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If you're a CFO, you likely know what your office portfolio costs — but how confident are you that it isn't burning through $$$ unnecessarily?

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Many US organizations are still operating in office environments that were designed decades ago: large cubicles, built for paper-based processes and bulky technology. The original logic made sense. Work was largely focused and individual. Teams needed desk real estate for paper trails, filing cabinets, and CRT monitors.

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But in 2025, that logic is outdated — and an expensive oversight.

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The Modern Workplace Has Shrunk

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Processing tasks have been automated. Files have gone digital. CRT monitors have been replaced by sleek laptops. Cloud-based systems and AI have removed entire categories of spatial dependency.

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At the same time, the nature of work has changed.

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Today, employees no longer need one-to-one desk allocation for 40 hours per week.

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Work is now more collaborative, more dynamic, and often more dispersed. What employees need from the office isn’t size — it’s fit.

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Activity-Based Working = Smarter Space, Better Returns

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At CRUX, we’ve helped large banks, tech firms, media and professional services clients move from outdated environments to activity-based workplaces (ABW). These workplaces reflect how people work — and more importantly, what they’re working on.

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Instead of fixed desks or cubes for everyone, ABW environments provide zones aligned to tasks:

 

• Quiet areas for deep focus

• Open lounges for informal collaboration

• Smart rooms for hybrid meetings

• Shared desks for flexible attendance

 

This shift does more than improve employee experience — it creates real, measurable savings.

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The Financial Case for Reassessment

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In project after project, we see clients unlock significant cost savings by realigning their space strategy with actual need. Here’s what we’ve delivered:

 

• Identified 60% reduction in footprint for a national HQ

• Identified 40% reduction in footprint for a global HQ

• $13 million saved over the remaining lease term for a global HQ,

• $26 million in annual savings following a national portfolio review

• Up to 20% higher occupancy in redesigned ABW offices - getting the right people together

• General reduction in underutilized square footage through detailed space budgeting using the analytics from our workplace experience platform.

 

The Multiplier Effect

 

Accurately right-sizing your space is important on its own — but hybrid  or flexible working amplifies the opportunity.

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When office attendance is less than 5 days per week across the board, one-to-one space allocation becomes obsolete. With proper planning, flexible ABW offices can support the same workforce with 30–50% less real estate.

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In financial terms: fewer desks, lower lease liabilities, reduced energy usage, and less overhead. That’s money back to the bottom line. See how much you could save here.

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Your Next Step: Evidence Before Action

 

Before reducing space or renewing leases, you need data — not guesswork.

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Our approach uses the CRUX Workplace Experience Platform and Space Budgeting Tool to analyse employee work patterns, preferred settings, collaboration needs, and future growth. We then model precise, data-driven space requirements.

 

It’s strategic, not speculative.

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Conclusion: The Office Is a Business Asset — Optimize It

 

In this environment, real estate isn’t just a facilities concern. It’s a cost centre hiding in plain sight — and a key lever for margin improvement.

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The office of the future isn’t about design — it’s about performance.

 

That means knowing what you need, removing what you don’t, and enabling people to do their best work in the space that best supports them.

If your real estate strategy is still based on assumptions from the last century, it might be time for a recalibration.

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Let’s start with a conversation. Schedule a quick, no obligation discussion with one of our team

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