integration potential: the research points to opportunities for AI-enabled collaborative environments that create seamless hybrid experiences, connecting remote and in-office team members more effectively.

Wellbeing-focused amenities: given Italian employees' elevated expectations for employer care, properties offering comprehensive wellness initiatives addressing mental health, caregiving support, and burnout prevention may gain competitive advantages.

Culture-Building environments: the findings suggest potential value in workplace design that facilitates culture strengthening and professional growth through recognition spaces, community areas, networking zones, and mentorship opportunities that cannot be replicated remotely.

Italy's workforce evolution reflects broader European trends while maintaining distinctive cultural characteristics. As hybrid work matures from experimental phase to operational standard, Italian organizations that successfully balance structured policies with employee autonomy will gain competitive advantage in talent markets.

The research reveals that Italian professionals are not rejecting office work but rather demanding that workplace experiences justify their investment of time and commuting effort. This creates opportunities for forward-thinking organizations to differentiate through superior workplace strategies that align with evolving professional values.