‘You Have to Earn the Commute,’ So How Do You Do That?

“You have to earn the commute.” That’s what CORTS’s Eli Attal said in a recent interview while describing the challenges facing today’s facility managers.

In a world where commuting is no longer mandatory for many knowledge workers, employees need a reason, beyond company policy, to come into the office. If they don’t have one, they simply won’t show up. The office must compete with the idea of staying home. It must be worth getting into a vehicle and making that drive. That means creating a space that feels right and functions well.

Facility managers are on the frontlines of solving that problem, tasked with making spaces feel functional, dynamic, and human, even as company policies ebb and flow.

The Office Isn’t Mandatory; It’s a Choice

The rise in popularity of hybrid work means that employees often have the choices they crave when it comes to where they do business. Many have the authority to decide whether their offices or their own homes are more comfortable and convenient for a day’s worth of productivity.

That means facility managers must create an office environment that’s inviting as well as shift their thinking about the workspace. Efficiency is no longer good enough. The whole office experience is far more important.

Facility managers must also realize that gone are the days of an office space with fixed assumptions and fixed furniture. With hybrid work, usage patterns can shift from day to day, and team needs evolve quickly. Remaining flexible is a must. 

The Best Office Upgrades Don’t Require a Renovation

That doesn’t mean you must gut your floor plan and start a complete renovation. Instead, you could:

• Swap standard desks for sit-to-stand models to support wellness.
• Convert unused cubicles into informal lounge zones or collaboration nooks.
• Reclaim an empty conference room as a yoga or quiet space.
• Add comfortable seating to areas near windows.  
• Provide more seating in open areas to create a more social atmosphere.

These are just a few of countless examples, but what these changes have in common is that they don’t typically require capital expense or construction — just the right furniture at the right time.

Partnering with CORT and leveraging our Furniture-as-a-Service (FaaS) model allows you to rent high-quality furniture and fixtures, enabling you to make changes and adapt as your company’s needs evolve. The pieces are there when you need them and gone when they no longer serve you. 

“We’ve had clients turn break rooms into recharge spaces, and old cubicles into café-style work lounges — all using rental furniture,” Attal says.  

The Office You Have Today Won’t Be the Office You Need Tomorrow

Employee preferences, team structures, and attendance patterns — all of this shifts over time. If your space and your furniture are static, it’s harder to adapt to these changes. You can’t remain stuck in last year’s layout and keep your employees happy and productive. You have to be ready to go with the flow and to transition smoothly with your team. 

Buying and owning furniture locks you into that space you created in the very beginning, but opting for rental furniture allows you to make changes within days if necessary. You can:

• Experiment with new layouts
• Test various setups for team zones: Quiet areas and shared spaces
• Revert or swap quickly if something isn’t working.

Facility managers don’t need to reinvent the office. They just need a new system that allows them to test, learn, and adapt quickly. 

Flexible Spaces Build Trust and Boost Engagement

An office created intentionally builds trust with your employees. When they see you shifting from mere function to comfort to meet their needs, they feel seen. This is precisely what keeps them coming back to the office again and again when they don’t always have to.

Adding ergonomic furniture signals to an employee that the company cares about their health. Creating soft seating zones implies that the company encourages and values comfort and collaboration. Reconfiguring space quickly and efficiently conveys to them that the company is listening and responding. 

By partnering with CORT and taking advantage of our FaaS model, your company also shows that you’re forward-thinking. For facility managers, it adds the gift of flexibility to their toolkit, enabling them to lead these changes seamlessly. 

Make the Office Worth It

You can’t control the commute, but you can earn it. You don’t need a complete redesign or an endless budget to make the space more engaging. With the right system, like CORT furniture solutions, you can respond to what people need now and adjust as those needs change.

The future of work isn’t static. Your furniture shouldn’t be either.

Hear more insights from Eli Attal, CORT Business Development Executive here:  

If you’re ready to test what works and remove what doesn’t, partner with CORT and get the flexibility to evolve your space, your way.