What workplace hospitality really solves: new research insights

Organizations are no longer debating whether the workplace has changed. That question is settled.

What remains unresolved is how to design workplaces that earn attendance, sustain performance and support a workforce whose expectations have permanently shifted.

Return-to-office mandates have proven blunt. Incentives have produced uneven results. And relying on policy alone has introduced new risks to morale, engagement and retention.

Against that backdrop, Circles conducted a Workplace Hospitality Insights research study to better understand what organizations are navigating today — and what employees actually need from the workplace for it to function as intended.

The findings point to a clear conclusion: workplace hospitality is no longer a peripheral benefit. It is becoming a foundational component of workplace strategy.

The core question behind the research

The research was guided by a practical question leaders are actively grappling with: what must the workplace deliver today to justify presence — for both the organization and the employee?

To answer that, the study examined three areas:

• The operational and cultural challenges organizations are facing
• How employees experience the office in practice
• How hospitality services influence engagement, productivity and perceptions of support

Research methodology

The study combined qualitative and quantitative inputs to capture both strategic intent and lived experience.

Client interviews

Between September 2024 and April 2025, Circles conducted 15 in-depth interviews across the U.S., UK and France. Each interview lasted 90 minutes and included senior leaders across HR, Workplace Experience and Operations.

Participants were selected based on a progressive workplace profile and a demonstrated belief that employee experience plays a critical role in performance and retention. The sample included current Circles clients, former clients and prospective organizations, ensuring a balanced range of perspectives.

Employee surveys

In June 2025, Circles surveyed members — employees using workplace services within client organizations. The survey included 10 questions focused on awareness, usage and perceived value of workplace hospitality services. 22 responses were collected.

While the sample size was modest, the responses provided clear directional insight into employee motivations and barriers.

The challenges reshaping workplace strategy

Across interviews, leaders consistently pointed to three structural pressures redefining the workplace.

Justifying return to office (RTO)

Employees are no longer defaulting to in-office work. Commutes are scrutinized. Costs are more visible. And mandated presence, when not paired with meaningful value, is increasingly viewed as misaligned with how work gets done.

Leaders acknowledged a growing expectation that the workplace must offer something materially better than working from home — not just equivalent.

Attraction and retention pressures

Talent expectations have shifted decisively. Leaders cited heightened pressure to meet the needs of younger generations who view flexibility and well-being as baseline requirements, not differentiators.

Workplace experience is now closely tied to employer brand and retention risk.

Designing for workforce diversity

The modern workforce is more diverse in role types, personal responsibilities and working styles than at any point in recent history. Static, standardized workplace solutions struggle to meet these varied needs.

Leaders described an increasing need for flexibility, personalization and adaptability within the workplace ecosystem.

How workplace hospitality is currently perceived

One of the clearest findings emerged around perception. In the U.S. market, workplace hospitality is frequently equated solely with concierge services. This narrow framing limits both adoption and impact, reducing workplace hospitality management to a single function rather than a coordinated system of support.

Internal sponsorship also emerged as a critical execution challenge. Even when leaders recognize the value of hospitality services, progress often stalls without clear frameworks, data and shared metrics to support internal alignment and investment decisions.

Awareness gaps compound the issue. In hybrid environments, employees may know services exist without understanding how to access them or integrate them into daily work.

The broader implication is strategic. When hospitality is positioned as a discretionary perk, it struggles to compete for attention and resources. When positioned as an enabler of productivity, experience and culture, the conversation changes.

In contrast, organizations that are making progress treat hospitality as an operating model — with clear ownership, defined success measures and services intentionally mapped to moments that matter in the employee day. This shift is what allows hospitality investments to scale beyond goodwill and deliver repeatable value.

What motivates employees to come into the office

From the employee perspective, motivation is not transactional.

Respondents consistently cited human connection as the primary reason for choosing to work on-site. Face-to-face collaboration that accelerates decision-making. A stronger sense of belonging and team identity. Access to resources and environments that support focus and performance. Clearer boundaries between work and home.

Everyday hospitality moments also mattered — meals, coffee and informal social interactions that create rhythm and ease within the workday.

As one respondent noted, “The office is where ideas move faster — one conversation can replace five emails.”

The implication for organizations is straightforward. The office must deliver experiential value, not just functional space.

Barriers that continue to suppress attendance

Despite these motivations, significant barriers remain.

• Commute fatigue was the most frequently cited obstacle. For many employees, travel time and stress outweigh the perceived benefits of being onsite.
• Cost was another consistent theme. Transportation, parking and meals represent tangible expenses when remote work eliminates them entirely.
• Flexibility also emerged as a non-negotiable. Hybrid employees value autonomy and rigid schedules are increasingly viewed as counterproductive.
• 86% of respondents reported being aware of available workplace services. Awareness alone, however, does not offset structural friction.

The strategic reframing

Workplace hospitality is not about aesthetics or amenities. It is about reducing friction, supporting real lives and enabling employees to perform at their best when they are in the office.

Leaders already recognize its potential as a differentiator. What determines the outcomes it delivers is how hospitality is positioned, sponsored and integrated within the business. Consistency, measurement and alignment to priorities such as engagement, productivity, retention and workplace usage are shaped by organizational context — not the services themselves.

For leaders, the question is no longer whether workplace hospitality matters, but whether it is embedded in a way that supports outcomes the business can stand behind.

Assessing your current approach

Organizations sit at very different stages of maturity. Some have services in place but limited awareness or adoption. Others have strong intent but fragmented delivery. Many still treat hospitality as an add-on rather than a core component of workplace design. Understanding where your organization stands is the necessary first step.

We’ve developed a free Workplace Hospitality Assessment that provides a structured way to evaluate your current approach, identify gaps and support more informed internal conversations around investment, impact and priorities.

The workplace does not need more policy. It needs to work — for the organization and the people inside it.