Category: Modern Working

Return-to-office (RTO) strategies are a hot topic and a headache for many employers. Businesses are encouraging people to spend more time in the office, often to make the most of their property; but this has prompted pushback from some, who are asking: “What’s the point of returning to a space that doesn’t serve us?”

According to Focus Forward, a 2025 whitepaper from workplace experience experts Leesman, 69% of senior corporate real estate leaders admit their organisation has not yet found the right RTO approach. They believe their current hybrid model still needs either some or major improvement. Employers, therefore, are working hard to enhance workplace setups and better accommodate hybrid working.

Earning its place

Furniture can be one of the most cost-effective ways to design a space that will entice staff back to the workplace. To achieve this, the furniture must be thoughtfully chosen. Hippo Waste reports that over 22 million pieces of furniture are discarded in the UK each year, with ‘fast furniture’ accounting for 670,000 tonnes of waste. Opting for high-quality, ergonomic and modern pieces signals that a company values not only employee wellbeing, but also sustainability and longevity.

Home offices continue to outperform traditional office spaces on several fronts. Staff consistently report that their home environments support them better, particularly for individual, desk-based work, and when it comes to maintaining privacy and low noise levels during video calls or virtual meetings.

That said, when offices feel human-centred, supportive, adaptable and inclusive, they become places people want to be in. That’s the real benchmark for a successful hybrid structure, not just occupancy, but enthusiasm.

Design for collaboration

Interactions in the office should be meaningful. While technology has made it easier than ever to hold off-site meetings and bring people together virtually, it has its limits. Having employees physically present enables spontaneous conversations and cross-team connections, making meetings feel more open, fluid and collaborative.

To make this work, the space must support those objectives. The right furniture, think soft seating clusters, writable walls and standing tables, can help dissolve hierarchies, spark discussions and break down both physical and psychological barriers to genuine teamwork.

Silent stressors

In 2024, Mental Health First Aid England reported that 79% of UK employees experienced moderate to high stress levels in the workplace. It’s a striking statistic and one that can’t be ignored when encouraging people back to the office.

We often underestimate how much our environment contributes to that stress. It’s one of the reasons home offices continue to outperform traditional workplaces. A chair that digs into your back, a desk that’s too low or a space with nowhere to escape the noise, these are all silent stressors that build up throughout the day. Over time, discomfort becomes distraction, which in turn becomes fatigue.

Furniture can either fuel that stress or help diffuse it. Ergonomic seating that supports good posture, height-adjustable desks which promote movement and acoustically mindful pieces such as high-back chairs or upholstered dividers can all contribute to a more grounded, calming workspace. Even details such as a well-placed coffee table or gently curved furniture edges can make a noticeable difference.

Crucially, offering a variety of furniture types, whether it’s a quiet solo nook, a soft collaborative booth or a lounge chair for reading, gives employees more power over their environment. That sense of autonomy can significantly reduce workplace anxiety.

Fully inclusive

There’s a reason people often feel more focused at home, and it comes down to control. When individuals feel physically comfortable, their cognitive load is reduced, allowing them to concentrate more deeply on their work. This is especially true for neurodiverse staff who often find home environments more accommodating to their unique sensory and focus-related needs.

In contrast, traditional office setups can be overstimulating, unpredictable and full of potential distractions. For example, harsh lighting, background noise and rigid furniture layouts present a minefield of sensory triggers.

Furniture that allows personal control over lighting, sound and seating positions can make all the difference. Comfortable seating, quiet pods, sensory-friendly zones and adjustable, non-fluorescent lighting aren’t luxuries; they’re essential components of inclusive design.

Purposeful spaces

As businesses continue to refine their hybrid strategies, it’s clear the physical workspace needs to earn its place in employees’ weekly routines. With Gen Z now in the office and Gen Alpha not far behind, expectations are higher than ever. Furniture plays a vital, often underestimated, role in this equation.

It’s not just about filling space; it’s about shaping experiences. The right furniture supports wellbeing, fosters collaboration, embraces neurodiversity and creates environments where people can thrive. When thoughtfully selected and strategically placed, it becomes a silent ally in making the workplace feel inclusive, inspiring and worth the commute.

In short, if RTO is going to succeed, it should start with a rethink of the furniture. Comfort, choice and connection aren’t perks; they’re expectations.

Sarah Payne is Head of Design at Kerr Office Group

Performance should be judged on output not on the hours someone works. Perhaps an unpopular opinion, but I have always despaired of the comments that fly around a management meeting. The ones that praise the ‘hard workers’ slogging away at their desks from dusk till dawn. 

Or the “good afternoon” remarks made to the poor person who’s just battled the school run and rush hour traffic only to make it into the office a bit later than expected. 

Reflecting on my first full-time contract, it started at 35 hours a week a typical 9-5 job, with 60 minutes for lunch. It changed to 37.5 hours and then increased to 40. Some businesses currently contract 42 hours for full-time employment. It begs the question: what is the tipping point before an individual stops adding value? 

Employers should really ask themselves whether even though someone is physically present, how much of their time in the business is truly effective. I’ve often contemplated how we have become so bound by and fixated on the number of hours a person is expected to do. 

Even now, in a post-pandemic world, the rigors of the traditional work scenario are clearly coming back into play. That sense of “I must be seen, or I’ll be forgotten or even worse… I’ll be judged”.

 A place of ‘give and take’

I wonder when the nation will stop asking for more time from an employee more time away from their home, family and friends. It’s time to realise that, in order to get ‘more’, you have to give something back. 

I don’t think this has to mean a more generous financial package. Flexibility is the best reward you can provide an employee the freedom to be trusted to manage their own work time and projects.

Prescribed hours at a specific location don’t necessarily make allowances for an individual’s optimal conditions the time of day they work best; the style they like to work in; the environment and surroundings they thrive within. Nor do they consider circumstances such as young children or a big commute. 

Offering flexible arrangements enable an employee to work during the hours they are most productive. This means a company gets more out of them higher output, higher revenue and lower staff turnover. Organizations demonstrating such adaptability also reduce their cost to hire because they represent an attractive place of employment.

Being a flexible company also opens up access to a wider talent pool those exceptional candidates who are otherwise out of reach because they are unable to commit to specific demands such as hours and place of work. 

 Trust and empower

Ex-Amazon recruiter and best-selling author of 7 Critical Resume Mistakes to Avoid Lindsay Mustain said: “Employees have been statistically proven to be more efficient when provided the opportunity to independently work when, how and as much as they like. Flexible options increase both productivity and the time an employee spends working.”

Some day, we might just take a leap of faith one that gives people the freedom to work their own hours in their chosen environment, which ultimately pays us back with the results they deliver…

Remote workers might soon be able to do their jobs and shop for groceries at the same time, under a new “Spaces” project between Tesco and flexible office operator IWG. A trial at a branch of Tesco in New Malden that will start later in this month and will accommodate 12 private desks, 30 co-working spaces and a meeting room. The 3,800 sq ft space within the store would normally have been used for electrical goods, music, and other forms of entertainment, most of which are now mainly purchased online. The aim is to make better use of floor space and, if successful, Tesco stores across the country could become flexible working hubs.

The deal is the first collaboration between IWG’s Spaces brand and Tesco. The move reflects “part of a shift towards creating more self-sustaining, vibrant local communities that will greatly improve the work-life balance of local workers as well as having a positive impact on the environment by reducing the need for daily and costly commutes into central London”.

Research undertaken by IWG suggests that three-quarters (72 percent) of workers would prefer the long-term ability to work flexibly to going back to the office five days a week, with a 10 percent pay rise.  The growth of IWG’s network has been increasingly focused on suburban locations, emphasising the demand for workspace solutions in the heart of local communities. About  77 percent of employees say a place to work closer to home is a must-have for their next job move, with workers four times more likely to choose an office close to home than a city centre.

WHETHER YOU ARE AN EMPLOYER OR AN EMPLOYEE, THE ISSUE OF EMPLOYEE RETENTION IS ALWAYS A TOPIC OF IMPORTANCE; HOWEVER, WITH THE ECONOMY SLOWLY IMPROVING IN LINE WITH GENERATION Y WHO ARE ALREADY SHAKING THINGS UP IN THE WORKFORCE, EMPLOYEE RETENTION IS GOING TO BE A HOT TOPIC ON EVERYBODY’S LIST.

SO, AS AN EMPLOYER, HOW CAN YOU GIVE MORE TO YOUR EMPLOYEES, RETAIN AND ATTRACT THE TALENT AND STILL KEEP BUSINESS AND PRODUCTIVITY A PRIORITY?

With the right to request flexible working anything from flexi-time to job sharing now law, any employee with more than 26 weeks service can request a change in their normal working pattern and an employer must give at least one of eight approved reasons, with proof, as to why the request is rejected in order to decline. This right was previously only given to parents of children up to 17 years of age and those with dependents, such as carers. Now, there is to be no priority given to these groups over anyone else who wishes to ask for flexible working and companies have been told to expect to face a claim for indirect discrimination if they are found to be too heavily weighted in a certain group’s favour with no good explanation, (i.e all employees are without children, therefore you cannot grant those with children flexible working). The new legislation is worrying some, such as the FSB, who say that competing or rejected requests could do exactly the opposite of what the government proposes and lower productivity and morale and breed negativity. So, what can you do if you can’t meet the requests for flexible working because, especially if you’re a SME, you’ll find it hard to cover the costs of allowing this? How can you adapt your own policies to help those that government legislation hasn’t helped and keep them loyal to your business for as long as possible? Sabrina Parsons is CEO at Eugene, an Oregon based software company. The title of her blog page “Mommy CEO” may give you some ideas as to how she’s adapted her business to support herself and her employees. As she says in her blog:

” any privilege I get in the office, is extended to all employees” Sabrina Parsons, Kids at Work? Why It Works and Helps Women (and Men!) Succeed”

She appears to have hit the nail on the head when it comes to being fair to employees and has chosen not to adopt the attitude of an authoritarian style manager, something that Generation Y who will predictably make up the majority of her staff base in due course-  will not stand for. Sabrina allows her staff to bring their children into the office when their child care plans haven’t worked out or when it is the school holidays. She is eager to stress that it is not an alternative to a nursery, but means that on those inevitable days when there are hiccups with childcare plans, her staff don’t have to miss work, they don’t have to feel torn between their family and work and productivity is less affected. The fact that her employees can enjoy these family friendly policies (including flexi-time and an office environment complete with comfy couches and crayons) has allowed Sabrina to enjoy a loyal workforce with little staff turnover. Revenue from the company’s flagship product also grew by 106% in 12 months. Parsons attributes this to a happy team which now includes 4 working fathers who are taking advantage of the policies on offer. In regards to employee retention she advises that the simplest way to apply the right strategies to your own business is to:

“think about the real things that matter to employees and give access to talent that you are or could be losing”

It is true that the hard to replace talent will be in high demand and with the improvements of the economy, they won’t find it hard to find somewhere else to go if your strategies aren’t working for them and their lifestyle. If you think that employees are stuck between a rock and a hard place and will be grateful for what they’ve got, you’re wrong and your business will suffer for any outdated policies, particularly when Generation Y are fully integrated into the workforce. There is no running away. Even scarier and potentially more detrimental to your employee turnover rate is the social era that we’re living in. It is now even easier for candidates to find a new job with friends able to suggest roles they’ve heard of at the touch of a button and mailing lists that can match a candidate and a job together. The existence of sites such as LinkedIn, means that one of your employees could be headhunted at any time, without even being aware themselves that they wanted to change their job or that there was a better role out there for them. It is also true that the upcoming Generation Y and indeed many currently in the workforce share similar wants and needs in how they think they should feel about their job. Here, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a useful model for grouping your employees and assessing their needs however, remember that this is not a hard and fast rule and some form of personalisation is still required for employees to feel engaged and important within the business.

• Base Survival: Disengaged, only turn up to work for the money, carry out the bare minimal in a day and would leave for another job very easily
• Level 1 Security: Interested in overtime to meet financial needs but still disengaged and dislike their job
• Level 2 Belonging: Almost engaged, know they are part of something bigger but may still leave if tempted
• Level 3 Importance: Engaged, feel important, will only leave for a very good offer
• Top Level Self Actualisation (estimated only 15% of the workforce reach this point currently): Highly engaged and love their job

You may think disengaged employees are not such a catastrophe for your field of work; some job markets, such as retail, which generally employs a high level of part-time or student staff,  are aware that employee turnover is high and don’t mind this because there are still “bodies in spaces”, but disengaged employees actually cost the UK economy between £52- £70 million annually. Plus, employees who have stayed with the same company move up the value curve and become an appreciating asset to companies with a higher productivity rate and better knowledge than those who are simply part of an accepted “employment cycle”. Even if a productivity rate is of no importance to you, realising the cost of losing an employee may make you think twice about improving your employee retention plans. It is estimated that it can cost up to 1.5-2x an employee’s annual salary through the process of losing one worker and employing another:

• Hiring a new starter costs money and time through advertising the role, interviewing candidates etc
• The cost to a company on training a new recruit (2-3 years worth of training in some form, costs around 10%-20% of the recruit’s annual salary)
• The loss of productivity through spending time on the hiring process and training up the new prospect (it is estimated that around 1-2 years of productivity is lost during this time) and letting the team find a new way of working with a new member
• Loss of engagement from other employees who see a high turnover rate and become discouraged
• Customer service level loss and cost of errors made through new recruit learning the job

SO, HOW DO YOU MOVE YOUR EMPLOYEES FROM SURVIVAL OR SECURITY LEVEL UP TO IMPORTANCE OR EVEN SELF-ACTUALISATION LEVEL?

Make pathways to self-actualisation clear for all employees, don’t allow them to think that this point of the hierarchy is only available to a select few or the “elite”. Equip them with autonomy and independence whilst motivating them with clear objectives. This is especially important to Generation Y who crave career growth and varied, interesting roles where they are challenged and can learn. Another important factor for Gen Y and indeed most other working generations is continuous and instantaneous feedback. Many companies are beginning to realise this and put a priority on token gifts and handwritten notes, rather than solely recognising talent at annually organised events. Make the company’s mission and vision clear to all employees and, if practical, highlight the ways in which each team or individual member can contribute towards this bigger picture. This makes them feel important and the sense of achievement they will fell when a goal is reached will boost morale and self-esteem they are one step closer to self actualisation and there is a clear opportunity for active engagement. Be an available coach and mentor, rather than a deligater or adopting a management style akin to dictatorship. In a recent Hays Recruitment Experts study, 51% of their respondents said that having a manager who they feel can and will mentor them to reach their full potential is the type of person who they will be most productive for. Operate an open door policy and make time to listen to employee’s suggestions, ideas or concerns. This gives you an opportunity to get to know staff and build an appreciated rapport, meaning they are less likely to want to leave and at the minimum, they won’t want to let you down. In light of the above point, HOLD THAT FOLLOW UP MEETING! There is no point in listening to your employees if you do not follow up the matter with them after a reasonable amount of time. Not making time for this meeting, even if you were unable to do anything about an issue or an idea, is worse than not being available to listen to them in the first place; they feel let down and forgotten about and thus they don’t feel important or valued. New challenges are also highly important in employee retention. The idea of “a job for life” barely exists nowadays and will be even more of a rarity once Generation Y are at their peak in the work place. Recent research has shown that by the age of 38 most Gen Y employees will have had at least 14 different jobs which equates to a new role every 1-2 years. Many companies who have a low staff turnover rate engage the notion that “people leave managers, not jobs” and just as external customers would stop using their company if they provided poor customer service, they recognise that the same effort should be put in to retaining and pleasing their internal customers. Finally, an area that is receiving a lot of focus recently a vital part of employee retention but in no way the only policy to be implemented is redesigning the office space. Provide your staff with quiet areas for focusing, break-out areas for relaxing and both comfortable and formal collaborative spaces to cater to all working generations and personality types.Many companies are finding that changing the work space not only improves morale and boosts productivity but also reduces costs such as power usage reduction, reduction in the total work space cost per person and lower absenteeism (something that can force your hand into creating high staff turnover due to sickness policies if absenteeism is high). What do you do within your business to improve employee retention and what experiences as an employer or an employee have you had when it comes to efforts to keep staff turnover low?