Hybrid working, which combines both remote and in-office work, is seen as a possible future for many businesses. While not a new concept, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the shift towards remote working when stay at home orders were introduced country-wide, and since then many businesses have realised that a combination of remote and in-office work can provide the best of both worlds for their workers. As a result many employees have been slow to make a full-time move back to the office when given the option. In fact, as reported by Forbes “25% of employees would quit their jobs if they couldn’t work remotely, and almost half would take a pay cut to continue to work remotely at least part-time”.

By allowing employees to work from home or other remote locations when necessary, businesses have been able to improve work-life balance and increase flexibility. At the same time, coming back to the office can provide the benefits of collaboration, team building, improvements to mental wellness and increased productivity. Quoting a YouGov survey, People Management claim “only 25 per cent of leaders said they think home working is more productive, compared to 38 per cent who said office work inspired better results”.

As such, the compromise of hybrid working is seen as a viable solution for many businesses, as it can help to meet the needs of both employees and businesses. However, it is still too early to say definitively whether hybrid working will be the long term mainstay, as much will depend on outside factors such as the development of technology and changes in the way that people work.