Office Come‑Back: Turning Work Days into Welcoming Spaces

Many companies want people to return to the office, but employees often prefer staying home. To change that trend, some leaders are turning offices into places that feel more like a friendly hotel than a grind. They borrow ideas from hospitality, where guests are welcomed and kept happy so they keep coming back. Design experts say the office should offer a “story arc” for workers, just as a hotel offers a journey. That means the space should shift between quiet focus and lively collaboration, giving people flexibility every day. When an office feels like a cozy lounge rather than a rigid cubicle, employees are more likely to show up voluntarily. The market for office interiors is booming. In 2023 it was worth about $69 billion worldwide and could reach almost $93 billion by 2030. This growth shows that companies are willing to invest in better spaces, but only if those spaces make people want to be there.Some firms still push a strict return‑to‑office rule, asking staff to come in five days a week. Others try a gentler path: they aim to make the office so pleasant that people choose to come in two or three days a week. The goal is not compliance, but enthusiasm. A big change is the decline of fixed desks. In 2025, assigned seating dropped more than 46 percent from the previous year. Workers now want spots that can be used for different tasks, allowing them to move around and collaborate easily. Portable meeting pods and flexible workstations are examples of this trend. Designers argue that if an office can be as inviting and adaptable as a hotel lobby, the commute will feel worth it. When people see their workplace as a place to recharge and connect, they’re more likely to leave their home office behind.