Workplace performance isn’t driven by attendance policies or perks — it’s driven by experience. In a recent ArtLifting webinar, Bryan Berthold of Cushman & Wakefield shared insights from more than 237,000 employees, revealing how organizations prioritizing well-being, flexibility, and workplace experience are outperforming.

• Only 42% of employees report high well-being — yet employees with high well-being are 3.1x more likely to say they’re doing their best work
• Return-to-office mandates without meaningful experience improvements are creating friction, not improving performance
• Employees come to the office for connection, collaboration, and learning — but many workplaces are still designed primarily for individual desk work
• Art is a low lift, high impact catalyst, with measurable effects on stress, creativity, and connection

The question behind most workplace strategies today is simple: why aren’t people coming back to the office?

But as this conversation revealed, that may be the wrong question entirely.

In a recent ArtLifting webinar, Bryan Berthold, Global Lead of Workplace Experience at Cushman & Wakefield, unpacked how hybrid work, AI, and shifting employee expectations are reshaping workplace strategy.

As the architect of Cushman & Wakefield’s Experience per Square Foot™ framework, his perspective is grounded in one of the most comprehensive workplace datasets available today.

The data reveals a growing disconnect: employees are making more intentional decisions about where and how they work, while many organizations still operate under outdated workplace assumptions.

That disconnect is creating friction — and it’s showing up in employee experience, engagement, and well-being data.

One of the most important signals in Bryan’s research is the growing gap between performance and well-being.

Today, only 42% of employees report high well-being.

At the same time, employees increasingly expect the office to support their well-being — but many feel that expectation is not being met.

But the data also points to a major opportunity: employees with high well-being are 3.1x more likely to say they’re doing their best work.

The organizations seeing stronger performance outcomes are the ones treating workplace experience as a business strategy — not just a facilities decision.

Much of today’s workplace tension comes down to a mismatch between policy and behavior.

Employees are increasingly choosing where to work based on purpose — coming into the office to collaborate, build relationships, learn, and connect with culture.

But many organizations remain focused on attendance rather than experience.

Bryan shared that mandates and required office time have increased, yet actual attendance has shifted very little. The issue isn’t simply policy enforcement — it’s whether workplaces give employees a compelling reason to be there.

Gen Z employees, in particular, are seeking more in-person connection, mentorship, and learning opportunities — but many workplaces are still missing the mark.

Only about 64% of employees feel their workplace supports its intended purpose, highlighting a broader disconnect between what employees need from the office and what many environments currently provide.

Bryan’s research identified several workplace drivers that consistently influence employee experience and performance.

The strongest drivers include:

• Workplaces that reflect company culture
• Spaces for focused work
• Environments that feel energized and active
• Reduced noise and distraction
  

These aren’t trend-driven perks. They are everyday conditions that shape how people feel, connect, and perform at work.

Many of the strongest workplace drivers identified in Bryan’s research — culture, connection, and belonging — are shaped not just by policy, but by the environments employees experience every day.

This is where intentional workplace design — including meaningful, story-driven artwork — can help organizations create environments that foster connection, reinforce culture, and improve how employees experience the workplace.

Bryan described a growing shift toward experience-based workplace design — creating environments that better support how employees actually work, connect, and collaborate throughout the day rather than focusing solely on attendance or organizational structure.

Organizations investing in these experiences are seeing stronger engagement, culture, and performance outcomes.

As the conversation shifted from strategy to environment, a critical question emerged: what actually shapes how people feel in a space?

ArtLifting’s Christina Bailey explored how art plays a unique role in workplace experience — and why it should be considered part of the strategy, not just the finish.

Most workplaces already have art — but not all art creates impact.

Generic office art may improve aesthetics, but meaningful artwork creates emotional connection — helping workplaces feel more human, memorable, and culturally reflective.

ArtLifting artwork goes a step further through art with a story. Every artwork includes a plaque detailing the artist’s story, celebrating their remarkable talents and lived experiences. These stories create moments of curiosity, reflection, and connection — transforming artwork from decoration into a meaningful part of the workplace experience.

Research shows that art can have measurable impacts on how people feel and function at work:

• Reduces stress and cortisol levels
• Boosts creativity and openness to new ideas
• Decreases feelings of loneliness
• Increases social connection and engagement
  

This makes art one of the few workplace investments with both biological and emotional impact. As Christina put it, “art is a low lift, high impact catalyst” — a way to meaningfully improve experience without requiring large-scale change.

Christina also discussed the role of placemaking and belonging. When employees see themselves reflected in a space, they are more likely to feel a sense of belonging, spend time in the environment, and recommend it to others.

For organizations navigating return-to-office challenges, creating emotionally engaging environments is becoming an increasingly important part of workplace strategy.

The workplace isn’t failing because people don’t want to be there.

Too often, it’s failing because the experience hasn’t evolved alongside employee expectations.

Organizations that invest in more human-centered workplaces are seeing measurable gains in engagement, culture, and performance.

Thoughtful workplace design — including meaningful, story-driven art — can help organizations create workplaces employees feel connected to, supported by, and motivated to return to.

This recap highlights just a portion of the insights shared during the webinar.

Watch the full webinar to explore the data, examples, and strategies shaping the future of workplace experience.

If your organization is rethinking how to create workplaces people actually want to return to, ArtLifting can help. Through meaningful artwork and artist storytelling, we help organizations create environments that foster connection, belonging, and well-being — while supporting business goals around engagement and experience.