Corporate real estate (CRE) has reached a turning point. After years of reactive portfolio right-sizing, CRE leaders globally are now focused on reimagining their workplaces and boosting space utilization to support their companies’ heavy investments in artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. Strategic transformation and stronger business-CRE integration essential. Organizations across a wide range of industries will need to identify the right strategies for managing and enhancing their workplaces, while staying flexible and adaptable at a time of continuous flux.
As the CRE industry faces accelerating technological change, CRE teams continue to focus on cost and portfolio efficiency. According to JLL research, 72% prioritize reducing operating costs, 51% are focused on optimizing space utilization and 50% are focused on organizational efficiency. Sustainability, the employee experience and supporting business growth are also key agenda items for CRE teams. Navigating these competing priorities requires proactive change management and alignment of the real estate footprint with corporate strategy.
Moving forward, CRE teams must do more than simply react to change—they need to seize the reins with a smart future-proofing strategy. Here’s what CRE leaders can do to succeed in 2026.
1. Build an elastic portfolio.
AI adoption is creating significant uncertainty about future workforce needs. Nonetheless, 43% of corporate leaders globally expect headcounts to rise and 33% anticipate boosting their real estate footprints over the next several years, according to JLL research.
While cost reduction and portfolio optimization top the list of CRE priorities, continuing business uncertainty demands “elastic” CRE portfolios that can be rapidly scaled, reconfigured and optimized to meet changing organizational goals.
In the life sciences sector, for example, many organizations face uncertain futures. AI-driven research capabilities and programmable biology are making R&D processes more efficient, while investors are demanding capital efficiency. The tight funding environment is forcing companies to optimize their budgets and make do with less space. Flexibility is key when commercialization timelines are unpredictable.
To support flexibility, organizations must transition from fixed, long-term lease commitments to agile portfolios that incorporate core headquarters, satellite hubs and on-demand flex spaces. Today’s enterprise-grade flexible space solutions can be quickly adjusted for fast operational pivots in response to market and workforce changes.
The elastic portfolio model allows for capacity changes without long-term commitments, giving an organization more physical and operational flexibility in a fast-evolving market. CRE teams should adopt monthly scenario planning that includes pulling in utilization data, space-booking patterns and business variables. This strategy supports better space utilization, growth and cost savings, while enhancing the employee experience.
Image Courtesy of JLL
2. Provide an appealing workplace that fosters health and wellbeing.
JLL global research reveals that, despite the growing acceptance of in-office mandates, 38% of employees say office experiences must improve to meet expectations of flexibility and wellbeing. Given the pivotal role of the workplace in attracting and retaining talent, CRE leaders need to create a work environment that meets evolving employee demands.
Today’s employees want a workplace that offers natural light, acoustic comfort, modern social spaces and healthy food services. In the tech sector, for example CRE teams should ensure that offices provide consistent high-quality services for long hours to accommodate hard-charging employees. In financial services, major firms are expanding amenity hubs to provide an experience that cannot be replicated remotely.
With just over half of organizations now requiring employees to work a minimum of three or four days in the office, location has also become a vital factor in making offices “commute-worthy.” Globally, 67% of employees say they want their workplace to be located in a vibrant neighborhood with different options for dining and socializing, according to JLL data. Neighborhoods that provide broader amenities outside the office walls are a drawcard for CRE leaders looking to improve the appeal of a workplace.
Whether in banking, manufacturing, technology or other industries competing for talent, a healthy and appealing work environment in a desirable location can benefit employee satisfaction and CRE optimization. CRE teams can learn from the hospitality and retail sectors to build experience-centric workplaces that provide opportunities for personalization and convenience for work scheduling, workspace type and amenity access. Investing in thoughtful workplace design while focusing on employee well-being and flexibility can help organizations build a stable and reliable workforce.
3. Embed AI in the workplace to drive performance.
Exploration of AI tools has surged in CRE as organizations seek greater operational efficiency and cost savings. While most AI pilots are still in the experimental phase, several AI-driven technologies have surpassed an 80% adoption rate within CRE teams, including tools for predictive management maintenance, energy emissions management and data warehousing for CRE data, according to JLL research. For CRE leaders, investing in AI tools can provide a competitive edge.
Organizations are inundated with data from sources such as Wi-Fi analytics, sensor networks and access control and booking systems. Integrating these fragmented data streams is arguably the top use case for AI in CRE. In the financial services sector, for instance, portfolio optimization has emerged as the leading CRE application for AI, with 81% of adopters piloting advanced data analytics to inform location strategy and space allocation.
The workplace offers various opportunities to test AI’s potential. AI-powered tools can analyze vast amounts of data to provide organizations with empirical insights into how people are using an office, from employee preferences to traffic flows. AI tools can also help landlords and occupiers achieve operational resilience as labor shortages impact facilities and property management. Employees say they want on-site concierges to support in-office attendance, and AI assistants can potentially meet this need, improving workplace management.
Whatever the use case, AI initiatives rely on a strong data architecture to realize their full potential. CRE teams need to break down information silos and develop a clear and targeted data strategy, including rethinking how CRE partners with IT, HR, finance and core business functions to share data and leverage their joint expertise. By defining meaningful metrics and focusing on proven use cases, organizations can derive the maximum value from their AI investment.
A New Era for the Workplace
These actions – shifting to elastic portfolios, enhancing workplaces and adopting AI – are interconnected elements of a larger transformation in how CRE teams can think about the workplace. High-quality, integrated data is the common foundation for applying these actions across the entire portfolio and unlocking value for the business. By mastering the link between agility, AI capabilities and the employee experience, CRE teams will be able not only to cut costs, but ultimately to transform the organization’s real estate footprint into a competitive advantage.
