Top hybrid work trend stats from global companies for 2022

Remote and hybrid work are on the rise; businesses are switching from the traditional office-first, 9-5 structure to more flexible working models.

Companies worldwide are still trying to figure out what way of working will be best for them. With many opting for the best of both worlds, hybrid working appears to now be the prevalent choice among employers globally.

While there’s still a lot to learn about this new way of working, some interesting insights are already starting to emerge. We conducted a survey of a large pool of our customers to bring you a few key statistics on the status of hybrid work today. Read on!

Key statistics on hybrid work for 2022

76% of respondents confirmed that their companies shifted to a hybrid working model

63% of respondents claim that their companies have not made any significant changes to their workplaces to adapt it to this new way of working

46% of respondents revealed that there are no restrictions on coming and going to the office at this time

Employees are mostly required to come to the office 3-4 days a week

26% of employees said they missed meeting their teams face-to-face when asked about why they like going to the office

Hybrid work will become the norm

According to our research, the majority of companies surveyed have switched to a hybrid working model. In fact, 76% of respondents have confirmed a shift to hybrid work in their companies.

Only 11% will go back to the office full-time.

9% have turned to full-time remote work.

A small percentage revealed either that their companies were still deciding what to do, or that their companies have always had a flexible approach to hybrid work.

With the increased reliability of videoconferencing tools like Zoom or Microsoft Teams, the transition between home office and office space is becoming more seamless. The hybrid working model will enable employees to move between these workspaces based on their needs.

This will lead to more autonomy over the way people work. Employees will be able to, for instance, go to the office for strategy or brainstorm sessions and stay home for more asynchronous tasks.

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Most office spaces have not yet been adapted to suit the new working model

Even though many businesses have opted for hybrid work, 63% have not yet changed their office spaces to suit this new reality.

However, some companies have made moves to adapt their workspace to a hybrid workforce. 12% of respondents indicated that their companies downsized their office spaces as a result of a growing rate of remote employees. This gives way for attendance structures like rotational shifts or dedicated days where priority is given to certain teams.

A surprising 10% revealed that they needed bigger office facilities to account for the growth in personnel they experienced.

6% of respondents claimed their companies closed down their offices during this time to move to a coworking space.

A further 4% said that their workspaces were fully redesigned to suit hybrid work.

There are generally no restrictions on office attendance

25% of respondents indicated that they do need to book their seats before going to the office. This is likely due to restrictions on the number of people who can congregate in an indoor location.

20% of respondents stated that their companies do place a limit on the number of people who can be at the office on any day.

6% can only go to the office on specific days a week.

Going to the office 5 days a week is no longer the norm

While 76% of respondents revealed that they do have to go to the office on a weekly basis, how many days they are required to do so varies.

38% of respondents in a hybrid work model need to go to the office 3-4 days a week

33% only need to do so 1-2 days a week.

Just 5% are required to go to the office every working day of the week.

Some companies have adopted their own ad-hoc approaches. 5% of respondents have indicated that they are only asked to go to the office once every two weeks. A further 10% only need to go to the office once a month.

The vast majority of remote workers can work from wherever they want

Fully remote companies, for the most part, give complete freedom over where their employees work from. In fact, 63% of remote workers surveyed claimed this to be the case for them as well.

37%, on the other hand, are able to work from wherever as long as they remain in the country where they were hired. This could largely be due to legal implications like tax or social security in their home countries.

Most hybrid and office-first companies have no restrictions on where their employees can be on their remote workdays

For those following a hybrid or office-first working model, the majority do not have any restrictions on where they can work from. In fact, 33% of respondents have remote work options allowing them to work either from home or abroad.

19% stated that they can travel on their remote workdays, but that they have to remain within the country of their employment during that time.

29% are only allowed to use this time to work from home, limiting their flexibility to travel and move around while working.

Just 5% are able to work from abroad for a few months a year.

5% are able to do so for a fixed period of a few weeks every calendar year.

People are tired of interacting with each other through a screen

People are excited to get back to meeting in person in the hybrid workplace. 26% of respondents say that they are most motivated by coming together face-to-face for interactive sessions like workshops or teambuilding activities.

Client visits are another significant driver in bringing office workers back in, with 21% of respondents citing this as their main interest.

20% are looking forward to taking advantage of the hybrid work environment for constructive, 1:1 meetings with their team members or managers.

Hiring managers have also indicated that they prefer to meet potential candidates in real life. 18% have revealed that they prefer to conduct interviews in person, even in the new normal.

The meetings that matter happen in person

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There are plenty of reasons why employees love hybrid work

It's no surprise companies worldwide are citing hybrid as the future of work. Employees gain a wealth of benefits, with 26% revealing that this model gives them a better work-life balance. They are more able to develop a healthy relationship between their personal and professional lives in this new work situation.

20% feel that they are more productive in an environment where they are able to choose when to work at home and when to go to the office. The flexible schedules that hybrid work implies mean that people are able to distribute their workweek according to what helps them perform better.

A further 12% stated that this shift to hybrid work has had a positive effect on their mental health.

16% love the time it affords for them to spend with their families

13% have said the same about a broader pool of loved ones.

Yet, there are a few drawbacks to hybrid work

Most of us spent the better part of 2020 and 2021 as part of a remote team. Now that hybrid work is becoming increasingly the norm, people are revealing that what they like the least about this is the lack of face-to-face interaction. 25% of respondents cite this as their main "complaint" in our new way of working.

14% have also linked this to a decrease in the quality of communication between teammates.

10% of workers have also stated that they're not comfortable working from home.

11% claim that there are too many distractions in their home offices.

13% complain of having inadequate equipment.

5% have declared that there is nothing that they dislike about this working model.

If you only want to read the summary...

Yes, we threw a lot of information your way! Whether you're a business leader making decisions over how your company will be run, a recruiter seeking top talent, or a professional trying to understand how you'll be working going forward, here's a quick overview.

Most companies are opting for a hybrid work model, with 1-2 or 3-4 days in the office becoming the standard.

Hybrid work is here to stay. People love the flexibility it affords and the comfortable work-life balance it implies.

It's still a very young model, and not many companies have made significant strides towards adapting their workspaces to it just yet.

However, people do miss meeting their colleagues face-to-face. In particular, they want to come back together in person for team-building events and workshops.