The hybrid working debate: Will we be back to a 5-day working week by 2025?

The workplace is rapidly evolving and hybrid work is at the forefront of this transformation. Over the past few years, the concept of hybrid work, which combines remote and in-office work, has gained significant traction. This model offers a balanced approach that maximizes productivity, flexibility and employee satisfaction. Despite strong evidence supporting a three-day in-office hybrid work schedule, which has been shown to enhance performance and well-being, many businesses are now pushing employees to return to the office for four or even five days a week. This shift raises questions about the motivations behind these decisions and their potential impact on the workforce.

The Case for hybrid work

A significant study published in Nature by Nick Bloom of Stanford’s Institute for Economic Policy Research, along with Ruobing Han and James Liang, provides compelling evidence for hybrid work benefits. Bloom, a respected expert in work modes, has long supported flexible work arrangements.

The study, involving 1,612 employees at Trip.com, analysed job retention, satisfaction, productivity and development over six months using a two-day-at-home work week. Key findings include:

• Improved retention and satisfaction: Non-manager attrition rates dropped from 7.2% to 2.4% with hybrid work and employees reported higher satisfaction with work-life balance and overall life quality.
• Consistent performance: Hybrid workers performed as well as their in-office counterparts. For example, engineers produced the same amount of code whether working from home or the office.
• Broad benefits: Hybrid work particularly benefited women, non-managers and long-distance commuters by reducing stress and improving work-life balance.

The call for more office days

Despite these benefits, many companies are moving towards more traditional office schedules. Firms like Boeing, UPS, Nike, and JPMorgan Chase are requiring more in-office days, citing concerns about productivity and innovation.

Nike’s CEO blamed remote work for a lack of innovation, while JPMorgan Chase’s Jamie Dimon has long questioned remote work’s effectiveness, especially for management roles. This view isn’t universal but represents a significant business trend.

Earlier this year TikTok announced that it’s undertaking a rapid expansion of its US office footprint as it toughens its return to office mandate on workers.

The Chinese-owned social media giant is said to be using a customised app to monitor its tougher return-to-office policy, which requires its U.S. workforce of 7,000 to be in the physical office at least three days a week, with many workers  now required to come in five days a week.

THG, formerly known as The Hut Group, has enforced that employees return to the office five days a week starting from August 19, 2024 and Salesforce requires its sales, HR, engineering, and support roles to work in the office four to five days a week, while other employees must come in three days a week from October 2024.

Barclays directed its London office workers to return to the office five days a week starting in June this year and Boots has also asked its 3,900 administrative staff to return to the office five days a week beginning in September 2024.

Does this mean we will all be expected to be working 5 days in the office again from 2025?

Evidence versus decision making

The Nature study challenges the idea that more office days lead to better performance or innovation. Bloom’s research shows hybrid work can maintain, or even boost, productivity and satisfaction if managed well.

Businesses face a challenge in balancing these factors with the clear benefits of hybrid work. Effective management and flexible arrangements tailored to specific roles are key. As Bloom said, “If managed right, letting employees work from home two or three days a week still gets you the level of mentoring, culture-building and innovation that you want. From an economic policymaking standpoint, hybrid work is one of the few instances where there aren’t major trade-offs with clear winners and clear losers. There are almost only winners.”

Navigating the future of work requires businesses to embrace the advantages of hybrid models to create a productive, satisfied and innovative workforce.

**We’d love to hear your thoughts on this debate**