Are We Still Talking About The Return To Office?

The short answer is yes – and for good reason. In 2025, average office occupancy in the UK hovered around 40%, the highest since the pandemic, but still far below pre-2020 norms. The UK remains one of the most difficult markets for return-to-office adoption due to commuting patterns and changed employee expectations. Employers pushing a ‘return to office’ (RTO) are facing a perfect storm of rising energy costs, underused space and unpredictable attendance – with some employees blatantly gaming any system that is thrown at them. These challenges aren’t occurring in isolation, but too often firms are addressing them piecemeal, without a cohesive strategy or the data to inform one. At a recent Verdantix Vantage Council meeting of real estate and workplace leaders, participants underscored that returning to the office remains a complex issue in 2026, one that demands fresh thinking. With an upcoming Verdantix webinar on this very topic on February 26, it’s worth examining why the RTO conversation isn’t over and what obstacles still stand in the way.

Persistent challenges beyond hybrid work
In the Vantage Council discussions, participants highlighted several recurring pain points that explain why RTO success requires more than mandating office days:

• Underused workplace technology: Many organizations already have tools for occupancy analytics, desk booking and indoor air monitoring, yet employees feel unsupported because these capabilities are not used and embedded in daily decision-making.
• Gaming the system: Desk-booking no-shows distort utilization data, mask vacant space and contribute to wasted energy and lost productivity. There is often a 20% or greater gap between bookings and actual utilization, making the methods for determining attendance flawed.
• Health outcomes overlooked: Few firms link attendance with wellbeing metrics, despite evidence that improved air quality alone would entice 66% of hybrid workers to come into the office more often.
• Sensor fatigue, data overload: The challenge is no longer data availability, but insight and control. In a recent Verdantix survey, 64% of firms rate enhanced monitoring and visibility as a high priority, while 61% favour improving control of energy-consuming assets. This signals demand for clearer, more actionable insight, rather than more dashboards.
• Fragmentation and silos: Multi-generational needs and disconnects between workplace and sustainability teams continue to undermine joined-up RTO strategies.

How organizations can better support RTO
Rather than focusing only on how many days employees should attend the office, organizations may need to ask different questions.

• Are occupancy, indoor air quality and energy being managed together as one system?
• Is the firm measuring more data, or identifying which signals influence attendance and space use?
• Does the workplace support different work styles across the week, from focused individual work to collaboration?
• How are employees planning their day in the office?

The growing use of workplace experience apps and more responsive, semi-autonomous interiors suggests the office is becoming an environment that adapts to activity, rather than one employees are required to attend.

The steps towards a unified workplace strategy
It’s clear that returning to office is not a one-dimensional issue. It spans energy management, space design, employee health and corporate culture – which is why the conversation continues into 2026. Organizations that succeed will be those that break down silos between facilities, HR, sustainability and IT teams, and treat the workplace as an interconnected ecosystem delivering measurable outcomes: higher attendance, healthier and more productive employees, and lower costs and environmental impact.

Independent market intelligence plays a critical role in enabling this shift. Verdantix works with workplace leaders to identify which technologies and practices genuinely move the needle, and helps organizations build evidence-based roadmaps, rather than rely on reactive mandates. Insights from the Vantage Council highlight a clear change in tone across the market, moving away from enforcing office attendance and towards using data and innovation to create offices people actively choose to use – with fewer loopholes for canny employees. Yes, we are still talking about returning to office, but increasingly in a way that leads to tangible, positive change.

To learn more, register for our upcoming webinar, Why Are We Still Talking About The Return To Office?, on February 26.