Summary: New research shows that future-focused leaders are designing in-person events that go far beyond getting employees back into the office. These experiences deepen connection to purpose, foster belonging, accelerate skills development, attract talent, recognise achievement and strengthen employer brand.
Organisations are still grappling with how to get their return-to-office (RTO) strategies right. The challenge lies not only in addressing the cultural and performance impact of hybrid workplaces. Leaders also need to manage changing employee expectations around flexibility and work–life balance.
To understand how different organisations are approaching this complex issue, we recently interviewed a selection of people leaders from a diverse mix of companies, including Lloyds Bank, DHL and Lockton.
In particular, we wanted to explore the role of in-person employee experiences in organisational performance, culture and resilience. This was about getting under the skin of how high-impact, experiential moments – aligned with business objectives – drive positive outcomes.
What took us by surprise was the extent to which companies are using in-person activations to support RTO strategies. Our qualitative research found that future-focused people leaders are integrating purposeful, innovative in-person experiences that not only help support organisational objectives but also meet individual employee needs.
How in-person employee activations drive positive business outcomes
When in-person employee activations are directly linked to defined business outcomes, people leaders can drive greater measurable impact:
Deepen employee connection to purpose
Our study’s contributors stressed the need for people to reconnect to a shared sense of purpose – especially in times of global uncertainty, organisational shifts and a transforming world of work.
All-in days, charitable days, cultural days, and specific events aligned to calendar awareness support this headline strategy.
Foster a culture of belonging and inclusion
Belonging emerged as a powerful thread throughout the report, woven into every element of employee activation strategy and design.
As one contributor shared, “In-person events for us are less about focusing on the day-to-day of our roles, and more about inclusivity, community, culture and belonging.”
This was evident in both global and UK-based organisations. The progressive leaders we spoke to are embedding inclusion and collaboration across distributed teams, while also strengthening their unique culture.
In terms of formats, examples included celebrating key religious or cultural events, as well as recognising company and personal milestones in ways that create a space for conversation and community.
Accelerate skills and development
Accelerating learning and development is the third area where employee activations drive meaningful impact. Across the employee lifecycle – from leadership training to graduate and apprenticeship programmes – organisations are blending human-led assessment centres, in-person classrooms, drop-in surgeries, and workshops to support L&D. Networking and cross-functional relationship-building are also being offered as a skills development boost.
Attract top talent
Without exception, our contributors agreed that in-person experiences are essential for successful talent attraction strategies. From the first interview through to onboarding and beyond, in-person experiences shape how individuals perceive, connect with, and commit to an organisation.
As a starting point, personalised onboarding is a good way to nurture belonging and inclusivity. Our contributors shared examples of this: managers taking note of new joiners’ favourite coffee orders, team welcome meetings at a favourite restaurant, and day-one buddy programmes.
Recognise and celebrate achievement
In-person recognition events – from large-scale flagship celebrations to local town halls – have also become essential to consolidating RTO strategies. Organisations are using celebrations to ensure employees feel valued, while also countering the virtual drift that can underpin hybrid or remote working environments. As one contributor shared, “Next to organisational purpose, recognition is a big part of belonging – being publicly seen and appreciated builds this culture of recognition.”
To celebrate individual achievements, the people leaders we interviewed host large-scale ‘thank you fests’, employee awards, and townhalls with recognition on the agenda. These events can be scaled to meet more specific employee community needs.
Strengthen employer brand
Relevant and resonant employer brands are shaped and amplified through in-person experiences that turn candidates into employees and employees into ambassadors. In the words of one contributor, “The whole reason you need a strong employer brand is to attract the best talent. Once inside, we want the emotional attachment from the experiences people have to become brand ambassadors.”
People leaders are designing and communicating activations that authentically capture the employee experience. This generates interest and excitement across social media channels and strengthens engagement.
Beyond the ‘back into the office’ rhetoric
Against a transforming world of work defined by organisational change, RTO programmes remain in flux. What’s clear from our research is that meaningful in-person employee experiences have emerged as one of the most powerful tools available to people leaders. This goes beyond getting employees ‘back into the office’. It’s about reigniting purpose-driven, resilient cultures that enable people to belong, evolve and thrive as part of a future-focused organisation.
