While a number of high-profile organizations have called workers back to the office full-time in recent months, leaders largely recognize that employees are craving flexibility, according to new research.
The survey from International Workplace Group reinforces “what we are seeing play out on a global scale: Long, costly, daily treks to faraway offices no longer make sense in today’s tech-enabled world,” says Mark Dixon, IWG’s founder and CEO. As a result, he adds, many organizations are empowering employees to work closer to where they live and want to be.
The research found that 95% of HR respondents strongly or somewhat agree with the statement: “Flexible working is one of the most in-demand benefits prospective employees are seeking.”
Nearly as many concur that if their company increased flexibility and employees didn’t have to undergo lengthy commutes every day, it would have a positive impact on the company. At the same time, 90% of these same respondents agree with the statement: “If my company reduced flexibility and employees had to undergo lengthy commutes every day to a central office, this would have a detrimental effect on the company in some way.”
According to Dixon, the survey also suggests 2026 could be the year of “work from an office,” not “the office,” with 83% of CEOs already enabling teams to work from multiple locations.
“There is no longer a binary choice between work from home and work from the office,” says Dixon. With workplace location flexibility, he says, leaders are “reducing daily, costly commutes and empowering people to spend more time working closer to where they live and want to be, leaders can cut costs, maximize productivity, increase employee satisfaction and retention, and drive better ROI.”
Dixon believes that by 2030, the “office” will no longer be a physical address but a platform. For example, it won’t be “I’m going to my office in Dallas or New York.” Rather, it might be “I’m working today from one of our network offices,” he says, adding that the only permanent workplace will be online.
“The role of offices is shifting: They will become places to focus, not to commute to,” Dixon says. “The reality is the office isn’t dead; it has just moved to a much more convenient place, close to where people actually live.”
