Budget season has a funny way of exposing weak assumptions. If your workplace strategy is built on “what we think is happening,” your next policy refresh could get messy fast. That is why workplace analytics research matters. It gives HR leaders credible evidence on what drives engagement, what supports productivity, and how hybrid work is evolving in real organizations.
This article curates 10 workforce analytics reports and HR analytics studies that shape enterprise workplace strategy. They cover hybrid work research, productivity signals, workplace utilization, employee sentiment, and the tools analysts say are changing HR decision-making.
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What Are the Top Reports & Research on Workplace Management Every HR Manager Needs to Read?
1) CBRE: 2026 Global Workplace & Occupancy Insights
Why it matters: This is one of the clearest data sets on office usage and hybrid workplace performance. CBRE summarizes years of workplace benchmarking and sentiment survey data across a large portfolio sample.
Key stat: Office utilization is soaring, rising to 53% (vs. 38% in 2024 and 35% in 2023).
Read the Full Report Here: CBRE 2026 Global Workplace & Occupancy Insights
2) Gensler Research Institute: Global Workplace Survey 2026
Why it matters: “The office has stabilized – but there’s room for improvement”. This message is at the core of Gensler’s latest survey, as it examines how people work and what workplace changes will inspire a new level of productivity & wellness.
Key stat: 44% of U.S. workers stated that they hope their workplace has physical & mental wellness amenities.
Read the Full Report Here: Gensler’s Global Workplace Survey 2026
3) Gallup: State of the Global Workplace 2025
Why it matters: This is a foundational source for employee engagement research. It helps HR link engagement, manager effectiveness, and productivity outcomes. It is also a strong reality check during major change cycles.
Key stat: 2024 saw global employee engagement fall, costing the world economy US$438 billion in lost productivity.
Read the Full Report Here: Gallup State of the Global Workplace 2025
4) Deloitte: 2025 Global Human Capital Trends
Why it matters: This widely cited HR report helps leaders to understand workforce management trends, human performance, and modern-day leadership strategies. This can be crucial for aligning the workplace to workforce priorities.
Key stat: Deloitte notes that organizations that successfully enable workers to grow personally, use their imagination, and think deeply, are 1.8x more likely to report better financial results.
Read the Full Report Here: Deloitte 2025 Global Human Capital Trends
5) PwC: Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey 2025
Why it matters: This is a strong pulse on worker sentiment, cultural support, and workplace changes in the age of AI. It highlights what employees need to feel comfortable and productive in their roles.
Key stat: According to the survey, the top 3 drivers of workplace motivation are (1) Positive mood, (2) Meaningful work, and (3) Strategic alignment.
Read the Full Report Here: PwC Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey 2025
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6) Gartner: Market Guide for Workplace Experience Applications (2025)
Why it matters: Gartner explores the highly competitive workplace experience (WEX) market with a roundup of 20 top vendors. It notes that AI capabilities are increasingly becoming a core part of these solutions.
Key stat: Gartner predicts that by 2028, “40% of large enterprises will offer ‘space as a service’ models, giving employees on-demand access to smart, fully equipped workspaces.
Read the Full Report Here: Gartner Market Guide for Workplace Experience Applications (2025)
7) Leesman: ‘The Workplace Why’ Report
Why it matters: Workplace researchers at Leesman use a custom-made experience metric to assess how workers connect with the office around them. This report looks at how offices can compete with the high satisfaction scores of working from home.
Key stat: The second most popular purpose for an office, as highlighted by employees, is ‘to promote employee connection to their organization and a sense of pride’.
Read the Full Report Here: Leesman’s Hybrid Work Report
8) Robert Half: Remote Work Statistics and Trends for 2026
Why it matters: Employment and recruiting experts Robert Half used their position to share insights into the current landscape of remote work. In their estimates, they claim that 25% of U.S. employers currently offer hybrid work to all employees.
Key stat: Hybrid work continues to be the top working preference among job seekers, with an even split between respondents who want 1-2 days in the office vs. 3-4 days in the office.
Read the Full Report Here: Robert Half’s 2026 Remote Work Statistics and Trends
9) JLL: Future of Work Survey
Why it matters: Property firm JLL acknowledges that this is a complex and dynamic environment for corporate real estate. Their survey draws on the perspectives of 2,300 enterprise decision-makers as they evaluate what work will look like in the future.
Key stat: By 2030, 64% of respondents expect their company headcount to grow; however, reducing operating costs is a priority for 83% of organizations.
Read the Full Report Here: JLL Future of Work Report
10) ActivTrak Productivity Lab: 2026 State of the Workplace
Why it matters: Workforce analytics platform ActivTrak records data drawn from digital work activity. Its report highlights current trends and patterns when it comes to workload intensity, focus time, and the real operational impact of AI adoption.
Key stat: In 2026, the share of total work time spent in focused, uninterrupted work fell to 60%, a three-year low. The average focus session now lasts 13 minutes and 7 seconds, according to ActivTrak.
Read the Full Report Here: ActivTrak 2026 State of the Workplace
Key Takeaway
These reports all point to the same big truth. Hybrid work is measurable now. So workplace strategy should be measurable too.
For a single home base that ties workplace management, workplace analytics, and office optimization together, read our Enterprise Buyer’s Guide to Workforce & Office Optimization.
FAQs
1) What is workplace management and analytics?
Workplace management and analytics is the practice of running physical workplaces using tools and data. Workplace management covers the workflows employees use, like booking desks and rooms, finding space, and accessing services. On the other hand, workplace analytics uses workplace data analytics to show how space is used over time, where friction happens, and what changes improve office performance.
2) What is workplace analytics research?
Workplace analytics research is evidence-based reporting on how workplaces perform. It can include studies on desk and meeting room usage, office attendance patterns, space utilization, and the employee experience of hybrid work. HR teams use it to support office optimization decisions and to justify investments with credible data.
3) What is workforce analytics, and how is it different from workplace analytics?
Workforce analytics focuses on people and work patterns, such as headcount trends, retention, skills, performance, and learning. Workplace analytics focuses on physical workplace usage and experience, such as how desks, rooms, and offices are used. In practice, both matter for hybrid strategy. Workforce analytics explains what is happening with employees. Workplace analytics explains what is happening in the office.
4) How does workforce analytics impact employee engagement?
Workforce analytics helps HR identify engagement risks earlier and act faster. Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace provides a widely used engagement baseline. Deloitte’s Human Capital Trends also ties people data to human performance strategy.
5) What is hybrid work research, and what questions does it help HR answer?
Hybrid work research examines how flexible work affects productivity, collaboration, engagement, and the use of office space. It helps HR answer foundational questions like how often people come in, what makes office days valuable, what causes friction, and how hybrid policies influence retention and performance.
