Humans are creatures of comfort, especially employees who’ve been working remotely over the past few years and have not only adapted to but have grown fond of their makeshift workspaces at home. The 26% of the U.S. workforce working in exclusively remote positions (Gallup, 2025) has developed place attachment, meaning they’ve formed a positive emotional bond with their environment—in this case, their remote workspaces. Having traded in their rigid desks and office task chairs in favor of soft and cozy couches that make them feel safe, remote workers have become accustomed to quieter, more independent work zones. So much so that they’re turning down the option to return to in-person collaborative workplaces.
While employees are enjoying the comforts of working from home, they’re also being distracted by the convenience of it (i.e., doing laundry, running quick errands, walking the dog), all limiting their opportunity for soft skill development, in person mentorship, and the opportunity to create and innovate in a collaborative environment. As the return-to-work conversation continues, there is an emphasis on creating welcoming and inclusive office spaces where employees feel like they belong.
To draw employees back into the workplace, office building owners need to tap into human needs, redesign work environments to cater to people’s diverse needs, and incorporate residential elements that make them feel like they’re at home. By fostering place attachment, employers can reengage and retain employees while optimizing space utilization by creating work locations where hybrid and full-time office employees want to commute daily.
Fostering Place Attachment Through Inclusive Design
When designed with an open and inclusive mindset, the workplace can become a destination where people feel just as comfortable performing tasks in the office as they do while sitting on their couch, and a community where one feels relaxed enough to be themselves. Building owners, facility managers, and companies who own or rent their office space can work with an interior designer to integrate familiar residential elements such as soft materials, rounded furniture, and warmer, organic color palettes while still curating a professional work environment. Personal and nostalgic elements are also a great way to help employees create a positive association with their office, especially as the age of personalized desks is fading away.
Beyond residential aesthetics, strategic layouts and furniture selections are just as important for creating multiple spaces that embrace neurodiversity in the workplace. For instance, some people are introverted and prefer working in private, secluded areas while other workers are extroverted and thrive in socially active environments. By developing workplaces that embrace different work preferences, employees feel respected.
