Welcome to the fourth edition of Savills' What Workers Want (WWW) survey. The three previous surveys were undertaken in 2008, 2013 and 2016. This survey covers 14 UK cities and 11 European countries, and there are over 200,000 data points. This report will review and analyse the results from the UK respondents and identify key trends for landlords and office-based occupiers across all business sectors.

The office sector has transformed dramatically in the last two years. The preconception that landlords are a distant rent collector has changed, and a far more active and engaging landlord is required from tenants. This has resulted in new opportunities for landlords; these range from physical or building-related issues such as the design and layout of a building; the ability to create a community within an office; and the opportunity/need to offer different leasing agreements.

It is imperative that landlords understand the need of their customers who are tenants and their staff. Occupiers are demanding more from their office space, and landlords are responding to this requirement. Real estate is being recognised as a recruitment and productivity tool by occupiers. Human Resources employees and advisors are becoming more involved and heavily influential in the procurement of office space for corporate occupiers after the location and specification of an office building have been critically assessed. All these variables can affect the productivity of the workforce and help attract and retain staff.

Evidence suggests that occupiers are prepared to pay premium rents if they believe that the office building is in a location that caters for the needs of their staff and the specification enables their productivity to increase. According to the British Council for Offices' (BCO) 2016 report on business costs, property costs are a relatively small proportion of an occupier's fixed costs; it is estimated that they are only 15%. Staff costs are the largest cost (55%), and they remain the highest component in a business. Hence why Savills ask office workers and not just the corporate key property decision-makers.

Office trends are increasingly driven by the employee rather than the occupier. It is important that occupiers understand their employees' needs when they relocate or open a new office. This is particularly important during the fit-out process when moving into a new office. It has become clear from this survey and the previous WWW surveys that employees feel happier in the office when they have had an influence or been consulted during the fit-out process.

Overall, younger staff are less loyal when compared to previous generations. Aside from a higher total remuneration, modern-day employees place high importance on the workplace culture, which is heavily linked to the real estate. Therefore, occupiers can use this survey as an informative guide on how they can best adapt their office space in order to attract and retain staff.

_{Read the articles within Savills What Works Want Survey below.}