Hybrid work is a flexible work model that supports a blend of in-office, remote, and on-the-go workers. It gives employees the autonomy to choose where and how they work best, whether that's a home office, a coworking space, a coffee shop, or the company headquarters.

But hybrid work isn't just about location. It's a people-first approach to managing the workforce that drives increased productivity and job satisfaction while maintaining the in-person collaboration that builds strong teams. And for many organizations, it's become the default way of working.

According to Gallup, six in 10 employees with remote-capable jobs want a hybrid work arrangement. Only about one in 10 prefer to be on-site full-time. The numbers make it clear: hybrid work is what most knowledge workers expect from their employers in 2026.

This guide covers what hybrid work actually means, the different hybrid work models organizations use, the benefits and challenges you should know about, and how to build a hybrid work environment that works for your team.

What is hybrid work?

Hybrid work is a flexible work model in which employees split their time between working remotely and on-site at a physical office or other location. A hybrid work schedule is based on flexibility and depends on the type of hybrid work model an organization chooses to implement.

Hybrid work emerged as a viable work arrangement during the COVID-19 pandemic, as businesses transitioned to remote work and leveraged virtual collaboration tools to maintain productivity. While some organizations had hybrid and remote workers before the pandemic, those work arrangements accelerated overnight as most of the workforce shifted from in-person meetings to kitchen-table virtual collaboration.

Now, hybrid work models have become a standard strategy for modern organizations. The hybrid workplace is no longer inside the four walls of the corporate office. It's an ecosystem of employees working from home, in coworking spaces, and in the office, choosing where to be based on the work they need to get done.

Importantly, hybrid work is not a one-size-fits-all solution and can differ significantly between organizations. A tech startup with 50 remote workers will approach hybrid differently than a financial services firm with 5,000 employees across multiple offices. The work model that makes the most sense depends on your company's goals, team structure, and the type of collaborative work your people do.

The four types of hybrid work models

Hybrid work can take different forms depending on the organization and the type of work. Hybrid work models can vary in flexibility and support a variety of different work schedules. Here are the four most common hybrid models.

Flexible hybrid work model

The flexible hybrid work model allows employees to choose their location and working hours based on their priorities for the day. If they need heads-down focus time, they can work from home. If they want in-person interaction or need to attend a team meeting, they head to the office.

This model offers the most autonomy but requires strong communication norms and the right collaboration tools to keep everyone aligned. It works well for organizations that prioritize trust and individual productivity, and where many workers handle different types of tasks on different days.

Fixed hybrid work model

The fixed hybrid work model has the organization set the days and times employees are allowed to work remotely or go into the office. For example, a team might work on-site Tuesdays and Thursdays and remotely the rest of the week.

This approach gives companies more control over office capacity planning and makes it easier to schedule in-person meetings. A great example is scheduling engineering teams to meet on the same days for sprint planning, while allowing marketing to choose different in-office days. But the trade-off is reduced individual flexibility, which could affect job satisfaction for employees who prefer to design their own hybrid work schedules.

Office-first hybrid work model

The office-first hybrid work model requires employees to be on-site but allows them to work remotely for a few days a week. It's the closest to a traditional setup while still acknowledging that working remotely part-time improves work-life balance.

Companies that rely heavily on in-person collaboration or have roles that require physical presence often gravitate toward this model. The key is to ensure remote days still feel productive and connected, not like an afterthought.

Remote-first hybrid work model

The remote-first hybrid work model allows employees to work primarily remotely, with occasional visits to coworking spaces or the office for team-building, collaboration, and training. In this model, the company may not even maintain a traditional headquarters.

Remote-first models give organizations access to a broader talent pool since they're not limited by geography. They also tend to deliver significant cost savings by reducing real estate costs. But they require intentional effort to maintain company culture and a sense of connection among the remote workforce, and may increase business travel expenses when teams need to gather in person. Teams that adopt this approach successfully invest heavily in technology, clear communication protocols, and purposeful in-person gatherings.

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Benefits of hybrid work

The benefits of hybrid work are well-documented across industries and organizational sizes. Here's what the data shows.

Better work-life balance

Organizations that adopt a hybrid work model can offer employees a better work-life balance. Reduced commuting time and greater flexibility lead to less stress and improved overall well-being. When employees can manage their schedules around personal commitments, whether that's picking up kids, exercising, or scheduling appointments, they come to work more focused and energized.

A landmark study published in Nature, led by Stanford economist Nicholas Bloom, found that hybrid workers who worked from home two days a week reported higher job satisfaction with zero impact on productivity or career advancement. This research, involving over 1,600 employees, remains one of the most rigorous examinations of the effects of hybrid work.

Higher productivity and employee engagement

A successful hybrid work model enhances productivity and employee satisfaction while improving work-life balance. According to Gallup, hybrid employees have the highest engagement rate at 35%, compared with 33% for fully remote and 27% for fully in-office employees. When people have control over their work environment, they can match their setting to the task, doing focused work at home and collaborative work in the office.

That said, hybrid employees work an average of 1.4 more days per month than in-office peers, driven by the "always-on" mindset. Implementing mental health programs and "right to disconnect" policies is essential to prevent burnout in hybrid work environments. The goal is to achieve productivity gains without letting work bleed into every hour of the day.

Real estate cost savings

Many businesses that shift to a hybrid work model will find they need to maintain less office space. When fewer people are on site on any given day, companies can reduce office space, adopt hot desking solutions, and lower their overall real estate costs. Hot desking is a hybrid work solution that allows employees to reserve flexible office workspaces that aren't assigned to a specific employee.

Rethinking workplace strategy can help lower real estate costs or reinvest those savings in new satellite offices and smaller coworking spaces. Companies that adopt hybrid work can optimize their real estate expenses by reducing the number of permanent desks and overall building footprint while using data to understand actual space utilization patterns.

Access to a wider talent pool

Companies that adopt hybrid work models can access a broader talent pool, enabling them to hire specialized skills from anywhere in the world. When you're not limited by geography, you can find the best people for the role rather than the best people within commuting distance. For many organizations, this provides a significant competitive edge in tight labor markets.

Challenges of hybrid work

Hybrid work isn't without its complications. Understanding these challenges upfront helps you build a model that accounts for them.

Maintaining collaboration and team connection

Coordinating schedules for synchronous work in hybrid models is difficult, with 24% of workers citing decreased team collaboration as a major hurdle. When team members are spread across different locations and schedules, it takes intentional planning to ensure in-person collaboration happens when it matters most.

Many organizations are redesigning offices as "collaboration hubs" rather than default daily workstations. Activity-based layouts in offices replace standard cubicles with spaces for spontaneous interaction, team projects, and social connection. The office serves a critical role in supporting a hybrid work model by acting as a central hub for collaboration, not just a place to sit and answer emails.

Keeping company culture alive

Maintaining a strong company culture can be challenging in a hybrid work environment, as employees may miss out on informal interactions that build relationships. Company culture is the heart of your organization and can be a major contributor to the success of your hybrid work model. Research shows that 28% of employees feel less connected to company culture in hybrid settings.

The solution isn't forcing people back to the office. It's designing purposeful in-person moments and investing in communication practices that keep remote and in-office employees equally included. Having transparent communication with employees is necessary in a hybrid work structure.

Proximity bias and equity concerns

Remote employees are at risk of being overlooked for promotions compared to those regularly visible to leadership. Managers in hybrid environments should be trained to avoid proximity bias to support equitable opportunities for remote workers. Performance management in hybrid settings requires a shift from measuring hours to output-based performance tracking.

This is one of the most underrated challenges of the hybrid workplace. If your promotion decisions are influenced by who's physically present, you're undermining the entire point of a flexible work model. Establishing clear expectations and goals, along with transparent evaluation criteria, helps teams understand what they are working towards, regardless of where they sit.

Logistical and IT complexity

Coordinating hybrid schedules and technology introduces logistical complexity. Hybrid work requires a different IT management approach to address its complexity, from ensuring robust IT support across locations to managing collaboration tools that work seamlessly for both in-office and remote workers.

Managing employees across different states or countries also introduces complex tax withholding issues in hybrid work models. Large organizations expect their workplace teams to navigate these operational realities, which is why investing in technology can help organizations optimize not just the employee experience but also their real estate expenses in a hybrid work model.

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How to build a hybrid work model that works

To adopt a hybrid work model, organizations need the right people, processes, and technology. Here's how to approach it step by step.

Start by listening to your workforce

To build a hybrid model that works for your company, start by speaking with your workforce to learn about their needs. Gathering employee feedback is essential for building a hybrid workplace that works for everyone. Use surveys, team discussions, and one-on-one check-ins to understand what employees value, how they prefer to collaborate, and what their biggest pain points are.

Don't assume you know what your teams need. The data you gather will help you choose between a flexible, fixed, office-first, or remote-first model, and you'll be able to iterate based on real employee experience rather than guesswork.

Set clear policies and communication norms

Establishing transparent policies for hybrid work enhances productivity by enabling focused work from home and in-person collaboration. Clear policies regarding in-office days and communication protocols enhance alignment in hybrid models. Your hybrid work best practices should cover which days are collaborative versus focused, how meetings are run, and how decisions are communicated across time zones.

Asynchronous status updates are recommended to reduce meeting fatigue in hybrid work settings. Not everything needs a meeting. Defining when to use async tools like Slack or Loom versus when to schedule a video call keeps everyone productive without overwhelming calendars.

Invest in the right technology

Investing in workplace technology, such as remote communication tools and video conferencing equipment, will enable hybrid work. But beyond the basics, companies can use workplace management tools to enable visibility into when coworkers will be onsite and coordinate accordingly.

A comprehensive hybrid work solution should include desk booking, room scheduling, and workplace analytics that show you how space is actually being used. Many platforms now use artificial intelligence to surface attendance patterns, predict space demand, and help workplace leaders make smarter decisions. Robust IT support and high-quality tools are necessary to bridge the gap between remote and in-office staff, whether they're collaborating in real time or catching up asynchronously. Using collaboration tools that keep employees connected is important for keeping them engaged.

Rethink your office space

Many organizations are rethinking the purpose of their offices. The past few years have proven that individual work can happen anywhere, so the office needs to earn the commute. Creating a great workplace experience requires a focus on space, technology, and people.

Successful enterprises in 2026 adopt a 2-day in-office and 3-day remote split to balance culture and flexibility. The Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research recommends structuring in-office time around larger meetings, training, and social events while reserving remote days for individual tasks and small meetings. This setup provides hybrid roles with the right collaboration solution without sacrificing the focused work time that drives individual productivity.

Companies can reduce real estate expenses by downsizing office space under a hybrid work model, but investing in the transformation of retained offices is necessary to enhance the employee experience. The goal is to reduce your office footprint while making every square foot count through data-driven space planning.

Gather feedback and iterate

Gathering employee feedback will help you iterate as you go and build a hybrid workplace that works for everyone. Building trust between employees and the company is crucial for collaboration and hybrid work, and that trust grows when people see their input actually shaping decisions.

Think of your work model like a product: launch it, measure what's working through workplace data and analytics, gather input, and refine. The organizations that get hybrid right aren't the ones that nail it on the first try. They're the ones that keep improving.

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