Years after the official start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many employers hoped for a neat return to business as usual. Rush-hour trains would be full again, office coffee machines would hum, and desks would be occupied from nine to five. Yet the pandemic had left its mark, and the British workforce was not about to revert entirely to old habits. Predictions from UK executives that were optimistic about the future of hybrid working were proved right. A new standard began to emerge, and a hybrid working model became the default rather than the exception.
Hybrid working, where employees split their time between home and the office, was initially seen as a stopgap. Now it has become a long-term feature of the employment landscape. According to the Office for National Statistics, 28% of working adults in Great Britain follow a hybrid model, working remotely almost two days a week. This is higher than the global average and shows that the UK is among the nations embracing the change most strongly.
The Evolution of Work Culture
Before 2020, remote working was a relatively niche arrangement. Only around 32% of people worked from home at least occasionally. The pandemic flipped that statistic, and now more than three-quarters of employees say their organisation operates some form of hybrid model.
Emma, a marketing director for a tech start-up, recalls the shift vividly. “Before Covid, working from home felt like a privilege you had to earn. Now it’s a baseline expectation. If a company insists on five days in the office, it’s a red flag for me.”
While some companies are calling staff back to the office full-time, others are embedding flexibility into their culture, viewing it as a tool for attracting and retaining talent. A Microsoft and YouGov survey found that over half of UK employees would consider leaving their job if denied hybrid options, signalling just how embedded flexibility has become in workplace expectations.
Managing People in a Hybrid System
One of the first challenges organisations face is how to manage performance and engagement when teams are spread across multiple locations. Traditional supervision models, based on visible presence, no longer fit. Leaders must focus on outputs rather than hours, setting clear objectives and trusting employees to deliver them.
Some businesses managing larger teams schedule “anchor days” when everyone is in the office for brainstorming and problem-solving, leaving deep-focus tasks for days at home. This helps to be more strategic and organised so that people aren’t always coming into the office, only to sit on a video call with their colleagues.
Communication protocols are critical, not only to keep projects on track but to maintain cohesion and morale. Regular virtual check-ins, well-structured in-office days, and investment in collaborative platforms ensure that hybrid does not become a synonym for disconnection.
Managers also need to be deliberate in building team culture. Serendipitous conversations by the photocopier are rarer in hybrid setups. Instead, leaders must create structured opportunities for connection, whether through team days, social events, or cross-functional projects that require cooperation across locations.
Some businesses have found that a more inclusive situation emerges when the geo location (i.e. those in HQ find out things more quickly) is eliminated.
Health and Safety Beyond the Office Walls
The legal duty of care towards employees now extends into their homes. In the past, health and safety assessments were primarily confined to office spaces. Hybrid working has changed this, requiring employers to satisfy themselves on several fronts. Not least, they need to ensure that home workstations are ergonomically sound and that risks such as poor seating or inadequate lighting are addressed. Display Screen Equipment assessments must be adapted for remote contexts, and many organisations provide allowances or equipment to ensure staff can work safely wherever they are.
During lockdown, many people found that sitting at their kitchen table led to skeletal muscle problems, mainly back pain. This is where employers recognised that they needed to contribute equipment like ergonomic chairs and monitor stands, for example. “
Forward-thinking employers treat remote health and safety as part of their wellbeing strategy, recognising that productivity and safety go hand in hand.
Recruitment and The Employee Lifecycle
Hybrid working has redrawn the map for recruitment. Employers are no longer limited to candidates within commuting distance, which widens talent pools and enables more diverse hiring. The “day-one right” to request flexible working, introduced in the UK in 2024, has made hybrid arrangements a standard part of the conversation for job seekers.
From onboarding to career progression, the employee lifecycle must be reimagined. Remote onboarding requires clear schedules, structured introductions, and digital resources to help new hires integrate. Performance reviews may include feedback from virtual collaborations, and promotions need not be tied to time spent physically in the office. For some, hybrid options are the difference between taking a job and then staying there, rather than leaving. It helps for a much-improved skills match.
Being Inclusive in a Hybrid World
While hybrid working offers flexibility, access to it is uneven. Research from the ONS shows it is more common among higher-paid, highly educated professionals aged between 30 and 49, and far less common for younger workers, those in lower-paid roles, or people in more deprived areas. Without deliberate action, hybrid policies can inadvertently deepen workplace inequality.
Inclusive hybrid strategies require more than offering home-working days. They must address the needs of disabled employees, ensure part-time staff have equal flexibility, and provide the right technology and training for all.
Take, for example, someone with a visual impairment. Hybrid working can enable sufficiently balanced days where someone with the right equipment at home and in the office can create a more conducive work/life balance. Whereas a 5-day office week might have been too much.
The Impact on Physical Premises
Hybrid working has changed the way businesses think about their physical footprint. Many have downsized office space, adopted flexible coworking arrangements, or repurposed their premises for collaboration rather than individual desk work. In cities such as London, office occupancy rates remain below pre-pandemic levels, prompting landlords to rethink lease models and amenities. Whether your team operates from home or utilises physical premises elsewhere, such as an office space in NYC, each business is unique.
Some firms, like large accountancies, have reduced square footage and funnelled savings into upgrading tech and employee benefits. Others are investing in high-quality spaces to entice staff into the office, focusing on comfortable, well-designed environments that make the commute worthwhile. This may include workspaces separated by acoustic partitions that can be easily adapted for different purposes such as meeting rooms, solo workspaces, collaborative workspaces, chill rooms and much more.
The 5 Cs of Hybrid Working
Adapting to hybrid working requires a thoughtful approach, and the “5 Cs” provide a practical framework:
- Communication: Clear, consistent messaging to align dispersed teams.
- Collaboration: Tools and processes that make working together seamless, regardless of location.
- Culture: Maintaining shared values and belonging across both physical and virtual spaces.
- Connectivity: Reliable technology and infrastructure to support productivity.
- Continuity: Resilience planning to ensure the business can function during disruptions.
These principles help organisations embed hybrid working not as a compromise but as a strategic advantage.
A Permanent Shift
Hybrid working is no longer an experiment born of necessity. It is a structural change in how businesses operate and how people think about work. While debates continue over the “right” balance of office and remote days, the direction of travel is clear. Employees want flexibility, and employers that provide it while managing performance, inclusion, and culture effectively will be better placed to attract and keep the best talent.
The challenge now is not whether hybrid working will last, but how to make it work well for everyone. Organisations that rise to this challenge will not only adapt to the present but shape the future of work itself.
