A Checklist for Elevating Tenant Experience
Business and organization leaders are trying to strike a critical balance: being responsive to employees’ desire for flexibility while also ensuring productivity. Along with providing the tools, training, and technology necessary for employees to succeed, we know that prioritizing opportunities for human connection and collaboration is essential for a heathy workplace.
At UG2, we are continuously gathering intelligence from our building engineers, in-house experts, customers, and our own employees about the state of workplace experience. Here’s how our experts say we can use facilities management as one of your most important retention levers.
Key Takeaways
- Organizations are recalibrating the balance between employees’ desire for flexibility and the need for human connection
- Employee engagement has fallen 20 percent in recent years, according to studies
- Facilities management can be a big strategic lever for improving employee engagement and retention
The Workplace Environment Matters
The most recent Gallup State of the Global Workplace report, “global employee engagement fell to 20% in 2025, its lowest level since 2020 … Employee engagement measures the psychological attachment workers have to their work, their team, and their employer.”
There’s real potential for reversing this trend by using office spaces as more than just a physical place to gather, but as a retention tool. That means physical office spaces are more important than ever.
As UG2’s Greg Lanzillo shared with Buildings, “when buildings consistently feel welcoming and reliable, occupants don’t just tolerate being there—they prefer it.”
Even seemingly small changes can make a big impact. “Small, everyday details drive quality in a building,” stresses Greg. “Lobby presentation, lighting quality, the shine on the floor, and restroom cleanliness all contribute to a positive overall impression.”
What Employees Want from an Office Space
For many organizations, facilities management is an underutilized strategic lever. It requires expanding the understanding of facility management to include experience design.
Consistency matters as much as quality. You’re building trust with building tenants on a daily basis. But facilities management has the power to deliver on factors that matter to employees:
- Natural light: Gensler’s 2025 survey found 40% of workers prioritize access to natural light and operable windows.
- Quiet focus spaces: 69% of office workers report noise negatively impacting their concentration and creativity.
- Clean air: GPS Air’s 2026 Indoor Air Quality Report found 61% of workers would choose fresher air over better amenities. 83% said “visible efforts to improve comfort and safety would make them feel more respected as an employee.”
Thoughtful facilities management and maintenance can help solve these issues for employees, making them not only physically more comfortable, but also impacting their perception of feeling valued.
Elevating the Workplace Experience: A Checklist
Here are just a few areas to kick of the process of evaluating and maximizing the value of your space.
Connection
- Is there a centralized hub where colleagues naturally gather (not just pass through)?
- Do employees have informal and formal opportunities to connect with people outside their immediate team?
- Are spaces designed to make mentorship and cross-team relationships easier, not harder?
Environment
- Do most workspaces have access to natural light or views?
- Is there dedicated quiet space for focus work, separate from collaboration areas?
- Is air quality proactively monitored and improved?
- Are high-impact areas — entrances, restrooms, shared amenities — held to a visible standard?
Strategy
- Is your FM team involved in retention and culture conversations or only called when something breaks?
- Do employees have an easy way to submit feedback and is there a process for acting on it quickly?
At UG2, we excel at tailoring our services to each customer’s evolving needs. This checklist offers a starting point—a great way to begin a conversation and partner around solutions that exceed your tenants’, guests’, and employees’ expectations.
FAQs
Does an office environment impact retention?
Yes. Gensler’s 2025 Global Workplace Survey found employees in great workplaces are nearly three times more likely to stay with their company. CBRE’s latest Occupier Sentiment Survey found that colleague engagement is the biggest driver of office attendance, followed by office location and the availability of amenities.
What do employees actually want from their office space?
Amenities that were once labeled as perks—coffee stations, snack walls, kitchens—aren’t nice-to-haves. But, GPS Air’s 2026 Indoor Air Quality Report found 61% of workers would choose fresher air over better amenities. Offices need to focus on the basics first: air quality, natural light, noise.
What role does facilities management play in workplace experience?
The best office environments recognize FM is integral to employee retention, not just routine maintenance. Well-run buildings foster trust every time an employee walks in the space. The proof is in retention numbers.