Purpose University campuses are complex workplaces where academic and administrative staff experience institutional culture daily. Despite the expansion of sustainability agendas, empirical evidence on how workplace conditions managed through corporate real estate (CRE) and facility management (FM) functions contribute to social sustainability remains limited. This study aims to prioritise workplace experience factors that advance social sustainability and develops a CRE/FM-oriented decision framework for strategic action. Design/methodology/approach A mixed-method design was used. A structured literature review identified criteria for physical, institutional and social workplace experiences related to employee well-being and social sustainability. Based on this framework, an AHP (the analytic hierarchy process) model was developed and applied using pairwise comparison data from 87 academic and administrative staff members at a university campus in Turkiye. Aggregated weights were calculated, and demographic segmentation analyses examined variations by position, age and experience. Findings Social factors are the most influential dimension of workplace experience (41%), exceeding physical (38%) and institutional (20%) factors. Non-discrimination ranked highest, followed by occupational health and safety, and accessibility and comfort of work areas. Environmental sustainability received the lowest priority, revealing a gap between institutional narratives and employees’ lived experiences. Demographic differences highlight the need for differentiated FM strategies. The framework translates social sustainability into actionable FM service and investment priorities. Originality/value This study presents one of the first AHP-based frameworks that integrates corporate real estate, facility management, workplace experience and social sustainability in higher education. By translating social sustainability into prioritised, actionable facility-related criteria, it offers a transferable tool for evidence-based campus planning, inclusive workplace governance and strategic CRE/FM decision-making.
Güneş et al. (Tue,) studied this question.