The great RTO reckoning: why your office strategy may already be obsolete.

Executives issued mandates.

Employees rolled their eyes.

And the office? Still half-empty.

That's not a trend. That's a reckoning.

Most companies thought—or pretended—that a return-to-office policy would restore normalcy:

• Productivity.
• Culture.
• Collaboration.

It hasn't.

Instead, they're stuck with rising costs, stranded assets, and a workforce that's quietly opting out.

The office isn't dead.

But the way we've been managing it?

That's a corpse we keep propping up.

The real cost of misalignment.

Let's talk about the polite fictions the industry still clings to:

• Big HQs = stability → Meanwhile, your flagship sits half-empty even on "anchor" days.
• Leases should span decades → Even though your workforce strategy can barely see two quarters ahead.
• More people in the office = more productivity → Still waiting for the proof on that one.

This model is broken.

And pretending otherwise isn't strategy—it's denial with a glossy finish.

Mandates are cheap. Utilization is smart.

Here's the real paradox:

• Employees resist mandates—but aren't given better alternatives.
• Leaders want to justify costly space—but don't have usage data.
• Utilization yo-yos week to week—but decisions are still based on gut feel.

The smart companies? They've moved on.

They've stopped trying to revive 2019.

They're building a workplace strategy that's actually grounded in how work happens today.

They're shifting from RTO mandates to a utilization-driven strategy:

✅ Hub-and-spoke models that mirror actual demand

✅ Managed offices and on-demand workspaces that flex with the business

✅ Tools like Portfolio Manager AI to replace wishful thinking with real-time insight

Still measuring square feet? Try measuring impact.

Let me ask you this:

• Are you creating space for work that actually needs a physical setting?
• Are your teams using your space the way you think they are?
• Could you achieve better outcomes with a smaller, smarter footprint?

Spoiler: If you're still using occupancy as your north star, you're already off-course.

The new metrics that matter:

• Engagement by space type – Are team areas alive while solo desks sit untouched?
• Cost per employee, not just cost per square foot
• Scalability of space – Can you flex up or down as business needs shift?
• Employee sentiment and retention – Are your people engaged, trusted, and empowered? The data's clear: employees who feel agency over where and how they work are more productive, loyal, and likely to thrive.

And here's the other trap that too many companies fall into:

They're not just stuck on occupancy—they're stuck on The One Office.

They're still operating as if the workplace is a centralized location everyone must orbit.

But the real shift—the one leading companies have embraced—is from Return to The Office to Return to Many Offices.

The future is a workplace ecosystem: HQs, hubs, coworking spaces, and on-demand meeting rooms.

It's not about forcing presence in one space.

It's about enabling performance across many.

This isn't theoretical. It's already happening.

The best enterprises aren't waiting for the future of work.

They're designing it.

They've ditched the headcount-per-seat math.

They're aligning space with behavior, not hierarchy.

And they're reaping the benefits—culturally and financially.

We broke it all down in this download:

👉 The state of RTO: enterprise wins, fails, and lessons learned.

Meanwhile, too many others are still measuring success in swipes and warm bodies.

If you're still measuring occupancy, you're already behind.

If your real estate strategy is still based on outdated assumptions, it's time to wake up.

Run a free Portfolio Manager AI analysis and discover how much space—and cost—you could unlock without sacrificing performance.

It's not about mandates.

It's not about nostalgia.

It's about insight, adaptability, and impact.

Let's get you there.

👉 Model the ROI of flexible real estate.