Quiet and Focused Workspaces Thrive as Companies Integrate a Wider Variety of Spaces to Meet Employee Demands Returning to the Office

A Departure from the Classic Recipe

Last year, four out of ten companies surveyed by JLL added more dedicated focus areas to their offices, such as semi-enclosed booths and soundproof pods.

This shift marks a departure from the "collaboration-first" office layout towards an environment that accommodates more individual work.

"Companies now understand that encouraging collaboration should not come at the expense of individual needs," says Gonzalo Portellano, head of Design Solutions, Asia Pacific, JLL.

Recent trends have favored collaborative workspaces to attract people back to the office, with its unique benefit: face-to-face interaction with colleagues.

However, JLL data suggests that individual work remains the dominant activity in offices, consuming at least half of employees' daily schedules.

"This highlights the importance of offering diverse work settings that can most naturally replicate the best space for each task an employee performs at the office," says Portellano. "The right space for each task is necessary to achieve deep work and flow states that would not be possible without a certain sense of privacy and individual focus."

Data-Driven Design

Understanding employees' work styles and behaviors is crucial to meeting their diverse needs. Take, for example, the discomfort of receiving or listening to private calls in open-plan offices when meeting rooms are unavailable.

"Often, facilities may already exist in the office, but the way they are distributed and used or misused makes a huge difference," says Portellano. "Data empowers us to anticipate employees' needs and provide the necessary facilities or work setup when needed."

A prime example could be incorporating more smaller, non-bookable meeting rooms with internal rules to prevent overuse and incentives to encourage more or less usage at certain times.

"The physical changes needed to optimize a space are less drastic if we have the right usage data and can identify usage patterns," says Portellano.

"By leveraging predictive AI analysis, real-time sensor data, and personalized workspace recommendations, we can create office environments that truly meet employees' needs, enhancing their performance."

This aligns with findings from a years-long JLL study showing that employee performance thrives when they have control over their environment – including factors such as choice of space, privacy, and access to quiet and focused work areas.

Optimizing Workspace

Without adequate data on how employees use space, companies risk creating over-customized and underutilized workspaces. "We must avoid falling into the trap of adopting too many variants that are either impractical or superfluous for core tasks," warns Portellano.

The ideal solution lies in maximizing flexibility and modularity of space by creating multifunctional areas that serve up to three or more purposes.

A common example is informal work cafes that can double as collaboration zones for ad-hoc meetings, internal and external events, or a wellness or leisure activity. "We shouldn't limit our thinking about office spaces to just the 9-to-5 workday," says Portellano. "After all, rent is paid 24/7, year-round, so why not design them for multiple functionalities?"

Companies with larger office spaces can also take advantage of low occupancy rates to experiment with new layouts in pilot spaces. This can be designed as pop-up zones with adaptable furniture configurations – in collaboration with designers and suppliers – to offer unique experiences in a controlled environment.

Consider the cloud-based software giant Salesforce, which has implemented a "hoteling" concept in some offices, reducing the number of dedicated workstations. Employees now book shared workspaces as needed, allowing underutilized areas to be closed or repurposed for other uses.

Despite the available solutions, the lack of clear metrics for the return on investment in workspace improvements holds companies back, suggests Portellano.

Many still rely on the 3-30-300 rule, which allocates fixed costs per square meter for utilities, rent, and salaries. However, this focus overlooks the benefits of human-centered design and its impact on employee well-being and, ultimately, productivity.

A Holistic Experience

Employees long for a holistic experience the moment they step into the office, one where the workspace adapts to their needs as employees and individuals throughout the day.

"The office should be a space that eliminates friction and provides the tools and environment they need to perform at their best," says Portellano. "Consider the office a gym for minds, where a well-equipped gym with personal training can enhance someone's physical performance."

In the Asia-Pacific region, where the return to the office is largely stable, Portellano believes it is time to make longer-term decisions about changing workspace configurations to meet employees' new demands for workplace use.

"This could be by increasing the number of focus areas or rethinking collaboration zones, driven by data insights and user experience, not preconceived industry standards or assumptions," concludes Portellano. (Photo: Freepik)