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Hybrid Working in 2025
FOREWORD
We asked 500 companies in the Midlands what their current Hybrid working policies are. Below are the results!
HYBRID WORKING IS CHANGING
Over the last 5 years, we have seen a real changes in the make up of Hybrid working.
Post Pandemic, companies were highly remote, with plenty of companies either fully remote, or going into the office 1-2 days a week.
By 2023, the dust on Covid had settled & it was a candidate led market, ushering in a “remote preferred” model. Many companies wanted to see you in the office regularly, but it didn’t need to be your main base.
Now, we are in 2025, and we have seen a real push to a “office first” model, with the happy medium being 3 days in and 2 days out. This however can vary on factors such as industry and company size, which we will explore in this study…
TALKING CHANGE
WE ASKED 500+ COMPANIES ABOUT THEIR HYBRID PLANS...
MORE OFFICE DAYS
Just 8% of respondents expected less office attendance than last year. The majority of companies already have a well established hybrid policy.
15% are increasing office days
77% have a settled hybrid policy
THE 5 DAY WARNING....
The majority of the talent pool are happy to go into the office 2-3 days a week, the real resistance comes when companies want 4 or even 5 days a week in the office. The impact is particularly acute when a company moves from hybrid to a fully office based model.
84% would think of leaving if asked to attend the office full time.
76% have Anchor days
38% have their office days picked for them.
24% have fully flexible office days
SUCCESSFUL HYBRID IS HIDDEN IN THE DETAIL
Hybrid comes in many forms, and it can be very difficult to develop a policy that works equally well for the business and all of its employees.
Most companies have “core principles”, which often includes a set amount of days in the office, alongside “core hours” and “anchor days”, where companies set certain days for the whole team to be in.
Most companies let staff “blur the lines” of these policies, within limits. Everything is a balance, being “too flexible” can attract talent, but at the cost of a dilution of culture, whilst being too strict can limit talent attraction.
THE TLDR
The short answer.
What we have found is that there are many variations of hybrid, primarily influenced by factors such as company size, industry sector, and ownership structure.
THE OFFICE IS BACK
There is without doubt a drive to get people back to the office, either through requiring increased attendance days, or by closer monitoring of current hybrid policies.
Fully remote roles are very much on the decline.
ANCHOR DAYS ARE IN
A sensible change has seen teams start to pre-plan office days, with some, or all of their office days now agreed with their wider team.
INDUSTRY IS EVERYTHING
Industry is without doubt the biggest indicator of company flexibility. Generally, companies
where “core staff” can’t do their own role at home (think manufacturing, logistics), are much more likely to be office based. Businesses where core staff can do their role remotely (legal, technology), are much more likely to be flexible. Ownership is also another metric, with PLCS and Private equity owned companies often more flexible than privately owned businesses.
3 OFFICE DAYS AND 2 REMOTE DAYS WORK FOR MOST
3 office days and 2 remote days work for most companies, and that’s the policy the majority seem to be pursuing. If you are more flexible than that, it will positively effect the talent pool your able to engage with.
Seeking fully office based staff will really limit the talent you can attract.
STICK TO THE PLAN
Whilst fully office based companies will without doubt have a much harder time in the talent market, the most disruption comes from constant change. Real staff churn and unhappiness comes when companies recruit staff on flexible terms, then change it. The key is to pick a policy that aligns with your business culture, and stick to it!
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