Destination office
An introduction from Will Scott and Sarah Swann
With work patterns evolving and voluntary office attendance increasing, occupiers are taking a more decisive and strategic approach to their office portfolios.
Now is the time for businesses to create workspace destinations that provide an attractive, productive, and sustainable environment where employees can thrive.
Our previous study, published in 2025, focused on uncertainty among occupiers. Although the world was transitioning back to post‑pandemic norms, persistent economic instability and geopolitical tensions created widespread hesitation around long‑term workspace strategy.
Despite global uncertainty continuing, this year’s survey reveals a more decisive and determined, perhaps even optimistic mindset. The data suggests many organisations have decided to remain in their current premises.
Businesses are eager to reconfigure space, re-gear leases, and make the most of what they have.
Of course, that isn’t the whole story...
A substantial share of occupiers who responded to our research want to expand their footprint. Many admit they have downsized too, while others are coping with employees continuing to flood back to the office.
Among all of the responses to our study, there is a growing sense that occupiers have recognised the importance of creating a ‘Destination Office,’ providing a place where value for employees goes far beyond simply enabling them to do their job.
There is also a concerted push to improve ESG governance and performance, including environmental efficiency of offices. Occupiers intend to liaise more closely with landlords to get the lease terms both parties really want, while navigating the business threats and opportunities of the day. Sustainability is present in all of its guises – from green standards and finance to optimal use of space and, ultimately, business outcomes.
Many businesses recognise the need for guidance through regulatory, leasing, and sustainability challenges, with more occupiers seeking help from external experts.
In these collaborations reside the solutions to a wide range of issues facing business decision-makers today. Not only are those issues diverse, real estate projects tend to involve multiple decision-makers, while timescales can be tight.
Irwin Mitchell provides direct, strategic legal guidance to support informed choices and keep projects moving.
We advise across the full spectrum of real estate activity, allowing us to identify issues early and deliver commercially robust solutions. We do this across sectors, in acquisitions, site development, leasing structures, asset management, and many other complex negotiations.
Whether you’re developing or leasing property, our legal experts are here to help align your property strategy to your wider business goals.
As you consider your own plans for the future, we hope you find this report useful in exploring and explaining current trends in office occupancy, and how things might change in the years ahead.
Sarah Swann
PARTNER
M: +44 (0)161 259 7963 E: sarah.swann@irwinmitchell.com
Will Scott
PARTNER
M: +44 (0)207 400 8770 E: will.scott@irwinmitchell.com
Methodology
Irwin Mitchell collaborated with research consultancy Opinion Matters to launch the survey which underpins this report. 500 UK-based senior decision-makers with responsibility for office spaces within corporate organisations, with significant office footprints and across multiple sectors, completed an online survey in April 2026.
Opinion Matters abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society and follows its code of conduct and ESOMAR principles. Opinion Matters is also a member of the British Polling Council.
Please note that percentages shown reflect responses to individual questions and may total more than 100% where multiple selections were permitted.