Workspace strategy is constantly evolving.
The once-predictable routine of “five days in the office” has transformed into an ongoing experiment, with most of the attention focused on the plans of well-known companies.
But what about startups and scaleups?
Hubble surveyed over 125 leaders in London’s startup and scaleup scene to discover their thoughts on the future of work—including what’s working and what isn’t.
All our findings are compiled in The Workspace Satisfaction Survey 2025, a free downloadable report. But for now, here’s a snapshot of how senior leaders will navigate workspace strategy changes in 2025:
1) Only half of companies are sticking with their current setup
We found that over half of founders are sticking with their current workspace setup, reflecting healthy satisfaction levels. But what about the other half?
It’s interesting that the remaining founders are still undecided about changing things up—even three years after remote work became the norm.
For us at Hubble, this highlights a key point: the workplace puzzle is far from solved, and there’s plenty of room for experimentation.
Companies—whether you’re a startup or enterprise—can still enjoy the freedom of trying out different strategies to see what works best for them, and this can be empowering!
2) The majority of changes involve plans for more office attendance
Half of all companies are rethinking their workspace strategies in 2025, and many are leaning toward bringing people back to the office.
Among founders, 52% are aiming for a stronger in-office presence, while only 12% are indifferent to where their teams work.
So, could 2025 be the year of the office comeback? These numbers suggest it might be, as more leaders see the value of having their teams together under one roof.
3) Most fully office-based companies are sticking with their current strategy
Interestingly, 86% of fully office-based companies—where most work happens at a central HQ—aren’t planning any changes in 2025.
This is notable, as nearly 60% of respondents fear stricter office attendance could drive resignations.
Despite these risks, companies enforcing stricter office mandates seem to have mitigated them effectively (and are reaping the rewards!)
4) Meanwhile, the majority of remote companies are happy with having no HQ
70% of remote companies are sticking with their current workspace setup in 2025, and only 19% are thinking about increasing office attendance.
These numbers show just how much people value the flexibility of remote work, with leaders leaning into the benefits of choice and autonomy instead of imposing rigid mandates.
But remote work doesn’t always mean staying home. In fact, 74% of remote companies still give teams chances to meet in person, whether through company-wide socials (70%) or offsites (67%).
Plus, many remote leaders are making coworking memberships available, offering them for both solo work (52%) and team projects (52%).
5) Hybrid companies have a lot more to navigate
A whopping 72% of leaders described their workspace setup as ‘hybrid’, making it the most popular workspace strategy among London’s startups and scaleups.
But figuring out the perfect hybrid setup isn’t as simple as it sounds. There are so many ways to approach it, from a set-day strategy to a preference-based one, and it often takes some trial and error to find what works best.
There’s also the question of structure… How many office days make sense? How do you ensure you’re getting value out of them? And how strictly should they be enforced?
It’s no surprise, then, that 56% of hybrid companies are either tweaking their strategies for 2025 or still figuring out the best way forward. Within that group, 39% are considering increasing office attendance!
Download the Workspace Satisfaction Report 2025!
And there you have it! Five key ways London’s startup and scaleup leaders are approaching their workspace strategies for the year ahead.
But if you’d like even more analysis and data—from office mandates to work preferences—our report covers a lot of ground.
We asked leaders a bunch of questions on what’s working, what isn’t, and what lies ahead in their workspace strategies…and we unearthed some pretty interesting insights on the following topics:
- Hybrid, remote, or office-based — where are teams and leaders working?
- What are the honest pros and cons of each workspace strategy?
- Do leaders crave more office attendance among employees?
- How are leaders handling office mandates?
- What changes are leaders making in the next 12 months?
Grab your free copy below!
