The majority of young professionals worldwide (61%), who have just entered the workforce for the first time, believe that hybrid working will have a positive impact on their career, according to new research from CEMS, a global alliance of business schools.

Young professionals believe that working between the office and home provides more flexibility, freedom to travel while working, improved wellbeing, reduced costs and the feeling of being valued by employers, the study found.

A quarter, or 25%, of respondents to the global survey of recent CEMS graduates said they did not think the move to hybrid working would make any difference to their career prospects at all, while only 14% thought the impact would be negative.

The majority of interviewees felt that hybrid working was the ideal set up. They spoke of the benefits including opportunities to travel while working, feeling valued, broader access to jobs, reduced costs, better work/life balance and wellbeing, and greater focus.

Interviewees emphasised that they were positive about hybrid working, however not fully remote. They believe that spending face-to-face time with colleagues inside and outside of office hours is vital for career success, in particular networking opportunities, innovation and learning. They stressed the importance of teams regularly meeting in person and having working structures in place.