If you want to attract and retain brilliant people, start by rethinking where they work.
Before Covid, you could just about get away with a tired office and a rigid five-day policy. Not anymore.
Today, the landscape has shifted - especially in London. Young talent is increasingly priced out of zones 1-3, while more experienced candidates have traded central convenience for space, schools and sanity. If you’re hiring in London, it’s time to face the music: hybrid is no longer a perk. It’s the baseline.
And if you want people to commute in, the office has to earn it.
That doesn’t mean a barista or a beer tap. It means natural light, clean air, thoughtful design and a convenient location.
In short: make the office magnetic.
If it adds value to the day, people will come. If it doesn’t, they’ll stay home - or worse, take their talent somewhere else.
If you’re a CEO insisting on five days in the office, there’s no doubt that recruitment will be negatively affected. Candidates will simply scroll past your job ad, especially if your competitors are offering greater flexibility, smarter space, and a healthier way to work.
Here’s how to stay ahead:
1. Don’t rent for a full-time team if you’re running a hybrid one. If you’ve got 30 people but only 18 in at any given time, why pay for 30 desks? That’s budget you could reinvest into better space or back into the business.
2. Leases are out. ‘Flex’ is in. Long leases don’t reflect how modern businesses operate. The best offices today are flexible, managed, and scalable. When your needs change, your space should too.
3. Coworking stops working at scale. For teams of 6+, coworking becomes tricky. You can’t always sit together. Meeting rooms are busy. Privacy is patchy. A managed office offers more calm, more control, and often, more value.
At Space32, we’ll help you find a space that works for your team, your culture, and your bottom line.
If you’re rethinking your office setup, let’s talk.
