The Workplace Experience Starts with the Journey into the Office

For many organisations, significant investment has been made in creating better workplaces. Offices are being redesigned to encourage collaboration, support wellbeing, and provide employees with reasons to come together in person.

Yet one of the most important parts of the workplace experience often begins long before an employee walks through the office door.

It starts with the journey.

The Hidden Part of the Employee Experience

Historically, office location decisions have often been influenced by factors such as rent, availability, prestige, and proximity to major transport hubs. If an office was close to a train station or well connected to public transport, it was generally assumed to be accessible.

However, accessibility and convenience are not the same thing.

An employee's experience of travelling to work is shaped by far more than the distance between an office and the nearest station. Multiple transport changes, overcrowded services, unreliable connections, long walking distances, parking challenges, and inconsistent journey times can all contribute to a stressful commute.

For employees, the workday often begins the moment they leave home.

A difficult journey can leave people arriving at the office tired, frustrated, and less engaged before their working day has even started. Conversely, a straightforward and predictable journey can make the office feel significantly more accessible and attractive.

Why Commutes Matter More Than Ever

The pandemic fundamentally changed the relationship many people have with work.

Millions of employees experienced the benefits of reduced commuting, greater flexibility, and more control over their daily schedules. As organisations have encouraged teams back into the office, employees have become increasingly conscious of the value of their time and the impact that commuting has on their quality of life.

Today, employees often weigh the benefits of coming into the office against the convenience of working remotely.

This means that the commute itself has become a critical part of the overall workplace proposition.

A workplace may offer excellent facilities, modern meeting spaces, and vibrant collaboration areas, but if the journey is difficult, lengthy, or unpredictable, employees may be less enthusiastic about making the trip.

As a result, organisations are increasingly recognising that workplace experience does not begin at reception—it begins at the front door of an employee's home.

The Myth of the "Station Nearby"

One of the most common misconceptions in office location strategy is that being close to a major station automatically means an office is accessible.

In reality, two offices located just a few miles apart can deliver dramatically different commuting experiences for the same workforce.

An office may sit directly above a major transport hub, yet require lengthy, complex journeys for the majority of employees travelling from suburban locations. Another office located slightly further away may offer faster, simpler, and more direct journeys for a larger proportion of the workforce.

The difference can be significant.

What appears highly accessible on a map may create longer travel times, more transport interchanges, and greater travel stress in practice.

The only way to truly understand accessibility is to analyse journeys from where employees actually live.

Accessibility Through the Employee Lens

Modern workplace decisions increasingly require organisations to think beyond traditional location metrics.

Rather than asking:

"How close is the office to a station?"

The more valuable question may be:

"How easy is it for our employees to get there?"

This employee-centric approach provides a much clearer picture of workplace accessibility.

By understanding actual travel times across different modes of transport and at different times of day, organisations can identify locations that improve accessibility for the greatest number of employees.

The result is often surprising.

Locations that appear less central can sometimes offer substantially better accessibility than more obvious alternatives.

Supporting Attendance, Engagement and Retention

A better commute does not simply reduce travel time.

It can improve employee satisfaction, increase willingness to attend the office, reduce travel-related stress, and strengthen overall engagement.

When employees feel that an organisation has considered the practical realities of their daily journey, it sends a powerful message about workplace culture and employee wellbeing.

In an increasingly competitive labour market, these factors matter.

Organisations seeking to attract and retain talent are paying greater attention to every aspect of the employee experience—including the journey to work.

Looking Beyond Location

The future of workplace strategy is not simply about choosing the most prestigious address or the closest building to a transport hub.

It is about understanding how a location works for the people who use it every day.

As hybrid working continues to evolve, organisations face a simple challenge: creating workplaces that employees genuinely want to visit.

The quality of the office environment remains important, but so does the experience of getting there.

Because for today's workforce, the workplace experience starts long before they arrive at their desk.

It starts with the journey into the office.