Remember the days when many team members were in the office? Well, they’re back, and it may come as no surprise they’re not always excited about returning to their old/new workplaces. Almost every day, there’s another headline covering a CEO calling employees back to the office. Even the U.S. Department of Labor ordered its remote workers back to the office (at least five days per bi-weekly pay period). For many employees, these mandates follow previous assurances from leaders of flexible or fully remote options.

As companies double down on return-to-office (RTO) policies, the $64,000 question is: are today’s workplaces ready to meet the heightened expectations of employees in a post-pandemic world?

Make the Office a Destination, Not a Duty

Leaders and employees both want workspaces that go beyond traditional offices. Instead of returning to offices that only offer space to set up laptops, employees want work-friendly destinations that drive collaboration and connections. To that end, the challenge is more than simply reopening doors—it’s about adapting to new ways of working and meeting heightened team member expectations. Facilities managers are at the forefront of this critical transition.

A recent CBRE report reveals that approximately 80% of organizations now have a return-to-office policy, but only 17% enforce it. This gap between policy and actual attendance highlights an opportunity for facilities professionals to rethink how they use their space and implement strategies that deliver more than mandatory office visits.

The 2024 Appspace Workplace Experience Trends & Insights report revealed many employees want to be in the office. While 64% of respondents in that report supported RTO, over half (54%) felt that going to the office often seemed like a waste of time. This disconnect suggests that facilities managers can deliver what both leadership and employees want most: spaces that make the commute worthwhile.

Technology still holds the key to making RTO as easy and frictionless as possible. Occupancy sensors, space reservation software, and digital signage are a few tools that can help employees easily navigate office spaces without adding more work to their in-office days.

Data-Driven Decision Making

JLL’s 2024 State of Facilities Management Technology report highlighted that facilities managers already face the challenge of managing increased work order volumes with shrinking budgets and limited resources. In that report, 43% of respondents reported their facilities management teams were understaffed. Technology can streamline workplace experience processes.

Connecting workplace communications and space reservation resources is the most natural path to adding value to team members returning to the office. For example, delivering workplace reservation services and employee communication through a single app can remove unnecessary friction from the employee experience. This integration makes it easier for facilities managers and other departments, like workplace experience teams, to keep employees up-to-date on office news, available resources, and other important information.

Technology can also enhance workplace health and safety. For example, facilities managers can use solutions to measure and display CO2 levels in meeting rooms. Employees can see CO2 readings in real-time on screens and receive alerts when air quality changes and it’s time to exit or book another room. By leveraging technologies in these ways, facilities managers create healthier workplaces for those returning to the office.

Occupancy data is another essential tool. Facilities managers now have valuable insights into which areas see the most traffic and use this information to make business decisions. These decisions, in turn, directly impact the employee experience, delivering a more straightforward process for space reservation and usage.

The JLL study also pointed to declining capital budgets. This means facilities managers face cost-cutting and the need to improve employee satisfaction for those returning to their buildings simultaneously. Facilities managers who make the workplace as user-friendly and consumer-like as possible tackle both of those challenges.

Smart Spaces, Happy Teams

The goal isn’t just creating a better workforce solely for happiness’ sake. Studies also show team members perform better in workplace environments that address their needs.

The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) emphasized that today’s facilities managers provide more leadership in how employees return to the office than ever before. With their role and focus on the physical workspace and ensuring it meets team member expectations, facilities managers can move the employee satisfaction needle in the right direction and positively impact organizational success.

The Path Forward

The bottom line is this: Facilities managers are shaping today’s and tomorrow’s workplaces, and they are doing so amid various budget and staffing challenges. Technology can provide the data and communications channels to transform office spaces into destinations of choice, not mandates.

Tools like digital signage and space reservation systems integrated into everyday workflows make the RTO experience more seamless without adding more angst and obstacles to employee and business productivity. Integrating employee communications tools also drives more engagement in the office and when team members work remotely.

The RTO mandates are likely to continue into 2025. As organizations try to close the gap between RTO policies and actual office attendance, creating employee-friendly workspaces can’t be overstated. Facilities managers will continue to transform their buildings into workplaces of the future, helping team members collaborate and innovate better. That outcome is something on which leadership and their teams can both agree.

Thomas Philippart de Foy is the chief innovation officer at Appspace, a workplace communications and management platform provider.

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