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What Hybrid working looks like in 2026...
Hybrid working has evolved significantly across since 2021, with many companies moving from what was a “remote first” model to a “work when and how you want” model to now a “hybrid” model.
Employees often find themselves in the office 3 days a week, overwhelmingly Monday to Thursday. Remote roles are disappearing fast, but fully office based companies are also rare.
The “hybrid split” is very industry dependant.
Industries most likely to be office based:- Manufacturing, Construction
Industries least likely to be office based:- Technology
The majority of companies (49%) pick a hybrid policy and apply it business wide. Whilst this seems the most fair, it can lack flexibility. 23% of companies set it by function (eg finance) and 28% set it on a team by team basis.
An interesting development has been that new recruits are often not only encouraged, but formally required to be in the office more in their first few months. We understand this, but it can limit your talent pool. If you do pursue this policy, we would suggest it for a period of 1-3 months.
Most companies offer some sort of flexible hours, with just 26% having strict hours.
Nearly half of those surveyed could pick the actual days they go into the office, with 51% having some sort of designated team days.
These are very rarely a friday.
So, what policy is best?
It breaks down into 3 areas…
If your company is in the office 2 days a week or less…your policy is market leading. If this is working for your business and you have a strong culture, don’t change anything! This strong flexible working proposition helps balance out weaker salary packages or attract hard to find talent.
If your company is in 3 days a week…you have the happy medium. This will see your company be able to access 90%+ of the market. Happy days!
If your company goes in the office 4 days a week or more…your policy is falling short of the market. This is not a problem in itself, but your wider proposition (Company, culture, benefits, salary) needs to be strong!
Our suggestion would be….3 days a week in the office for most teams and new starters. Dropping to 2 days in and 3 days out for high perfomers or particularly rare talent.
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