Each year, FM:Systems surveys U.S. business leaders to gauge how organizations are managing their workplaces to meet ever-changing business and employee needs. The survey covers topics like return-to-office (RTO), adoption of workplace management technology and the importance of sustainability initiatives. This year, for the first time, we also surveyed 1,000 U.S.-based employees to get their perspective on some of those same issues.
Our Inaugural Survey of U.S. Employees Shows Business Leaders and Workers Finding Common Ground on the Workplace.
The results of our 2025 Inside the Workplace employee survey show that, while workers and their employers don’t see eye to eye on every issue, the two sides have settled into a new normal based largely on a mutual understanding of the benefits of being in the office.
Here’s a closer look at what our survey reveals about employee sentiment toward their work arrangement and their workplace.
Survey Reveals 18 % of Employees Want More Office Time in 2025
The first question we asked was, “How do you feel about the amount of time you spend working in the office?” A third of respondents said they would prefer to spend more time working remotely, which doesn’t come as a surprise considering employees’ well-publicized preference for work-from-home. What is surprising, however, is that 18% of workers said they would like more office time.
While 18% isn’t a majority, it does indicate that many employees recognize the benefits of being in the workplace. In fact, in response to a different question, a quarter of employees said that being in the office full-time is their ideal work arrangement. So, why are so many employees happy to leave the comforts of home and come to the office? Other findings from the survey offer some clues.
Leaders and Staff Agree: Office Collaboration Fuels Culture and Innovation
When we asked employees working a hybrid schedule how they use their time in the office, the majority cited activities like meetings, networking and catching up with their team. This tells us that, while teleconferences are an easy, low-effort way to keep in touch with colleagues, teammates and clients, they can’t replace the spontaneous collaboration and social connections that come from being co-located.
Multiple studies, including our own Inside the Workplace surveys, have shown that business leaders believe bringing employees together in an office strengthens bonds, enhances corporate culture and encourages innovation. More than half of respondents to our 2025 Inside the Workplace survey of U.S. business leaders said the primary function of the office is to facilitate collaborative work.
Workers are also being drawn back to the office because they recognize the potential disadvantages of working exclusively from home: Half of the employees participating in our survey feel that colleagues who are co-located with managers and decision-makers receive preferential treatment.
Hybrid Work Remains Employees’ Top Choice Amid Employer RTO Pressure
While our employee survey results revealed an even split between those who want to work remotely full-time and those who prefer to be in the office full-time (at 25% each), nearly half of respondents said a hybrid schedule is their ideal work arrangement. Some of the benefits of being in the office, like the ability to network and build stronger bonds with teammates, can make it more challenging to get heads-down work done. That’s one reason almost two-thirds of respondents feel they’re more productive when they work from home.
Regardless of where they fall on the remote-office spectrum, however, the one thing employees seem to want most when it comes to their work arrangement is flexibility: More than three-quarters of respondents said that it’s important for their organization to tailor its work model based on individual employee needs. Based on the results of our business leader survey, however, that ship seems to have sailed. Only 15% of respondents to that survey said that giving employees full flexibility over their work model is their preferred approach to RTO plans.
Closing Insights: FM:Systems Tech Bridges the Hybrid Workplace Gap
While the results of our employee and business leader surveys show a shared understanding of the benefits of being in the workplace, the two sides are still divided over what constitutes the ideal work arrangement. FM:Systems solutions can narrow that gap by helping organizations accentuate the advantages of coming to the office.
For example, our room and desk booking software makes arranging a spontaneous meeting with teammates just as easy as scheduling a teleconference. FM:Systems technology also streamlines processes like visitor management and IT ticketing to reduce distractions and increase productivity.
All of this adds up to organizations getting more value from both their people and their places, regardless of where they fall on the fully-remote to full-time in-office spectrum.
