The Journal

As growing teams adapt to a mix of in-person and remote schedules, many are seeing a noticeable drop in office utilization, especially among larger companies, where usage has fallen below 60% (CBRE, 2023). Even so, companies still see the office as a place that supports team culture, builds connections, and anchors the work experience. 68% of today’s occupiers are pursuing better at a smaller scale, strategically right-sizing to optimize their footprint. In this blog post, Partner Leanne Walker shares how strategic, design-led thinking can turn even the most compact footprints into efficient, human-centred spaces that work smarter, not harder.

As more companies shift away from remote work, the office is being asked to do more. In 2020, 62% of employees worked remotely, and by 2023, that number had dropped significantly to 19.5%. But the expectations shaped by remote work haven’t gone away. If anything, they’ve set a new baseline. At home, people had access to comfort on their own terms: a stocked kitchen, their go-to coffee setup, a quiet corner to recharge. Returning to the office means more than just showing up. It means reconsidering how the workplace can support the full experience of a day.

Trauma doesn’t just live in our memories—it resides in our bodies, shaping how we physically respond to the spaces around us. When certain design elements trigger stress responses, the nervous system reacts automatically, often beyond our conscious control. What feels neutral to one person might feel overwhelming or unsafe to another, making it uniquely challenging to create environments where individuals with trauma histories can feel safe, supported, and able to function effectively.