2025 Workplace Index reveals rise of digital workplace leader as over a third of businesses look to increase office attendance

Research released in Eptura’s 2025 Workplace Index, reveals that 34 per cent of businesses plan to increase office attendance, a trend which is prompting enterprises to enhance their use of AI and cross-platform data analytics to better manage workplace occupancy and ensure a balanced employee experience throughout the workweek. 

Now in its third year, the global worktech leader’s 2025 edition, based on a survey of 200 operational leaders and insights from 25 million global users, uncovers a critical paradox in technology: enterprises aren’t suffering from a lack of tools — they’re struggling with too many disconnected systems. In fact, two-thirds of companies are using anywhere from six to as many as 40 different solutions to manage workplace operations. 

Eptura Chief Executive Officer, Brandon Holden said: “Despite the abundance of workplace technology, many organisations are struggling to harness its full potential due to disconnected systems. Instead of driving efficiency, fragmented tech stacks create decision-making bottlenecks, making it harder to streamline workflows, analyse data effectively, and adapt to evolving business needs.” 

Among the key findings, enterprises highlighted their top operational challenges: 

• Disconnected tech is impeding informed business decisions: Respondents said the biggest barriers to analysing data are multiple dashboards and gathering meaningful insights across different systems, with 37 per cent of organisations using 11 or more full-time employees to collate, analyse, and report on worktech data. In addition, 50 per cent of businesses are using on average 17 standalone technologies to manage workplace operations. 
• Enterprises are struggling to realise the full value of AI: Over half of organisations report insufficient skill sets and cross-platform integration as the top obstacles to deploying AI. Most businesses’ use of AI is at an early stage, primarily deployed for chatbots, dashboards, and diagnostics. 
• Rising office attendance is exacerbating real estate portfolio challenges: 34 per cent of businesses are looking to increase the number of days in the office this year, and over the past three years, the volume of visitors per location has nearly doubled. This is placing more pressure on leaders to balance workplace experience with optimising space utilisation. 
• Difficulty demonstrating ROI is slowing technology integration: More than two-thirds of businesses cite budgetary constraints as the key restriction to integrating workplace, buildings, and facilities technologies. Their number one challenge in securing budget is a lack of perceived value in integrated solutions. 

Despite these barriers, Eptura’s research highlights a clear path forward: true digital transformation comes from a unified operational approach and integrated technology across the organisation. 

Takeaways to optimise workplace operations: 

• Increase efficiency by consolidating operational data: The three key opportunities for organisations seeking to increase value across business functions are levelling occupancy across the working week, optimising real estate portfolios, and increasing asset lifecycles.
• Prioritise AI to drive experiences: The top two areas businesses plan to implement AI in the next 12 months are to enhance employee experience (77 per cent of respondents) and automate visitor management (68 per cent). 
• Rise of the digital workplace leader: Organisations are turning to a new role to manage hybrid needs, with three-quarters having hired or in the process of hiring a digital workplace leader over the last 18 months. 
• Technology value increases as systems become more connected: Enterprises that progress from separate solutions to fewer vendors and integrated platforms will maximise — and be better able to demonstrate — value from their investments. 

Holden added: “This year’s findings serve as a critical wake-up call. By leveraging AI-driven analytics and cross-platform integration, organisations can enhance workplace efficiency, optimise their real estate usage, and extend asset lifecycles — ultimately driving better decisions.” 

Download a copy of the 2025 Workplace Index here.