Reporting a feature for Deel Works, Deel's publication for HR and people leaders, on whether office investment actually delivers what its business case promises. The context: CBRE's benchmarking across 303 million square feet shows amenity space grew 120% since 2021, the fastest-growing category, while individual workspace fell from 56% of composition to 35%. Fit-out costs run $149 per square foot by Cushman & Wakefield's Americas measure and $295 for a medium-quality US and Canada build by JLL's. Meanwhile CBRE's own survey finds inconvenient location limits attendance for 62% of respondents, ahead of lack of amenities at 53%, and states that no amount of workplace investment offsets a difficult commute. I want to hear from people who have spent this money and made these tradeoffs. Not looking for: architects or design firms pitching their work, furniture and fit-out vendors, or general commentary on what makes a good workplace. The project What did you build or renovate, and what did it cost? Per square foot or total, whichever you can share. What was the business case on paper? What did it promise, and to whom? What got cut when the budget tightened, and who decided? What did you build that nobody used? I'm particularly interested in the amenity that seemed obvious and turned out to be empty. The location problem Have you faced the commute constraint directly? Did you consider relocating, opening satellite space, or subsidizing commuting? What did that math look like, and what did you decide? If you've compared attendance across sites, does location explain more of the variance than building quality? Governance Who owns this decision at your company? Who brings the business case, who can veto it, and what dollar threshold sends it to the board? Is HR in the room, or does HR receive the decision? Be candid. What metrics does the business case actually contain? If it's utilization and satisfaction scores, say so. Has anyone ever asked you to prove the investment worked? What did you show them? Please include your name, job title, company, company size, industry, and the size of the portfolio or project. I quote sources by name and title and link your LinkedIn and company site. Partial anonymity is available for cost figures.