Over the previous few years, we’ve seen the workplace culture repeatedly shift. First, Covid-19 mandates enabled more companies than ever to embrace remote work for as many roles as possible. Workplaces required a quick shift to fully remote arrangements (when possible) in order to stay in business during that time.

More recently, major organizations have been making headlines with their return-to-office mandates, which also come with pros and cons and prompt the debate: Which is better for employee satisfaction and worker productivity? What does the data say? What are the pros and cons of each choice?

Remote Work Pros and Cons

Employees have often been loath to give up the ability to work from home full time, citing the reduction in commuting costs, ease of balancing family obligations and higher work productivity at home, with fewer distractions and a greater ability to focus as some of the primary benefits of working from home full-time. That said, there are also downsides to fully remote work for both employees and employers, such as:

• Reduced visibility at work, leading to fewer opportunities and promotions for those working remotely 
• Fewer networking and cross-training opportunities for remote workers
• Decreased ability for employers to influence workplace culture when employees are scattered across many locations
• Less sense of belonging and camaraderie for employees, which can lead to higher turnover
• An increased tendency to overwork since the work versus home distinction is blurred, which can lead to increased levels of burnout and frustration 

Hybrid Working to the Rescue

We at HireQuest Inc. released a white paper in September 2024 with data detailing the statistics that can help employers with this topic. We found that the data shows the contradictions above clearly: Managers want employees in the office to improve their productivity, but employees feel more productive and focused at home. The implication here is that both sides need to find a balance. Hybrid work may be the very thing that can strike a balance for both sides.

Jeb Bush, the 43rd governor of Florida, also advocates for hybrid work as the best path for building culture, boosting productivity, and creating a satisfied workforce. Bush, now leading a remote nonprofit, shared recently on the MRINetwork podcast Talent Hunters how hybrid work benefits teams, particularly younger professionals who may miss essential in-office experiences. 

More and more organizations are embracing the idea that hybrid work just might be the happy medium that balances worker productivity and employee satisfaction with fewer downsides than a fully remote or fully in-office team. For example: 

• Hybrid work allows employees to still have the flexibility they don’t want to give up.
• It also allows some time in the office to build relationships among employees and provides more opportunities for interaction.
• Employees are more likely to have and take advantage of training opportunities and face-to-face networking with their coworkers, which can increase both productivity and advancement opportunities.

Allowing remote work just a few days per week, as most hybrid models do, allows these benefits without fully sacrificing the flexibility and balance that remote work offers.