DALLAS—Gensler's Research Institute conducted an anonymous online survey among more than 2,300 US workers this past summer to understand where and how the future workplace will operate. This survey's goal was to shed light on the continuing role of the physical workplace in a post-COVID future.

Respondents were required to be working full time for a company, organization or firm of 100 or more people, and have worked in an office environment prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, respondents were evenly distributed across 10 industries and represented a wide range of seniority levels, roles, ages and US geographies.

The Results:

• US workers want to return to the workplace while keeping the benefits of flexibility and privacy gained while working from home.
• Most US workers would still prefer to work from the office for most of a normal week, but they'll bring new expectations around flexibility, privacy and space sharing as they return.
• Only 19% of US workers want to work from home full time. More than half (52%) would prefer a hybrid of working from the office and home.

So what does this mean for the future of work and the workplace?