A destination workplace earns its place in the working week by making the day useful. That starts with understanding the people, activities and practical conditions the office needs to support.

The commute asks people to invest time, money and energy in the working day. The office should give something valuable back. An office visit might bring colleagues together to resolve a difficult problem, help someone learn from an experienced teammate, or provide a comfortable place to concentrate. A successful workplace makes those purposes possible throughout the day, including the quieter hours between meetings.

For us, that is the value of a destination workplace. It should offer a clear reason to be there and meaningful choice about how to work. The brief must also respect different roles, personal circumstances and access needs. ONS analysis published in June 2025 shows that access to hybrid working varies considerably across Great Britain’s workforce. A single attendance pattern cannot describe everyone’s working life.^[12]

Start with evidence of the working day

Before deciding how many desks or meeting rooms to provide, we need to understand the work itself. Short staff surveys can reveal which activities matter and where the existing office falls short. Interviews add context, including confidential conversations, training needs and tasks that require sustained concentration.

We recommend bringing together staff feedback, observation and available occupancy or booking data. Each tells part of the story. A room reservation does not confirm that the room was used, while an occupied desk reveals little about whether someone could work comfortably there.

The study period should capture different weekdays, busy periods and seasonal influences. Annual leave, a project deadline or a temporary attendance policy can distort a snapshot. Average use also needs to be considered alongside peak demand.

Agree how information will be collected, explain its purpose and report findings in aggregate. The design team needs to understand patterns of use while respecting individuals’ privacy.

From this evidence, we can develop a brief that explains the settings required, their relationships and the capacity needed when teams come together.

Provide space for the whole day

Collaboration deserves good space. So does the individual work that happens before and after it.

Leesman’s May 2026 analysis reports poorer workplace experiences among employees whose work is predominantly individual than among those with highly collaborative roles. Its findings are a useful reminder to investigate the full range of work within each organisation.^[13]

For a particular brief, that might mean dependable desks with suitable equipment, quiet rooms for sustained concentration, and small rooms for calls or confidential discussions. Team project rooms may need generous working surfaces, pin-up space and somewhere to leave work in progress. These are different requirements from a formal boardroom.

Hybrid meetings need their own attention. Camera positions, microphones, screens and room acoustics should allow remote participants to follow and contribute comfortably. An attractive meeting room still needs to be straightforward to use.

Informal seating and shared tables can support mentoring and social connection. Their position matters: conversations should be welcome in these areas without spilling into places intended for quiet work. Clear, simple guidance helps people understand the choices available.

Make the basics dependable

Gensler’s 2026 Global Workplace Survey covered 16,459 full-time office workers across 16 countries, all at organisations with at least 100 employees. It identified continuing problems with noise, meeting-space availability, ergonomics and temperature. These international findings provide context for a brief, rather than a forecast for an individual UK business.^[14]

We would put acoustics, ventilation, daylight, glare control, thermal comfort and supportive furniture firmly within the design brief. The fit-out team should coordinate these with the building’s existing services and constraints early, when there is still scope to resolve conflicts.

Inclusion belongs in the same conversation. Consider accessible routes, usable controls, adjustable workstations, clear wayfinding and settings with different levels of sensory stimulation. Involve people with access needs in developing and reviewing the proposals.

The BCO’s 2025 fit-out guidance supports varied flexible spaces, human-centred design and provision for quiet work and rest. We see these as practical foundations for a workplace that offers meaningful choice.^[15]

Coordinate the people as well as the space

A well-planned office cannot determine when the right colleagues are available. Managers have an important role in organising shared time, whether for project reviews, mentoring, learning or decisions that benefit from being made together.

The diary and the space plan need to work together. Bringing several teams in on the same day requires enough appropriate settings, while mentoring needs time from experienced colleagues as well as a comfortable place to meet.

Keep remote participation clear and accessible, and make room for individual work within the office day. Design can support these arrangements, but it cannot resolve attendance expectations, workloads or management practices on its own.

Review usefulness after opening

We recommend agreeing measures before a move or refurbishment, then returning to them once people have settled in. A follow-up survey can assess satisfaction, comfort and access to the settings people need. Booking records and observation can identify room shortages, unused reservations and points where finding a suitable space becomes difficult.

Review capacity against actual attendance across a representative period, including busy days. Ask whether people can complete the activities that brought them in, whether the technology works reliably and whether different teams and access needs are being served.

Attendance helps us assess demand for space; it does not, by itself, demonstrate productivity. Changes in work outcomes need their own evidence, with recognition that staffing, management and business conditions also influence them.

The findings should inform manageable adjustments: changing booking rules, improving equipment, relocating noisy activities or reconsidering the balance of settings.

A destination workplace should make its value apparent in the experience of using it. At RU Creative, workplace analysis and spatial planning help turn that ambition into a clear brief, with the everyday needs of the people using the office at its centre.^[20]