The next workplace priority: performance, wellbeing and learning

Each year, Gensler’s Global Workplace Survey offers a pulse check on how employees experience their workplaces. Drawing on responses from more than 16,000 office workers across 16 countries, the 2026 report paints a picture of a workforce whose expectations are evolving, but whose working patterns have remained fairly consistent.

While the workplace debate of recent years has focused on hybrid working patterns and return-to-office mandates, the latest data suggests that the structural question of where work happens is beginning to stabilise. Workers now spend the majority of their time in the office, with the average employee spending around 55% of their week there, compared with 18% working from home.

What is shifting instead is the conversation about what employees need from the workplace to perform well.

The infrastructure of performance

One of the clearest signals in the survey is that the physical workplace still struggles to support basic productivity needs. Two-thirds of employees report using ‘do-it-yourself’ fixes to customise their work settings to their preferences. These improvised solutions range from adjusting temperature and lighting to using headphones to manage noise or bringing in additional storage.

More tellingly, a shortage of meeting rooms is forcing many workers to improvise in ways that undermine both concentration and collaboration. Over 60% report taking calls from their desks, using hallways or staircases for meetings, or cancelling meetings entirely because no suitable space is available.

In other words, despite years of investment in office redesign, many workplaces still struggle to provide the basic environmental conditions required for sustained performance.

Productivity and wellbeing are future priorities

The survey also found that employees are clear about what they want from the future workplace. There is now a strong dual demand for workplaces that support both productivity and wellbeing.

Almost half of respondents (46%) say they want their workplace to prioritise physical and mental health. Access to outdoor spaces and nature ranks highly, alongside quiet reflective areas for focused work and environments that support rest and recovery.

At the same time, workers still expect the office to function as a productive and professional environment that enables them to do their best work. When asked how they want their workplace to feel, the most common responses were productive, professional, creative and inspiring.

This reflects a growing recognition that wellbeing and performance are not competing priorities. Instead, they are increasingly intertwined. Environments that support mental clarity, focus and recovery may be just as critical to productivity as technology or organisational policy.

The rise of learning-oriented spaces

Workers who view learning and professional development as critical to their job performance behave differently in the workplace. They spend more time experimenting with new ways of working, sharing ideas and learning from colleagues.

Design also appears to play a role. The space attributes most strongly associated with effective learning environments include the overall look and feel of the workspace, manageable noise levels, flexible meeting rooms where furniture can be rearranged, access to the latest technology, and spaces where employees can relax and recharge.

When workplaces make learning visible and accessible through adaptable spaces, opportunities for experimentation and informal exchange, employees are more likely to adopt exploratory and innovative behaviours.

The AI impact

The report frames much of its analysis through the lens of AI adoption, identifying a group of ‘AI power users’ who regularly use AI tools in both their work and personal lives. These workers spend slightly more time learning and collaborating than those who rarely use AI, and they report stronger team relationships.

Yet the differences are relatively modest. Rather than radically transforming workplace behaviour, AI appears to reinforce existing dynamics. It seems that the employees who are already engaged, curious and collaborative are often the ones who adopt new tools first.

This raises a broader question about the role of AI in the workplace. While automation may streamline routine tasks, other industry research suggests that the gains often come in the form of increased administrative efficiency rather than deeper creative thinking or reflection.

If this is the case, the physical workplace may become even more important as a counterbalance, as it provides a setting where people can think, learn and connect in ways that technology alone cannot replicate.

In a world increasingly shaped by intelligent machines, the workplace may ultimately derive its value from something much more human. Ultimately the spaces that allow people to think, learn and perform at their best will be the most successful.