As the professional world collectively navigates the return to office movement, there’s a hard truth being revealed:
Most companies struggle to create an office environment that people actually want to work in.
It’s no surprise. For most businesses, this isn’t their core competency—it’s another thing they need to figure out.
Here’s where it gets challenging, though.
Turning an empty shell into a workplace that drives engagement takes strategy, systems, and infrastructure. The learning curve is steep.
At iQ Offices, we’ve spent over a decade solving a problem most companies weren’t built to handle.
This article is a look under the hood. Because when you strip away the polished surfaces, here’s what it actually takes to build a workspace that works.
Great office environments aren’t built by a formula
Our on-the-ground teams in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, and Ottawa recently shared what’s really bringing people back to the office.
The answer?
It varies by market, but in every case, it comes down to thoughtful execution.
Nearly half of Canadians say their current workplace doesn’t meet their needs—47%, according to our national survey.
And when the office doesn’t support performance, people opt out.
You can’t force workplace engagement with surface-level perks or one-size-fits-all solutions.
What drives someone into the office in Montreal might look different than what works in Vancouver.
Every seamless moment—from a tech issue resolved in minutes to an energizing, people-first atmosphere—is backed by structure.
At iQ Offices, for example, this structure includes:
- Training programs delivered through Rise
- Consistent SOPs
- Curated onboarding
- Internal feedback loops that keep every location evolving
What looks easy from the outside is actually the product of years of operational refinement.
And the further you zoom in, the clearer it gets: great office experiences aren’t built from trends.
They’re built from processes, systems, and the ability to flex with what people actually need.
Workplace design should prioritize people, not just aesthetics
According to our survey, professionals overwhelmingly say that having the right environment to do their best work is a key motivator to return—92%, according to our national survey.
That’s why we think of design a little bit differently.
We don’t design for show. We design for flow, focus, and function.
That starts with understanding how professionals actually use space. Our layouts support privacy, movement, and casual interaction.
We obsess over things as granular as:
- Where your eye lands when you walk in
- How far you need to go to grab a coffee or join a meeting
- Whether there’s a quiet corner available when you need it
- The balance between soft and hard seating and open and closed areas
Design isn’t just about what looks good. It’s about what makes people feel good—calm, capable, and in control of their workday.
Consistent experiences should be balanced by local execution
Every iQ Offices location reflects its context. We don’t copy and paste spaces—we design around cities, buildings, and communities.
But while each space feels distinct, every one of them shares the same underlying foundation: strong hospitality, structured operations, shared expectations, and high-performing teams trained the same way.
This is what makes our model scalable without being generic. It’s how we stay flexible without losing our edge.
Engagement should be designed into the everyday experience
Workplace engagement isn’t something that happens after the fact. It’s the outcome of every decision we make.
Our national survey data shows what people want from their workspace:
- Environments that help them do their best work
- Options that suit their personal workstyle
- A culture of connection, not coercion
- Access to spaces that adapt to their feedback
That’s why we build diversity into our spaces: soft seating, private offices, dedicated desks, coworking lounges, meeting rooms, and phone booths—and why we make sure our staff are trained to evolve those spaces over time based on what members actually need.
Behind-the-scenes infrastructure helps make it all possible
According to our survey, 34% of Canadian professionals say their workplace hasn’t created an encouraging or enjoyable environment.
The difference often comes down to the invisible elements—the behind-the-scenes infrastructure that makes the day feel smooth instead of strained.
When something just works—whether it’s fast internet support or a perfectly prepped meeting room—it’s rarely an accident.
At iQ Offices, we’ve built infrastructure to deliver these moments reliably. That means:
- Hiring with intention
- Training with purpose
- Embedding hospitality into daily workflows
- Giving our team members the tools and autonomy to solve problems before they become visible
Great office experiences should feel intuitive. But they never come together by luck.
And for those looking in from the outside, it’s easy to underestimate just how much is happening beneath the surface.
The challenge with DIY offices for most organizations
Sometimes, our members reach a size or stage where they wonder: could we build our own version of this?
It’s a fair question. And we’ll always support growth. But we also believe in showing what that really takes:
- Hiring, training, and retaining an in-house team
- Creating SOPs for every process, not just the visible ones
- Managing tech infrastructure, vendors, and contracts
- Building space that works for multiple workstyles at once
- Maintaining consistency without central oversight
It’s possible, but it’s complex, ongoing, and resource-intensive.
We’ve spent over 13 years building the iQ Offices playbook—and we’re still improving it.
You could build your own version.
But the question becomes: do you want to build the machine, or do you want to benefit from how it runs?
In other words: is this your core competency?
Because if it’s not, you’ll end up spending internal resources, time, and energy on something that distracts from your actual business goals.
Want the Outcome, Not the Overhead?
At iQ Offices, we’re transparent about how our spaces work. And we’re happy to share the strategies behind them.
But in most cases, people don’t want to run the playbook. They want the benefit of what it produces: performance-ready spaces, responsive service, and teams that actually enjoy coming in.If you want to experience that for yourself, book a tour of your nearest iQ Offices location. We’ll show you what the playbook looks like in practice—and why it works.
