Spaceful Global Workplace Strategy Director, Tica Masuku, shares a personal reflection on why experience holds more weight than data in workplace management—and how understanding employees’ feelings about their workplace can drive efficiency and engagement.
As a workplace strategist and human geographer at Spaceful, I’ve always been more fascinated by how people experience spaces differently than what the numbers might tell us. Recently, I came across a quote that perfectly encapsulates this phenomenon.
“Their perception is our reality”—a simple yet profound statement from Will Guidara’s book Unreasonable Hospitality. Guidara, the former co-owner of Eleven Madison Park (once named the world’s best restaurant), shares how exceptional hospitality goes beyond meeting expectations to creating memorable experiences. His philosophy centres on understanding that how customers perceive their experience defines the actual reality of your service.
While Guidara applies this principle to restaurants, I immediately recognised its application to real estate and facility management.
The data vs. perception gap
In our world of workplace strategy and place management, we constantly face a curious disconnect. Knowledge workers often report:
- “Meeting rooms are always fully booked.”
- “I can never find an available desk when I need one.”
- “The office is completely packed today.”
Yet, when we examine the hard data, we often discover a different story. Meeting rooms might actually sit empty 40% of the time. Desk booking systems might show 15% of desks still available. Occupancy sensors might indicate the office is only at 75% capacity.
So, who’s right? The data or the people?
Why perception matters even more than numbers
Many space planners and facility managers are naturally data-driven. Valuing metrics, analytics, and evidence-based decision-making. There’s comfort in the objectivity of numbers.
But here’s the critical insight: When it comes to workplace experience, perception doesn’t just matter—it’s everything.
If employees perceive a shortage of meeting spaces, they experience real stress scheduling team collaborations. If they believe desks are impossible to find, they feel genuine frustration about coming to the office. If they perceive the space as overcrowded, they experience actual discomfort in the environment.
These experiences shape their decisions, behaviours, and ultimately, their productivity and satisfaction—regardless of what our dashboards say.
Bridging the gap
This presents a particular challenge for data-oriented real estate professionals. How do we reconcile our commitment to metrics with the seemingly contradictory perceptions of our users?
The answer isn’t choosing one over the other, but rather understanding both in context:
- Quantitative data tells us what is happening in our spaces
- Qualitative insights tell us how people are experiencing our spaces
Both are essential pieces of the workplace puzzle. When users perceive a problem that data doesn’t support, we can’t simply dismiss their concerns by pointing to statistics. Their perception is shaping their reality—and, by extension, ours as workplace providers.
The way forward
As workplace strategists and facility managers, we need to:
- Acknowledge the legitimacy of user perceptions even when they contradict our data.
- Investigate the root causes of perception gaps (is it timing, location, or communication?).
- Implement solutions that address both actual usage patterns and perceived experiences.
- Continuously gather both quantitative and qualitative feedback.
Sometimes, the solution might be operational—adjusting booking systems or space allocations. Other times, it might be about improving visibility, communication, or expectation-setting around available resources.
The workplace exists to serve its users. If we truly want to create effective and productive environments, we must understand that their perception is, indeed, our reality—and design our approach accordingly.
