Moving beyond mandates: how can we create office experiences worth leaving home for?

I was intrigued by recent Centre for Cities’ research showing that London’s return to the office lags behind many global competitors – including Paris, Singapore, New York and Sydney.

However, people are returning. In 2024, full-time workers were averaging 2.7 days in the office in June compared with 2.2 days in April 2023, and it is not just office attendance that is on the rise. So are the mandates. A year ago, a quarter of workers had no obligation to be in the office at least once a week; today that number has dropped to just 7%.

I have seen first-hand how office mandates can help provide clarity for people, ensuring businesses don’t get the worst of both worlds where half the team are in the office, half are at home and you have messy hybrid meetings that don’t really work for anyone.

But the research still raises a question in my mind: if we have to rely on mandates to get people back into the office, are we missing something?

At Kitt, we work closely both with owners and occupiers, and I’ve seen how quickly the traditional office leasing model is becoming outdated. The real question is, are London’s office owners adapting to this new reality fast enough?

Covid fundamentally altered the landscape of work, reshaping how people think about their jobs and the spaces where they do them. Many employees have settled into remote setups, enjoying the benefits to their work-life balance. Now, businesses must demonstrate why the office is worth the commute and answer the critical question: “What’s in it for me?”

There’s an important generational aspect to this too, which office owners would do well not to ignore. Recent reports suggest that in London, workers aged 18 to 24 typically spend most time in the office, while remote working peaks among those aged 35 to 44.

This means that today’s offices need to appeal to a much younger demographic who – thanks to platforms like Instagram and TikTok – hold strong images and ideas about what modern offices and working cultures should look like.

In their drive to accommodate younger workers, office owners could learn a thing or two from the build-to-rent sector, which has taken huge strides forward in recent years to offer unprecedented levels of service, amenity and experience.

So, what does a workspace that people actually want to come to look like? How do we transform offices into destinations, rather than just obligations?

I believe great places to work go far beyond location and square footage: offices can become a hub for creativity and collaboration that support the culture and productivity of an organisation or brand.

Today’s offices need to be spaces that people can be genuinely excited about – spaces where work feels purposeful and inspiring and that we don’t have to force people into because they actually want to be there.

Best-in-class approaches are increasingly relationship-driven and hospitality inspired, with dedicated account management, onsite or remote concierge services and full facilities teams at occupiers’ disposal.

At Kitt, we’ve been pioneering the managed office model for a number of years – a new sub asset class that’s disrupting commercial real estate in London with a game-changing approach to office leasing.

As an innovative alternative to both the traditional leasing and service models, Managed office is redefining the dynamic between property owner and occupier, making the process bespoke, more streamlined and enjoyable for all.

I would say ‘don’t be afraid to do things differently’ to any property owners reading this who are currently grappling with vacant office space in London’s forever changed market.

Managed office offers a new way to create spaces that people love using, so that coming into work is something they genuinely look forward to every day.