Office mandates take hold as Australian occupiers shift from adjustment to optimisation

Office attendance mandates are becoming increasingly common among Australian companies, but tougher enforcement mechanisms remain limited as more stable working patterns allow employers to shift their focus from workplace adjustment to optimisation.

CBRE’s 2026 Australia Occupier Survey found 68% of respondents now have a mandated office attendance policy, while just 5% have no attendance policy, down from 15% in 2025. 

Among organisations with attendance requirements, three days in the office is the prevailing expectation for full-time employees. 

However, the use of stronger mechanisms to encourage or enforce attendance remains relatively limited, with only 11-16% of respondents reporting that office attendance is tied to financial rewards, incentives or performance reviews.

The findings come as office attendance patterns settle, with 79% of respondents saying attendance has reached a steady state. Average weekly office utilisation increased from 52% in 2025 to 54% in 2026, while peak-day utilisation rose from 67% to 69%. 

Amrita Vilkhu, CBRE Director, Workplace Consulting, Pacific, said the greater certainty around attendance was allowing organisations to move beyond the adjustment phase of recent years and focus more closely on workplace performance. 

“What we’re seeing is not simply a story about organisations setting attendance policies. The more significant shift is that attendance patterns are stabilising, giving occupiers a much clearer picture of how their workplaces are actually being used,” Ms Vilkhu said.

“That certainty is allowing organisations to focus on making their existing space work harder. Higher sharing ratios are part of that, but so too is creating the right mix of spaces to support collaboration, focused work and hybrid meetings.”

The average employee-to-desk ratio has increased from 1.18 employees per desk three years ago to 1.30 today, with respondents targeting an average of 1.38 within the next three years. 
The workplace mix is also continuing to evolve. The survey found 68% of respondents expect more small meeting rooms over the next three years, while 63% expect more focus or acoustically enclosed spaces, reflecting the need to accommodate hybrid meetings and different types of work throughout the day. 

In contrast, 37% expect less tech-related infrastructure, the highest proportion selecting “less” for any of the workplace settings surveyed. 

Greater certainty around workplace use is also coinciding with a moderation in the office footprint reductions of recent years.

While 47% of surveyed occupiers reduced their physical footprint over the past three years, only 32% expect to do so over the next three years. 

Over the coming period, 37% expect their footprint to remain unchanged and 32% anticipate an expansion. 

Flexibility nevertheless remains a significant priority, with 53% of respondents expecting greater adoption of flexible space over the next three years and 47% prioritising portfolio consolidation. 

Genna McCarthy, CBRE Regional Director and Head of Office Tenant Representation, Pacific, said greater near-term certainty did not remove the need for flexibility in longer-term real estate decisions. 

“Occupiers have a much clearer basis for making decisions about their workplaces today, but they are also conscious that the longer-term impact of AI on workforce structures and space requirements is still unfolding,” Ms McCarthy said.

“That makes flexibility increasingly important. Organisations want to optimise their portfolios based on what they know today while retaining the ability to respond as their workforce and space requirements evolve.”

Only 29% of respondents anticipate a decreasing footprint due to AI-related headcount declines over the next three years, while 36% expect no impact. A further 14% anticipate an expanding footprint due to headcount growth. 

The findings suggest that, while uncertainty around AI remains, occupiers are not yet factoring widespread AI-driven footprint reductions into their real estate strategies.