By Phumzile Mbatha, associate director, Gleeds

For much of the past decade, the office market has been locked in an amenity arms race. Features such as roof terraces, gyms, cycle facilities, wellness suites and coffee bars, which were once differentiators, are now expected. However, as these changes shape the office market a fundamental question is emerging: are we focusing too much on what buildings contain and not enough on how people experience them?

This question sat at the heart of a recent BCO NextGen London panel discussion hosted by Gleeds. Chaired by Meryn Baker, associate at Opera, the panel brought together:

• Sara Eggers, workplace strategy lead, Fletcher Priest Architects
• Lewis Barker, director of workplace services, ServiceNow
• Beth Wootton, senior leasing manager, Derwent London
• Richard Golding, associate director, Gleeds

With combined perspectives from workplace strategy, occupier operations and project delivery, the discussion quickly moved beyond amenities to a broader question: what do people truly value from the workplace?

Great workplaces don’t demand the commute, they justify it

Barker repeatedly returned to how dramatically workplace expectations have changed in the wake of hybrid working. The office is no longer the default setting for work; it is one option among many. The office now competes with home, local co-working spaces and, perhaps most importantly, people’s personal time.

An office needs to provide real added value, otherwise it loses its purpose. For Eggers, that ‘something’ is rarely a standalone amenity. The spaces drawing people back into the workplace are those that enable collaboration and connection. The challenge for developers is no longer simply provide facilities; it is to create environments that justify the effort and time versus the commute.

The fundamentals have become the differentiators

What is striking is that many of today’s most valued workplace features are remarkably unglamorous. They have reliable connectivity, excellent air quality, comfortable temperature, strong security and responsive building management. Few feature prominently in leasing brochures, yet they consistently influence occupier satisfaction and decision making.

During the panel discussion, Barker emphasised that when assessing potential workplaces, operational detail often matters more than headline features. The quality of hospitality, the ease of arrival and the integration of technology and community activation all shape how a building is experienced in practice.

Gleeds’ Golding argued that the industry’s focus on headline amenities can sometimes obscure what matters most. More often, occupiers judge workplaces by the experience of using them every day. When technology works, arrivals feel effortless and services are delivered seamlessly these moments build trust in the same way strong brands do. Few organisations would tolerate a poor customer experience from the external-facing brand. However, many still tolerate friction-filled experiences inside the buildings where their people spend most of their working lives.

From amenities to experience

One of the most interesting tensions discussed during the session was disconnect between how developers and occupiers define amenity. Eggers noted that developers often think about amenity in terms of provision, such as how much lettable space has been sacrificed to create communal facilities. Whereas occupiers tend to measure by considering if it improves the experience of their working day. That distinction has significant implications. An end-of-trip facility accessed through multiple heavy doors, a coffee bar positioned on the opposite side of the building from the event space it serves, or visitor seating hidden around a corner from reception may all tick the box on paper, but fail to deliver a positive user experience in practice.

This is where the industry may need to move beyond the language of amenity altogether. What occupiers appreciate is the overall experience of a building. Every touchpoint contributes to perception, and in that sense, the workplace functions much like a brand. The experience is shaped not just by a single feature, but by the cumulative effect of hundreds of interactions. Gleeds’ move into its Fitzrovia headquarters reflected much of this in practice. Going from a more fragmented space across several floors into a workplace with shared breakout, kitchen and arrival has noticeably improved interaction between teams.

Experience as competitive advantage

Wootton argued that amenity has become inseparable from a building’s identity and market positioning. In a competitive leasing environment, particularly where several buildings may offer similar specifications, experience can become a genuine source of competitive advantage.

Progressively, experience influences not only attraction, but retention, helping buildings remain relevant long after the initial leasing decision has been made. This is particularly important as organisations use the workplace as a tool for attracting and retaining talent. Buildings that create a strong sense of place and community can often compete on something more meaningful than location, specification or rental level alone. Increasingly, the quality of the experience matters as much as the physical product itself.

Rethinking value

The discussion also challenged some long-held assumptions about value. The property industry has become highly sophisticated at measuring cost. Capital expenditure, operational expenditure, leasing performance and energy consumption can all be modelled with amassed precision. Still, we remain far less sophisticated at measuring what makes people choose one workplace over another. Culture, belonging, collaboration and pride in place all create qualitative value, but they rarely sit neatly within traditional investment metrics.

Golding challenged the industry’s tendency to focus too heavily on upfront cost. Workplace investments continue to influence operational performance, adaptability, carbon outcomes and asset resilience long after practical completion, but those benefits are often harder to capture in traditional appraisals. Eggers reinforced that there is no universal formula. Every project requires a different balance of priorities, commercial objectives and user needs. The challenge is identifying which decisions preserve the strongest value proposition over the long term, rather than simply reducing cost in the short term.

Adaptability as the ultimate key for success

If there was one theme that united the panel, it was adaptability. Many of the buildings due to complete towards the end of this decade are already being planned, designed or delivered today. Yet workplace expectations continue to evolve faster than traditional development cycles. The next decade may be defined by something more nuanced: creating workplaces that can evolve as quickly as the people who use them. In a market where nobody can predict exactly what occupiers will want in 2030, adaptability may prove to be the most valuable amenity of all.