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Spectrum Science

Trust, Not Location, Enables Real Impact

By Amy Hutnik | Jan 28 2025

As the new year kicks off, headlines are buzzing about return-to-office mandates, employee petitions to resist, and companies generally struggling to establish hard and fast rules in an era that effectively allows for both in and out of office productivity. WPP and Publicis may garner the most attention in our industry, but they’re not alone – Amazon, AT&T, and as of last week, the federal government – have all mandated returns to the office. 

At Spectrum Science, we’ve embraced a flexible work culture for over a decade, long before it became a necessity. Our philosophy has always been to prioritize talent—wherever it’s located—and be flexible to support work/life presence. This trust-based approach allowed us to transition seamlessly to fully remote operations during the pandemic, ensuring connection and productivity without missing a beat. 

In the years since, we’ve celebrated both the opportunity for folks to return to our offices to host meaningful client events, and to experience community and connection, just as we’ve celebrated the diversification of locations for our growing number of remote employees. That decentralization of our team also brings with it critical and necessary diversity of perspective and lived experience, bringing greater dimension to our workforce and output for our clients.  

For employees not near an office, we continually explore new tools to foster collaboration, from virtual brainstorming and mentorship to team-building events and company-wide celebrations. These innovations keep us connected and aligned, no matter where we’re based. 

Do we ever wonder if a return-to-office mandate might be beneficial? Of course, seeing our talented teams in person is always wonderful because it’s delightful to see people you like and respect. But as enjoyable as those moments are, those moments don’t mean that great work requires the same physical space every day. What truly matters is the balance our flexible approach enables. 

Last year, Spectrum was recognized with 23 award wins and nominations for industry-leading work. From our hybrid structure, we’ve rolled out new technology platforms and integrated newly acquired companies, merging systems and staff. We’re working together to produce solutions for our clients that change behavior and help to improve health awareness and outcomes. From a team spanning 35+ states and 3 continents, we increased our new business win rates by nearly 50% and were most recently recognized as a 2025 Best Place to Work by AdAge.   

These achievements underscore what we already know: Success isn’t tied to where we work, but how we work. At Spectrum, the trust we extend our teams is paid back in productivity, in community, and in happy clients. Sounds like the future of engagement to me. 

As holding companies battle to merge, integrate, make sense of real estate, to force in-office presence – to essentially “go back” to a time before, we’re going to steadfastly go forward to the future. 

The future isn’t just ahead—it’s here; join us. 

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