The way we use office spaces is changing fast - and we have the data to prove it.
At inspace, we analyzed workspace usage across thousands of employees and hundreds of companies between January 2024 and April 2025. The results highlight major behavioral shifts that every workplace leader should understand.

In our data, employees are spending 1–1.5 more hours per day at their desks in 2025 than they did in 2023.

This mirrors a broader shift. According to JLL's 2024 Global Occupancy Benchmarking Report, 55% of employees prefer working from a dedicated desk when on-site — up from 43% in 2022.

Why it matters:

• Employees are staying longer when they come in
• Desks are becoming essential for focus and collaboration
• Flexible policies are winning over rigid seating assignments

Takeaway: If your desk strategy isn’t adaptive, you’re leaving value on the table.

In 2024, average private office time dropped sharply to 3h 12m (down from 7h 44m in 2023). But in 2025, it jumped to 8h 20m.

A study by Gensler also found that the demand for private, quiet spaces rose sharply among knowledge workers recently, with 56% of workers saying the ability to focus without interruption was their top need from the office.

What changed:

• 2024 saw a wave of hot-desking and open space experiments
• By 2025, focus-heavy teams and executives demanded private space again

Takeaway: The open-plan trend is overcorrecting. Privacy is productivity.

Meeting room time fell from 4h 43m in 2023 to just 1h 55m in 2024 - and stayed there in 2025.

What we're seeing:

• AI is driving smarter, shorter meetings
• More collaboration happens in Slack and Teams
• Hybrid teams prefer async and flexible syncs

Takeaway: You don’t need more rooms - you need better scheduling and automation.

Phone booth time stayed around 3h 15m in 2023-2024, dropping slightly to 2h 31m in 2025. Lounge usage was minimal across all years - down to just 5 minutes in 2025.

This echoes Leesman’s Global Workplace Survey, which found that informal breakout spaces ranked among the least valued workplace features — with satisfaction scores often below 50%.

Why this matters:

• Casual spaces are underutilized
• Employees prefer purpose-driven areas - not just hangouts
• Focus and structure win over aesthetics alone

Takeaway: It’s not about just how cool the space looks - it’s about how well it supports real work.

Workplace planning needs to move beyond assumptions. That’s why we built the inspace AI Workplace Agent.

It tracks real-time workspace behavior, adapts to usage trends, and helps employees:

• Book the right space in seconds
• Get reminders when they forget
• Find teammates and rooms intuitively

And for admins?

It delivers accurate forecasting, space optimization, and reporting — all without relying on outdated tools or manual effort.

Office behavior has changed. Your tools should too.

➡️ Ready to see what your team’s usage patterns say?

Let’s talk: hello@inspace.app