The Happy Office Life

Report 2020
An overview of the current state of workplace
employee engagement and attitudes towards
digital solutions in the modern office.
 2,027 Total Respondents
Country of Origin Breakdown of Office Type Age Range Level of Seniority

27,4%

Senior
2,7%
18,6% 19,2%

<1%
51% 17,9%
CANADA
Corporate 45-54 14,3%

FINLAND
US
NORWAY
13%
<1%
SWEDEN
24%

Director
47% <1%
<1% Multi-Tenant

Manager
6% DENMARK
35-44
2%

Associate
2,6%
IRELAND
UNITED S

25%
ND
LA
KINGDOM ER
TH

Executive
NE GERMANY

Entry
BELG

Associate
IUM

Coworking 25-34
FRANCE 10%
2,2%
18-24

14%

Pain Points
1st
Employees’ greatest pain point
is that they don’t have enough
control over their working
environment.
92% believe that a solution
which allows employees to
give feedback on their
workplace and recommend
possible improvements would
be valuable.
Coworking spaces have the
highest experience of
workplace engagement
whereas corporates have the
lowest.
2nd
The second greatest pain point
when it comes to the office is
that employers are slow to
adopt new technology.
60% of Europeans feel that
AI and advanced analytics
could improve their workplace
experience vs. 44% of North
Americans.
Employees from The
Netherlands are the most
accepting of AI with 85%
saying that they could enhance
the workplace.
Key Findings
Value Drivers
1st
Employees consider the
physical space and ambience
of their office to be their most
important value driver.
46% of non-management
employees don’t feel
significantly engaged at their
work or that their workplace
needs are being met.
Executives have the highest
experience of, and
expectations for workplace
engagement.
2nd
Employees consider their
building’s amenities as the
second most important driver
in creating a happy workplace.
88% respondents believe
that their building and its
amenities are important when
choosing to remain at their
current organization or
changing employers.
Respondents aged 18-34
expressed the highest interest
in having amenities and
services tailored to their needs.
3rd
Employees feel that having a
tech-forward or “smart” office
greatly contributes to their
workplace happiness.
92% respondents believe
technology & innovation is
important in creating a better
work environment.
Despite being less trusting in
AI, North American
respondents see the most
value in innovation in the
workplace to improve
experiences.
 Employees are calling out for digital
solutions in the workplace that actively emulate
the control they feel in their private lives.

Iain Thompson
 Methodology

Between September & December 2019, over 2,000

professionals working within office settings were surveyed
across North America and Europe through an extensive
anonymous survey.

Qualified respondents were presented with a series of

questions pertaining to their preferences for and opinions of
technology, value-drivers and pain points associated with
employers and the workplace.

Analysis of the results was conducted via quantitative

methods including correlational design and relative
preference, in order to present commercial landlords and
corporates with vital insights on trends and observations
related to employee’s happiness and engagement in the
workplace.
 Foreword
Happy employees are what drive growth, empowers innovation and
bring creativity to a workplace.
For any business, employees are your greatest asset. And as such,
whether you’re an executive, an HR manager, a commercial real estate
portfolio manager or a corporate landlord, you have a responsibility to
strive for better conditions on behalf of the people under your roof.
Employers and workplace managers can work with assumptions or
common practices to determine what might be best for each
workplace, but this won't provide the best possible environment for
your unique business and the delicate culture you’ve created.
Do you know how many employees are in your office building daily?
What about how much time they spent anxiously scrambling to find a
meeting room for an important last-minute call? Are employees actually
utilizing and enjoying the common spaces you’ve curated for them?
Even for small companies and offices, it can be hard to have an
accurate pulse on the organization and its surroundings in such a
fast-paced environment. But listening to your employees and proving
you are responsive to their needs is critical to providing the best
possible working environment for them to thrive.
This is not a new phenomenon but with the advent of PropTech and
Industry 4.0 in Commercial Real Estate, it certainly is a new chapter.
Thanks to technology and connected spaces, we have more
touchpoints and opportunities that we can leverage to gain insights that
help improve our employees experience and drive their success.
Engagement in the workplace is an essential tool that can help you
continuously improve and adapt the working environment to best suit
the needs of your employees and the business.
The Happy Office Life report serves as initial insight into how it’s
possible to leverage data to improve the workplace. Knowing that each
workplace and its users are unique, we wanted to derive a better
understanding of employee’s general workplace value drivers,
openness to technology, and the biggest pain points encountered in the
modern office. We hope these insights provide workplace leaders with
valuable information on how to focus your technological and
data-driven efforts to improve your working environment and create a
happy office life.
Iain Thompson & Thijs van der Burgt
Co-founders of Office App
 Context
From personalized employee benefits packages to
flexible work hours and unlimited holidays, employers
are trying to attract and retain talent like never before.
As Millennials take their dominant spot in today’s
workforce, their demands have decision-makers
constantly searching for innovative new solutions. And
whilst these solutions come in all shapes and sizes,
sometimes the obvious is overlooked.
One such low hanging fruit is the workplace itself, including
the services it provides and its amenities. The recent
transformation of offices, from functional workplaces with rows
of cubicles, desktop computers and dull beige walls, to creative
and open modern spaces, offices are now being built to reflect a
brand’s values, work ethic and culture.
For professional offices, this can mean creating naturally lit
spaces with flex-desks and communal working areas.
Multi-tenant building tenants have undergone a similar
transition, taking advantage of the ability to truly personalize
their office space. Both of the above have taken a leaf out of
the co-working playbook, with a focus on ultimate freedom,
regardless of what size the company is.
However, the logical progression of this new reality goes
beyond interior aesthetics and design. By shifting focus to
how employees interact with their physical office, their
colleagues and the world around them, a plethora of options
open up to improve each working day – and in turn,
employee happiness.
In addition, whilst decision-makers are spending a tremendous
amount of time and money creating their ideal offices, few gains
have been made in testing their effectiveness.
 Context

Because companies morph and evolve over time, measuring
the effectiveness of an evolving workplace over time is
important at a strategic level. For instance; if the number of
full-time employees doubles over a one year period, how do we
know if they find their workplace as effective last year compared
to this year.
In other words, how can we judge the success down the
track?
environments are utilized, improved, experienced and built,
corporates and commercial real estate managers can leverage
a digitally native workforce and actively improve employee
engagement.
Workers are hungry to integrate technology into their working
lives. With a delicate balance of privacy and security,
workplace technology can help employees build their
community and personalize their workplace experience.

In this research, we dissect the attitudes of employees in However, this report also serves another purpose. It reminds
corporate buildings, multi-tenant buildings and coworking us that; as decision-makers, we should consistently strive to do
spaces on both sides of the Atlantic. We wanted to compare better for our employees.
how each subject group perceives the importance of
employee engagement and if they’re current employers are
falling short of the mark.

Our goal was to gain a better understanding of employees’

attitudes towards tech-driven solutions in the office.
The results show that by taking control of how physical work
 Employee’s Greatest Pain Points

We asked users which pain point had the biggest

Not enough control
over working enviroment
Slow to adopt new technology
Low community engagment
Servicies and
amenities not up to standard
effect on their workplace experience and which
had the least effect. For this, we subtracted the
total who selected least in each category from the
1st
total who selected as most important to provide a
2nd relative preference score. Higher scores show that
3rd
the population is overall more affected by this pain
point as opposed to other pain points.
4th

Inconvenient location 5th

Environmental goals 6th

not up to standars Greatest
Pain Points
Least Most 19% 18.8%
Important Important

Not enough control Slow to adopt

over working enviroment new technology
 Employee’s Greatest Pain Points
Not Enough Control Over Working Environment
The number one pain point for employees is
that they feel they don’t have enough control
over their working environment.
Personalization has long been touted to be the future of
everything from e-commerce to tourism. Demand for
personalized processes that creates a relevant, individualized
interactions in our private lives is at an all time high. It’s no
surprise that the workplace hasn’t escaped the trend.
The first wave of personalization in the workplace targeted
employee benefits and flexible work schedules. Yet, with
such a fast pace of digital adoption, it’s a little wonder that
we’ve moved beyond this initial phase.
Our results find that employee demands for personalization go
beyond flexibility in the workplace to actively empower
employees. When employees say they don’t have enough
control over their workplace, they are inevitably comparing
their workplace to their own home. As a result, employees
now demand more control over their interactions with their
working environment as well.
Each and every office has specific needs and values, so for
many, giving the feeling of control can be a subjective
concept. How can you give control as it is a feeling? For some
employers, giving too much “control” away may even seem
uncomfortable. To counter this, by leveraging workplace
technology and data analytics, it is possible to create
situation-specific feedback loop that ensures improvements
are both tailor made to suit each individual workplace.
 Employee’s Greatest Pain Points
Slow Pace of Digital Adoption
This leads us to employees second greatest
pain point: The slow pace of digital adoption
across the workplace.
Wanting more control in the workplace is tied to a much
larger societal trend; on-demand. Combining personalization
and digitalization, the technology that enables on-demand
has an ever-expanding presence in our private lives.
We are constantly surrounded by high-tech solutions
streamlining our experiences. This technological ecosystem
gives us the freedom to access whatever we want, whenever
we want it. When you then walk into the workplace and that
feeling is taken away, so is the ability to perform at your best.
By providing employees with the control to create a tailored
working experience, technology actively gives employees the
opportunity to thrive.
For example, if an employee can have a bowl of miso ramen
arrive at their desk at precisely 12:30 via an app on their
phone, but often struggles to book a meeting room, report a
maintenance or adjust the temperature, there’s an obvious
disconnect.
Creating tech-forward workplaces, where employees have the
same level of digital control that they feel in their private life is
no longer a benefit. It’s become a prerequisite.
Welcome to the age of the in-control, on-demand workplace.
 By taking ownership of how physical work
environments are utilized, improved,
experienced and built, corporates and
commercial landlords can leverage a workforce
craving digital solutions and actively improve
employee engagement.

Iain Thompson
 Employee Engagement

4
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 5

18 - 24 The term ‘employee engagement’ is

2 6
25 - 34 defined as the emotional
35 - 44
commitment the employee has to
45 - 54
the organization and its goals.
2
1 7
Kevin Kruse, Employee Engagement for Everyone, 2013

Level of Employer Importance of Level of Employer Importance of

Engagement Employer Engagement Engagement Employer Engagement

In practice, employee engagement means that
those who work under your roof will go the extra
mile without having to be asked. The ROIs which
stem from engagement can include higher profits,
better customer care and lower employee turnover.
In fact, 99% of executives believe that their
employees have a major impact on the company’s
success.
However, there is a significant gap between
employees’ expectations of engagement in the
workplace and how engaged they actually are.
Whilst many have begun implementing
engagement strategies, few are building the
foundations for an engagement ecosystem. This
presents employers with an opportunity to step
up their game.
To bring it together, employers must yield to
employees’ desire for freedom and control over
their own working experience. A fine line thus
presents itself; how much must employers give
away – the feeling of control or actual control – to
satisfy this demand whilst maintaining authority?
 Corporates are Falling Behind Coworking Spaces

4
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 5

The global market value of

Corporate coworking spaces is estimated at
2 6
Multi-Tenant approximately $26 billion in 2020,
Coworking with an average growth rate of 15%
per year.
1 7

AllWork.Space, 2019
Level of Employer Importance of Level of Employer Importance of
Engagement Employer Engagement Engagement Employer Engagement

With the advent of coworking spaces, corporates and
multi-tenant buildings risk getting left behind.
Corporate employees have the lowest expectations
when considering employer engagement, but they also
feel the least fulfilled. This gap presents significant
opportunities to make meaningful improvements and
paints a shadow of the bullish challengers in town.
The rise of coworking has decoupled work from
location and elevated workers expectations of
flexibility and comfort in the workplace. These aspects
now extend well into the corporate environment. As a
result, we have seen a number of corporate giants
setting up shop in co-working spaces. We expect this
trend to continue until the corporates come up with a
meaningful response.
We firmly believe that corporate offices must take a
leaf out of the co-working playbook and implement
creative, engaging solutions within their own walls.
This may include emulating the on-demand culture
and community building aspect which co-working
enables, whilst putting a firm spotlight on
technological solutions. The days where the IT
department worked from the basement are over.
 Executives Out of Touch

4 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 5
On average, companies spend
Entry
$2,200 per employee each year on
2 6 Executive
efforts to improve culture, but only
Associate
30% of HR decision-makers report a
Director good return on that investment.
7 Senior
1

Manager
Harvard Business Review, 2019
Level of Employer Importance of
Engagement Employer Engagement
Level of Employer Importance of
Engagement Employer Engagement

Executives are clearly the ones paying for employee
engagement strategies. While executives believe
over three-quarters of employees are engaged in
their company, non-decision makers believe that
only two-thirds feel the same. Perhaps as they are
the ones signing off on engagement strategies,
executives are more likely to view their programs as
positive. Whilst on the ground, employees may not
actually feel their efforts.
For many employees, the terms ‘innovation’ and
‘community engagement’ may be written on the
walls, but at the end of the day, they are imposed,
not lived, values. At best, this points towards issues
with usability, adoption and internal communications.
At worst, employees may feel that these efforts are
imposed on them and as a result, they’re unlikely to
internalize them into their working culture.
At the same time, executives have the highest
expectations. Decision-makers know that
employee engagement leads to desirable business
outcomes, but at times are struggling to turn this
into effective engagement ecosystem. When
considering the importance of workplace
engagement vs. the reality of workplace
engagement, executives believe that the gap is
much smaller than in actuality.
 Effects
Solely focusing engagement on flexibility and employee benefits is no longer a sufficient strategy. Yet, as these are the most obvious improvements, they remain
the focus for many decision-makers. Whilst employers are dedicating significant budget to improving employee engagement, few are really developing the
foundations to make continuous improvements. Instead of focusing on the low-hanging-fruit, strategies should leverage the insights that technology brings to
the table. Employee engagement software is only qualitative and does not combine powerful metrics on space and service utilization, which requires the
quantitative data needed to truly understand the workplace. As a result, the workforce’s growing calls for in-control, on-demand workplaces present employers
and CRE managers the chance to get ahead of the curve whilst become an early adopter of new data-driven solutions. But what does this look like in practice?

1. Gain a better understanding of

the root causes – the social shift
of millennials entering the
workplace, overall openness
2. The accelerating pace of digital
adoption makes it easy to fall
behind with the market. As
employees are already one step
3. Creating a continuous feedback
loop that allows you to collect
data on employee preferences.
By using data to make better
towards technology in the home ahead in their private lives, it’s decisions, you can integrate the
and the global context of the paramount that decision-makers act of improving into your daily
war on talent – which drive aren’t trying to solve today’s office life.
employee engagement trends. problems with yesterday's
solutions

What does this mean for corporate decision-makers and HR managers? What does this mean for CRE landlords and facility managers?

Significant opportunities arise, as employees become more accepting of
technology in the workplace. By optimizing the office environment and at the
same time, capturing data, it’s possible to create a system which introduces
data-driven decision making. However, employers must toe a fine line between
privacy and their digital engagement strategy. As a result, data security must
become a top priority.
For landlords, the war on talent has a trickle-up effect on your relationship with
your tenants. As the physical space is within your realm of responsibility, some
tenants may put the ball in your court when it comes to their buildings’ digital
features. Proactive attitudes here can solidify established tenant relationships
and enhance your portfolio’s potential to attract new ones.
 The Hawthorne Effect

As decision-makers, it’s your responsibility to make sure the people
who work under your roof feel valued. Employees are the key
greatest asset of any company, yet it’s hard to communicate just how
much we value these people. Often, we tinker with projects that
make small changes, but little is felt where it’s needed. Instead of
trickle-down communications, employers should actively show that
they are committed to continuously enhancing the lives of their
employees.
This theory comes from a series of experiments in a suburban
Chicago factory back in the 1930s. The factory itself, Hawthorne
Works, was owned by electrical manufacturers Western Electric and
produced metal parts, capacitors, and switchboards for brands like
AT&T and Bell Systems.
When the lights were changed back to normal, productivity continued
to climb, reaching an all-time high. According to the psychologists who
interpreted the findings, the improvements were not due to any set of
environmental figures, but rather, the active pursuit of improving
conditions in the workplace.
Translating the Hawthorne Effect into the modern-day office provides us
with a glimpse of what employees want. They desire to be respected, to
feel valued and that those principles are communicated in concrete
action to improve their day-to-day processes.
Whilst the technology involved has dramatically changed – from
dimmer-lights to a plethora of tech-driven solutions – the primary
driving principles (value and respect) continue to remain.

For the experiment, workers in the factory were separated into two
study groups and exposed to different lighting circumstances to
determine which lighting scenario improved productivity. The goal of
the project was to find the optimal lighting for factory workers. In
practice, what actually happened was both study groups improved
their output and production improved significantly.
 Key Value Drivers

So what do employees actually want then in the office? What

are the most important value drivers that will help raise
employee engagement level at work? These are questions
which are getting asked a lot in board rooms, yet the gap still
Physical Space/Ambiance persists.
1st

Building Amenities
“Smart” Tech-Forward
Community engagment
Sustainabilty
2nd When considering what is most important for office engagement
and happiness, employees say their physical space and its
3rd ambiance, the building’s amenities and ‘smart’ or tech-forward
buildings. Creating an offering which takes these into account is
4th
crucial in creating a work environment which employees desire.
5th The top three are:

Local Services & Amenities 6th

Key Value
Drivers
Least Most
Importance Important

25% 24% 15%

Physical Space/Ambiance Building Amenities “Smart” Tech-Forward

 Physical Space
1 and its Ambiance
For the majority of employees, the most
important value driver when
considering their office is how the
physical space is laid out, how it
functions and how it makes them feel at
work. From the art that hangs on the
walls to flexible spaces, the physical
office must reflect the culture of the
company. This means that the office,
just like any software within it should be
continuously evolving to suit the needs
of it’s inhabitants.
2 Building Amenities
Providing access to functional spaces and
services are important in creating the office
that employees want. This means that
meeting rooms and conference areas
should be easily accessible, the
technological framework should be up to
date (no more Windows Desktops from
2002), and interaction with these spaces
should be streamlined. Other perks are
often access to good coffee, healthy
lunches, access to transport/parking and
instant taxis booking.
Smart and Technology-
3 Driven Offices
Beyond the basics, employees demand
that today’s offices should be equipped
with smart technology. We believe that this
is much more than solely having an
adequate technological infrastructure and
plays into the desire for an on-demand
office. Smart office features can often
include a centralized system to control the
building’s amenities and the physical
space and its ambiance. Features
including self-adjusting lighting and
window shades, personalized heating and
lighting, carbon dioxide monitors, digital
room booking and indoor navigation.
 Tech in the Workplace

88% 92% 92%

believe that their building and believe technology & believe that a solution which
its amenities are important innovation is important in allows employees to give
when choosing to remain at creating a better work feedback on their workplace
their current organization or environment. and recommend possible
changing employers. improvements would be
valuable.

In our homes, we can access a huge variety of technology which seamlessly
integrates with our private lives. Homes are becoming increasingly
connected with IoT and often powered by AI, big data and intelligent sensors
– think Amazon’s Alexa, automated lawnmowers, doorbell which are
connected to your smartphone and home security systems.
For employees, smart workplaces can mean streamlining a mundane process
and freeing up to focus on more engaging work. For decision-makers, it can
mean collecting more data to help improve the decision-making process in
the future. For the building itself, smart buildings can create a more
comfortable working environment and happier tenants.

When we enter the office, we have grown to expect a similar experience and As these benefits run deep into the pain points of employees, it’s no surprise
if this isn’t apparent, then we become frustrated. So it’s no surprise that over that 92% of respondents said that a technological solution which allows them
three-quarters of employees believe that technology and innovation are more personalization and control over the workplace would be valuable.
important in creating a better workplace experience.
 Tech in the Workplace

How important do you feel technology and

innovation are in creating a better workplace
experience?

29%
28%
It’s likely that commercial offices will take years to catch up to private homes.
Besides from the privacy and data security issues that arise, decision-makers
must become more proactive in their efforts to keep up. With the increase of
technology disrupting the market, this wait-and-see strategy is no longer
viable.

18%
30% This presents a significant opportunity for corporates and landlords to lead the
pack. The incentive for decision-makers to walk the talk on employee
engagement is that it will put them well into the early sphere of early adaptors.

Whilst we are still at the early stage of the intersection of real estate and
1 4 7
technology, with such a high level of demand emanating from employees, we
are likely to see a sharp rise in tech-forward property solutions arising.

Not Moderately Extremely

Important Important Important
 Acceptance of AI and Advanced Analytics

100% Do you feel that analytics and AI

24% 38% 28% 17% 15% 20% 3% 15% 14% 0% 9% 3% could help improve their workplace
13%
19%
9% experience?
17%
75% 35%
18%
20%
31%
35% The Dutch are the most accepting of these new technologies
27%
50% 19% in the workplace, closely followed by their northern neighbours,
38% 85%
82% Denmark and Finland. Surprisingly, the Anglo- and
81%
70% Francophone countries are significantly less sure than their
68%
62% counterparts in Scandinavia and the German speaking world.
25% 60%
53%
48%
45%
44%
38% Highest
0% Accepptance

CA NO US FR GB IE BE SE DE FI DK NL
85% 82% 81%
Yes Not Sure No

The Netherlands Denmark Finland

 Corporates have the least trust in AI & Analytics

AI and advanced analytics are making their way into multiple
aspects of our working lives. We are confident that advanced
automation and data are going to play a role in creating the
workplace of tomorrow. These results point towards an
optimistic workforce, yet corporates have the furthest to go
to build trust when implementing solutions.
Together with multi-tenant buildings, they are falling behind
their coworking peers, who are more likely to have already
implemented industry 4.0 solutions. When asked whether they
feel AI and analytics could help improve their workplace
experience, 52% of responded in the AI and analytics could
help improve their workplace experience.

Corporate Coworking Multi-Tenant

31% 28%
22%

60% 49%

45%

24% 18% 23%

0% 100% 0% 100% 0%
100%

Yes Not Sure No Yes Not Sure No Yes Not Sure No

 North Americans weary of AI in the workplace
When it comes to acceptability of AI and advanced analytics in
the workplace, European respondents were much more open.
North Americans are much more weary of whether digital
innovation could help improve the workplace experience.
Europe
60% vs.
This could be due to the fact that in Europe, GDPR – the
overarching EU legislation that was brought into effect in 2018
to increase data security and privacy – has lessened the burden
for Europeans.
North America
44%
 Chemical & Energy Most Open to AI

100%
26% 30% 35% 13% 25% 29% 21% 20% 18% 15% 10% 17% 14% 5% Surprisingly, respondents from the
14%
19%
Chemical and Energy industry are the
75%
30%
31%
21% most open to AI and advanced
29%
30%
28% analytics in the workplace.
24%
27%
50% 28%
46%
32%
36%
80%
62% 67% Whilst highly digital industries usually exhibit the most
59% acceptance of new technologies, 80% of respondents from
25% 53% 55%
52% the Chemical and Energy industry believe that analytics and
49%
48%
42% 47% artificial intelligence could help improve the workplace.
38%
38%
37%
0%
Highest

Media and Advertising

Other

Travel & Hospitality

Consultancy
Non-Profit

Real Estate & Construction

Manufacture & Automotive

Healthcare

Consumer Goods & Retail

Finance & Insurance

Government & NGO

Education

Computer Technology

Chemical & Energy

Acceptance

80% 67% 62%

Chemical & Energy Computer Technology Finance & Insurance

Yes Not Sure No
 About Office App

Office App exists to bring a happy office life to your

employees and tenants, the professionals.

We are Europe's leading tenant experience platform,

and the only platform to combine hard tech
integrations with soft tech community & amenities. In
5 years we have grown our company to 12 countries
in Europe with customers like LaSalle, UBS, Nuveen,
BNP Paribas, Cushman & Wakefield, HPE, Heineken
and Dell.

We’ve also partnered with a broad ecosystem of fully

integrated and collaborative partners in order to offer
more than 100 functionalities, facilities and services
to revolutionize the way office environments are
utilised, improved, experienced and built.
 Ready to upgrade your
workplace experience?
Office App offers a scalable experience platform with a
broad ecosystem of 60+ fully integrated partners. Pick
and choose out of 100+ features, and enjoy the modular
design tailored to fit your office needs. All in one:
Community, Amenities & Services.

getofficeapp.com

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