Contact us
Discover our enterprise solutions that best suit your needs
Take a look at some of our recent articles and insights.
In today’s skills-first economy, hiring is no longer just about who’s available; it’s about who’s visible. But even visibility needs the right environment. This article continues our three-part exploration into how a skills-first approach is reshaping workforce strategy focusing now on the environments that accelerate learning and make potential visible. After years of debating where work happens, the conversation is shifting again. But this time, it’s not about mandates or bringing people back — it’s about why they come back. Because when used intentionally, the office becomes more than a place of work; it becomes a driver of learning, collaboration, and growth.
According to our research, visibility alone isn’t enough. What matters is proximity and what it enables. Nearly two-thirds of employers (64%) say in-person interaction leads to stronger working relationships, which in turn unlock faster decision-making and better team cohesion. Over half (58%) highlight the ease of collaboration that comes from being physically together, and 41% point to the way learning from colleagues happens more naturally in shared spaces.
In short, it’s less about presence and more about velocity.
In-person work is evolving. It’s no longer about time spent in a location; it’s about time spent learning, collaborating, and gaining momentum.
The workplace, when used with intent, becomes a skills accelerator. It’s where soft skills are easier to observe and follow. Where mentoring moments aren’t scheduled, but spontaneous. And where development happens through experience, not just design.
But that potential only surfaces when presence has purpose. Leaders can’t mandate engagement; they have to enable it. The companies seeing real benefits from hybrid or in-office models are those building environments that offer value in return.
It’s not about freedom from the office — it’s about creating a space where people grow faster because they’re there. That’s when the workplace stops being a cost and starts being a catalyst.
Olly Harris, Global Managing Director, Strategic Clients & Page Outsourcing
As hybrid becomes the norm, environmental design becomes strategic. Offices that prioritise visibility, learning, and collaboration don’t just attract talent — they help it grow. It’s a mindset shift that reframes the role of the workplace: from static overhead to dynamic capability engine. Of course, even the best environments can’t fix broken processes. That’s why the final piece in this series explores how outdated hiring models slow down progress and how a skills-first approach can help organisations hire faster, smarter, and more fairly.
Get in touch with our global experts or explore insights from over 600 workforce leaders in our full global survey.
Explore The Process Shift and The Mindset Shift to see how leading organisations are strategically rethinking talent management from every perspective.
