Messy office with keyboard, mouse, papers, telephone, phones, pencil. Disorganized worker, people.


Many workers who are again filling offices now that fall has arrived are ringing the alarm bell for their employers: Not only are shared spaces ranging from desks to kitchens to bathrooms unacceptable, but their perceived lack of cleanliness prompts them to consider quitting. Findings from the Invisible Sun Fall 2026 Back-to-the-Office Index highlight how common areas often miss the mark for cleanliness.

The main findings from Invisible Sun's survey include:

• One in three office workers see dirty shared spaces as a problem.
• Nearly six out of 10 office workers (58.3 percent) say the office environment negatively impacts their desire to go to the office.
• Nearly half of office workers (48.3 percent) say that the office environment negatively impacts their perception of their employer.
• More than four in 10 office workers (40.7 percent) say the office environment prompts them to consider leaving their employer.

“The good news for employers is that more workers are back in the office now that school is back in session and fall has arrived,” says John Kunzier, CEO of Invisible Sun Technology, a leading provider of contactless proof-of-presence solutions for facility operations. “The bad news is many of them didn’t like what they saw when they returned.”

Building Owner's New Imperative

Fall marks a “back-to-business mindset” for many workers after summer vacations are over and school is back in session, resulting in one of the year’s busiest times for offices, according to The Hub, a Miami-based co-working space.

To support cleaning compliance in these environments, Invisible Sun launched the Invisible Sun Contactless FM Value Calculator. This innovation enables building owners and janitorial companies to input their current operational data—including labor costs, staffing levels, service schedules, and compliance rates—to calculate the potential savings they could achieve alongside proof-of-presence technology.

According to ISSA research, office buildings that earn top-quartile cleaning satisfaction rates can increase tenant retention by up to 25 percent. This data reaffirms the importance of commercial cleaning executives to show proof of clean. In fact, a CleanLink monthly poll found that 38 percent of industry professionals believe the industry has transitioned from "perception" of clean to "proof" of clean.

“Ensuring the office environment is clean is an increasingly critical business imperative for building owners because it reduces complaints from tenants,” Kunzier shares. “Keeping tenants happy is more important than ever for business owners as they battle to keep vacancy rates in check.

To read the full report, click here.