Employers, Employees & Hybrid Work

Hybrid work schedules or not. That’s the question bothering executives and managers since the COVID epidemic got employees working from home in droves.

The HR Executive Board said a survey in 2024 found 80% of CEOs believing workers will return full-time to the workplace within three years, or by January of 2027. Just 17% of CEOs believed most positions will be hybrid by then and just 4% believed all workers would be working remotely from now on.

By the way, only 60% of workers felt the hybrid model would be most common.

"The truth is, most organizations today are somewhere in the middle," the HR Executive Board report noted. "Eighty-eight percent of U.S. employers provide at least some hybrid work options. Employees are also on board with hybrid work: Six in 10 employees with remote-capable jobs want a hybrid work arrangement, and more than half of current job seekers also prefer a hybrid role."

The HR Executive Board report found hybrid work and more flexibility will help with hiring and employee retention. It also pointed to options employers might want to consider when hiring, or seeking to keep key employees.

Hiring:

• When choosing a job, this is the top-priority of most job seekers

• It tops compensation

• 70% of those applying for a job are most interested in positions offering hybrid work

• Recruiters say remote work flexibility makes it easier to fill a position

• 83% of recruiters say hybrid options will also give an employer top-quality when hiring

Retaining employees:

• Flexibility is the top factor that will keep someone as an employee

• Barely behind that factor is compensation

• Engagement is important to retaining workers

• 30% of all on-site staff and those who cannot work remotely feel engaged at work

• 38% of hybrid and remote workers feel the same way

• 34% of those working on-site who could work remotely do not feel engaged

What seems most important in the HR Executive Board study is how employees are willing to take less compensation in exchange for more flexibility. A report from Stanford University found employees will take as much as 8% less wages for flexibility that suits their lifestyle.

It’s not all about lifestyle, either. In many cases the loss of compensation will make up for the cost of commuting. Figure in the cost of maintaining professional attire and food costs for lunches and breaks and an employee could save an average of $30,322 a year working just for days a week from home rather than commuting to an office.

"Employers are starting to accept their employees' logic," the report said. "Fifty-nine percent of organizations say they're willing to pay a premium of up to a 20 percent salary increase in exchange for staff spending four to five days in the office."

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