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What today’s data shows about the future of work from leaders and employees.
The workplace is changing fast and leaders are having to make decisions in a landscape that looks very different to even a few years ago. Advances in technology, the rise of AI and shifting work patterns are influencing how work gets done, while expectations of the workplace itself continue to grow.
Employees are increasingly clear about what helps them perform at their best. They want environments that support autonomy, comfort and wellbeing, alongside the flexibility that modern ways of working demand. For leaders, the challenge is balancing these expectations with commercial realities including cost pressures, space utilisation and the need to future proof the organisation.
The workplace now plays a far more strategic role than simply providing somewhere to work. It has become a tool for attracting and retaining talent, supporting productivity and helping organisations adapt to changing business needs.
This OnePulse research looks at how leaders and employees view the workplace today, highlighting where views align and where there is distance. Understanding this gap presents an opportunity for organisations to better connect people's needs with business priorities and make more informed decisions about the spaces they invest in.
To answer these questions, we surveyed 500 leaders and 500 employees across the UK using OnePulse to understand their thoughts about their workplaces today. We also compared how their views have changed since 2024 and what new themes are beginning to take shape.
Across all the topics we explored; refurbishment, wellbeing, productivity, culture and the future of work, one theme cuts through them all:
If our workplaces function one way but feel entirely another, can we really say we’ve struck the right balance?
So, in a time where change is constant, the question becomes:
With 80% saying they’ve already updated their space or would consider refurbishing it if it brought people back, there’s clearly strong momentum behind rethinking the workplace to meet changing expectations.
When leaders and employees selected their top three refurbishment priorities, it became clear that their expectations weren’t always aligned.
The comparison between 2024 and 2026 OnePulse shows a clear pattern: what employees want from the workplace environment has remained the same, while leaders’ priorities have shifted over time. Employees continue to ask for the same top three needs - quiet space, better technology and wellness spaces - highlighting a steady sense of what supports their productivity. Leaders, however, have moved away from their 2024 focus on quiet, social and collaboration spaces and are now concentrating on a different mix of refurbishment priorities.
This shift creates a gap: while employees are consistent about the environments that help them do their best work, leaders’ investment decisions are moving in a different direction, that reflect changes in their business. It’s a subtle but important difference between the decisions leaders make and what employees want.
When we asked employees what supports their productivity, their responses aligned with the priorities they highlighted for refurbishment. Rather than being driven by collaboration or access to meeting rooms, employees pointed to the quality, comfort and design of their workplace.
A comfortable, well‑designed workspace, access to the right technology and tools, and effective workplace facilities stand out as the strongest enablers of productive work. These are also the areas where workplace refurbishments can have the greatest impact. By improving both the design and functionality of the workplace, a refurbishment removes everyday barriers to performance and creates the conditions for employees to work more productively overall.
We asked leaders about their main reasons for refurbishing or relocating offices and responses were largely driven by changing workstyles. Leaders recognise the need to keep pace with how work is changing, adapting the workplace to support the ways employees work today. When we asked employees what would make them consider leaving a company, the answers centred around their day to day experience of work:
Feedback suggests decisions to leave are often driven by how work makes people feel, shaped by culture and wellbeing support. But we are seeing other frustrations such as outdated technology, limited support for hybrid working, poor design and a lack of amenities, which are rooted in the physical environment. These are all issues that can be resolved through refurbishment, making it a powerful way to enhance wellbeing while tackling other drivers of disengagement and attrition.
AI is presenting opportunity for change across all industries. We asked leaders where they expect AI to most impact business strategy in the next five years. Here are their top three impacts.
The findings show that leaders anticipate changes in skills and how work is delivered. As these shifts accelerate, there is a practical consideration that organisations need to start thinking about now: What kind of workplace will these changes need and what spaces can support them?
AI has advanced dramatically in the past five years. Tools that were barely used in 2020 are now part of daily workflows and the pace is increasing. Many organisations are tied to office leases that last five to 10 years, meaning the workplace needs to have flexibility built in to make sure they remain relevant now and in the future.
Everyone wants to work in a company with a “good culture". When we look at what culture means to leaders versus employees, the picture becomes much clearer.
Over half of employees place belonging, inclusivity and wellbeing at the top of their list. These themes speak to safety, fairness and feeling supported, not just in policy, but in the day to day experience of being in the workplace.
Collaboration emerges as the strongest cultural priority for leaders, reflecting its role in bringing people together in person and strengthening relationships through shared work and interaction. Inclusivity and belonging follow, showing that leaders see company culture as something that is built when people feel connected, included and part of a collective experience. This aligns with employees’ own priorities, where inclusivity and belonging also sit within their top three.
The findings show that while leaders and employees share many of the same goals, they’re often approaching the workplace from different angles. These differences are a signal of where organisations can tighten the connection between what people need day to day and what leaders are planning for the future.
This snapshot shows leaders expect AI to reshape skills and how work is delivered and they are already recognising the need for the workplace to adapt in response. Changing workstyles are driving decisions to refurbish and rethink office space, as organisations look to create environments that better support new ways of working. As these shifts accelerate, organisations continue to face increasing competition for talent, making the workplace a critical factor in attracting the best people in the market. This points to the need for spaces that can respond not just to new technologies, but to the fundamental human needs that underpin productivity, attention and retention.
By bringing these perspectives closer together, workplaces can support both people and performance, ensuring the environment keeps pace with technological change while still meeting the needs employees every day.
For a closer look at all the data behind these insights, you can download the full PDF of the findings.