According to a 2024 KPMG survey, 83% of CEOs predict a full-time return to office within three years. This trend makes it more important than ever to show how organizations can make hybrid truly work both as a productivity strategy and a talent advantage. Our friends at Gather Sciences break down three areas to focus on when building out hybrid work.
When done well, hybrid isn’t just a policy. It’s a powerful strategy to engage employees, attract top talent, and sustain productivity. When done poorly, it can drive frustration and attrition. Here are three ways to help your organization get hybrid right.
1. Why the Commute Has to Be Worth It
Employees won’t bring their best if office days feel like a waste. If employees spend time and energy commuting, the office day must deliver more than what they could do at home.
That means designing in-person days around collaboration, connection, and the work that matters most. Office time should create value that remote work cannot replicate.
2. Not One-Size-Fits-All
“3 days in, 2 out” isn’t a strategy. It’s a shortcut. Different teams have different rhythms:
- Finance might thrive with structured in-office collaboration.
- Marketing may need bursts of creative sessions.
- Engineering often benefits from deep focus time at home.
A blanket rule across the entire organization ignores those realities.
The key is targeted consistency: being consistent within a team so expectations are clear, while allowing intentional differences across functions. That way, employees see the logic behind the policy, trust it’s fair, and understand why their time in the office has purpose.
3. The Risk of Broken Hybrid (and the Upside of Fixing It)
Many leaders are seeing issues with responsiveness, onboarding, and knowledge transfer. The easy (but flawed) answer is forcing everyone back.
An intentional, accountable hybrid can solve these challenges and even become a competitive advantage as talent seeks flexible employers. If your policy and communication are clear, hybrid becomes a benefit, not a liability.
Final Thoughts
As more companies consider bringing employees back to the office, the real question isn’t whether hybrid will work. It’s how you make it work. By rethinking the value of office time, rejecting one-size-fits-all rules, and being intentional about solving the pitfalls of hybrid work, organizations can create a model that supports both performance and people.
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