For years, the standard criticism of flexible offices was that they were a stopgap: a place for start-ups to camp out until they grew up, and for corporates to park overflow teams until a “real” lease came along. The latest data suggests that story has run its course.
According to the sixth annual Flexmark report from Workthere, the flexible office arm of property consultancy Savills, global flex office occupancy reached a record 85% in 2026, up from 81% a year earlier. The survey, based on responses from 199 operators in 39 countries, also found that three in four operators plan to expand over the next twelve months.
The headline number is impressive. But the most interesting finding is hidden a little deeper: people in flex spaces now come into the office more often than people in traditional offices do.
San Francisco at 97%: where flex space is running out
Occupancy isn’t just high on average; it’s high almost everywhere. Some 86% of operators surveyed run at 80% occupancy or above, and more than one in five are at 90% or higher.
The city league table reads like a map of global business demand. San Francisco tops the list at 97%, up from 90% last year, driven by artificial intelligence and technology companies. Madrid follows at 91%, with London and New York at 90%, Singapore at 89% and Hong Kong at 88%. Workthere expects occupancy to climb further in 2027.
It’s worth putting that 85% in context. In flexible workspace, an operator running at 100% is rarely a good sign, because members grow, teams shift and new clients need somewhere to land. Many operators treat the high 80s as effectively full. In other words, in many of the world’s key business cities, finding the right-sized private office at short notice is becoming genuinely difficult.
3.8 days a week: why flex beats the corporate HQ on attendance
Here’s the statistic that should make every workplace strategist pause. Flex office members now attend an average of 3.8 days a week, up from around three days in 2022. That is slightly higher than the 3.6-day average for traditional offices. And 22% of flex members now come in five days a week, compared with 16% four years ago.
Why would people in a coworking space or managed office show up more than employees with a dedicated corporate HQ? A few explanations stand out.
First, flex space is chosen, not inherited. Companies that move into flexible offices usually pick a location, size and setup that fits how their team actually works today, rather than living with a floorplan designed a decade ago.
Second, flex operators are in the hospitality business. Their revenue depends on members wanting to be there, so service, community and design get constant attention. That contrasts sharply with the return-to-office battles playing out elsewhere: this same week, NatWest faced union backlash over a two-day office mandate, with workers pointing to the cost of coming in.
The lesson is simple. Mandates can fill an office for a while; a space people genuinely want to use fills it for longer.
Big companies are moving in, and staying put
The report also confirms that flex has moved firmly into the mainstream of corporate real estate. Corporate clients now stay an average of 3.9 years, compared with 2.6 years for start-ups and SMEs and 3.2 years for scale-ups. Requirements are getting bigger too: almost a quarter of multinationals are looking for more than 200 desks.
Nearly four years is no longer “short-term”. For many corporates, flexible offices have become a permanent layer of the portfolio, offering speed and agility without the capital outlay and commitment of a traditional ten-year lease.
Operators are adjusting how they grow to meet that demand. Half now prefer management agreements with landlords as their main expansion route, and the share growing by buying property has jumped from 2% in 2023 to 14% today, a shift we’ve followed closely in recent months.
Parking spaces are in, on-site gyms are out
On amenities, practicality wins. Meeting rooms remain the most requested feature, followed by phone booths and collaboration space. Demand for car parking rose 14% year on year and day passes are more popular, while interest in on-site gyms has fallen as members increasingly use nearby external facilities.
Looking ahead, 70% of operators expect a further shift toward lifestyle- and design-led space, and 67% expect artificial intelligence to play a bigger role in running buildings, managing space and serving members, though cybersecurity is flagged as a growing concern.
Tighter space, longer contracts, higher stakes
For companies looking for space: availability is tightening, especially in major cities. Start your search earlier than you think you need to, and consider whether a slightly longer commitment could secure better pricing and the location you actually want. Secondary districts or nearby cities may offer more choice.
For operators: high occupancy brings pricing power, but also responsibility. With corporate members staying longer, retention, service levels and smart capacity planning matter more than ever. Invest in the essentials members use every day, such as meeting rooms, quiet call space and good connectivity, before the eye-catching extras.
For workplace leaders: if your own office struggles to attract people, the flex sector offers a useful lesson. Design for the way people work, add genuine hospitality, and attendance tends to follow.
The “temporary” office is here to stay
Record occupancy, longer stays and higher attendance all point in the same direction: flexible workspace is no longer the alternative to the “real” office. For a growing number of businesses, it is the real office.
