VTS, the industry’s only technology platform that unifies owners, operators, brokers, and their customers across the real estate ecosystem, has released the findings from its second annual Global Workplace Report, which leverages data to pinpoint corporate tenant needs and expectations related to office space. The report is the result of a survey commissioned by VTS from an independent market research firm, reaching hundreds of business leaders from companies across the globe on their workplace strategy and sentiment for 2025, including employees’ technical experience.
Findings from the report address core workplace pillars such as workplace strategy, operations and access, as well as engagement—providing visibility around how tenants are currently engaging with office space and what their current needs are. Heading into 2025, the survey found that nearly half of tenants view a poor technical experience as the number one pain-point which is hindering them from coming into the office. This comes at a time when the desire for in-person collaboration and engagement in the office is increasing, with 59% of companies planning to encourage or mandate more time in-office over the next 12 months. Only 1% of companies in North America, Europe, and Australia have gone fully remote, meaning that strengthening existing tenant relationships and investing in the technology needed to manage the hybrid work environment will be key to success.
“Over the past year, it’s become apparent that the office market is gaining meaningful momentum once again, with demand nationally up over 16% year-over-year as tracked in our VODI (VTS Office Demand Index) report,” said Nick Romito, CEO of VTS. “As more workers get back in the office and increase their time spent there, it’s important property managers, landlords, and other on-site experience decision makers evaluate the technology they use and what kind of experience they provide, as tenant demands have drastically evolved on the other side of the pandemic.”
Key takeaways from the report
Property management tech stacks continue to be needlessly complex – with property managers drowning in administrative tasks while craving strategic impact
- The tech stacks themselves are bloated:
- Average unique operation systems tools: 5
- Average unique reporting tools: 3
- Average unique collaboration tools: 5
- 33% of property management teams say they waste time on cross-system data entry
- 61% of property management teams say most of their time is spent on work order management
- 65% of respondents say that consolidation would increase efficiency
- 63% say that consolidation would enhance the tenant experience
- Property management teams desire a more seamless experience:
- With 75% wanting to direct their time towards strategic project management and surfacing strategic insights
- And 59% toward providing hospitality-like experiences, promoting content, and programming
A gap between the perception of tenants and reality
- The number one issue among tenants is poor technical experience issues, while property management teams perceive the number one tenant issue to be inadequate space utilization
- Only 24% of companies actually measure space usage patterns among occupants
- Property managers still rely on email comms as their primary communications vehicle, while tenants say that direct communication to an admin is their preference
Building community is a winning tenant retention strategy
- A greater degree of culture-building and collaboration are top priorities for tenants
- Despite this, 79% say their workspaces lack the required space to sufficiently collaborate
- 85% of tenants believe access to additional amenity space, even offsite, would benefit them
- Over 90% of tenants view a branded building app as important to the on-site experience
- 65% express interest in a mobile access app
