Is Hybrid Work Working?

As organizations adjust to the changing work environment, hybrid models that combine remote and in-office arrangements have gained significant traction.

A recent Gallup poll found that most remote-capable employees are either working in hybrid or fully remote setups, with a strong preference for these arrangements.

In fact, six out of ten employees in remote-capable roles favor a hybrid work model, while around one-third opt for entirely remote work. Less than 10 percent of these employees prefer to work exclusively on-site.

However, as employees adapt to this new way of working, a critical question arises: Is hybrid work genuinely fulfilling its promises of flexibility, productivity, and work-life balance?

According to the survey, hybrid employees feel strongly about the advantages of their work arrangement with 76 percent of respondents reporting that hybrid work environments enhanced their work-life balance, while 64 percent noted that they experienced a more efficient use of time throughout the day or week.

While 31 percent identified limited access to work resources and equipment as a major challenge of hybrid work, 28 percent felt less connected to their organization’s culture.

Despite these challenges, the top benefits of hybrid work were selected two to three times more than the top challenges. Additionally, the poll found that six in 10 exclusively remote employees say they are extremely likely to search for employment elsewhere if they are not allowed remote flexibility.

However, the survey highlights the importance of developing an effective hybrid work policy to promote employee engagement.

According to the survey, work teams that set their hybrid policy together have the highest engagement, 46 percent, but only 12 percent of employees benefit from this approach. Work environments where the individual employees set their hybrid policy experienced 41 percent employee engagement, with 35 percent of employees benefiting from this approach.

The report suggests that crafting a long-term hybrid work strategy requires a clear understanding of how organizations are structuring remote work flexibility and what is working best for employees.

“To remain competitive, organizational cultures need to reflect that they provide what employees are looking for,” the survey states.

The results of the Gallup poll of U.S. employees are derived from self-administered web surveys conducted with a random sample of adults aged 18 and older, who work full-time or part-time for organizations in the United States and are members of the Gallup Panel.