In recent months, headlines have frequently proclaimed that companies and government agencies are demanding employees return to the office in droves, signaling the end of the flexible work era.
However, contrary to these attention-grabbing headlines, reliable and objective data from sources such as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Atlanta Fed and Stanford University show no significant decrease in workplace flexibility. Indeed, more employees enjoyed hybrid and remote work arrangements in 2024 than had in 2023, and there has been only a slight decline in 2025.
The sensationalism around a supposedly ever-growing return to the office is largely driven by cherry-picked stories. Headlines often focus on the loud proclamations of a few high-profile companies cracking down on flexible work. These narratives grab attention but are not necessarily representative of broader trends. In reality, many organizations are quietly adapting to employee preferences for flexibility, finding that the rigid mandates announced in the early post-pandemic phase are difficult to enforce and often counterproductive.
A clear example of this disconnect is found in a recent jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Contrary to the narrative of a massive return to office, the data reveal a year-over-year increase in the number of employees who work from home either some of the time or all the time. Specifically, 22.8 percent of workers reported teleworking for some or all of their job in August 2024, up from 19.5 percent in August 2023. The share of hybrid workers — those who work remotely only some of the time — climbed from 9.2 percent to 11.7 percent over the same period. Those who worked remotely all the time increased from 10.3 percent to 11.1 percent.
This government data are backed by similar findings from highly credible private sources. For example, the eighth annual Owl Labs state of work report finds that the number of fully in-office workers fell from 66 percent in 2023 to 62 percent in 2024. The number of hybrid workers rose from 26 to 27 percent, and the share of fully remote workers rose from 7 to 11 percent. Overall, the BLS data are more trustworthy on the actual proportions, since they have a broader and deeper data set, but the similarity in trends is telling.
Some might believe that a potential recession caused by tariffs or other economically disruptive Trump administration policies might lead to a substantial decrease in remote work. But data from a 2025 Atlanta Fed and Stanford University survey by Nick Bloom and colleagues should debunk this line of thinking. Surveying executives at more than 1,000 U.S. businesses, the research finds that if a recession hits (defined as unemployment doubling), the number of days worked from home would decline only slightly, from 21.2 percent to 20.3 percent of days.
Taking the current situation — with an increased probability of a recession, but not yet a doubling of unemployment numbers — only 12 percent of firms plan to change their remote work policy, reducing work-from-home from 21.2 percent to 20.8 percent of days — an even smaller decrease. Moreover, in the last six months, almost as many firms increased remote work as reduced it. Unfortunately, the headlines focus only on the ones that reduce work-from-home.
The fact that some firms increased remote and hybrid work is a strong indicator that many employers are becoming more accommodating, even as some continue to trumpet a return to office rhetoric. This shift is driven by practical considerations. For example, several CEOs at companies I work with on helping determine their flexible work arrangements have increasingly chosen to quietly cease enforcing in-office attendance rules. In many cases, they have realized that the effort to monitor and manage these requirements was more trouble than it was worth. The initial worker backlash against strict return-to-office policies did not subside as expected, but rather continued to escalate, diverting managerial attention away from more strategic concerns.
A variant of this pattern is the “hushed hybrid” trend, whereby workers collaborate secretly with their managers to come to the office less frequently than the C-suite has directed. Essentially, the managers undermine company policy because they recognize it’s too much hassle to enforce it and not worth the resentment it would cause. Thus, many workers come in once or twice a week, even if the requirement is three days a week.
On a related note, there has been a rise in “coffee badging,” whereby employees follow the letter of the law but undermine its spirit. They may come into the office the required three or four or even five days a week, but only long enough to grab a coffee and meet with a colleague. Then they go home.
The persistent narrative of a “great return” to the office not only is misleading but also fails to account for the growing body of evidence suggesting that a preference for flexibility is reshaping the modern workplace. For instance, a 2024 survey from the Conference Board found that nearly half (45 percent) of human resources professionals in companies with strict in-office mandates reported difficulties retaining employees compared to just 15 percent in companies that did offer flexibility. This stark contrast highlights how rigid office attendance policies can be detrimental to talent retention.
For many professionals, the option to work remotely or in a hybrid model is non-negotiable. Recent findings from an Owl Labs survey support this view, revealing that 66 percent of employees would consider looking for a new job if the ability to work from home were removed, and 39 percent would quit immediately. This data underscore a significant shift in worker priorities, whereby flexibility, work-life balance, and mental health support are becoming more valued than traditional benefits or even salary increases.
Data from the staffing firm Robert Half provide further evidence that the job market is tilting towards flexible work arrangements. According to their reports, the number of fully on-site roles has steadily decreased over the last year. In the first quarter of 2023, 83 percent of job postings were for fully on-site roles. By the second quarter of 2024, that figure had dropped to 67 percent. Meanwhile, job postings for hybrid and remote roles have been steadily increasing. Hybrid job postings rose from 9 percent in the first quarter of 2023 to 22 percent in the second quarter of 2024. Remote job postings grew from 7 percent to 11 percent over the same period.
In the face of these trends, it is becoming increasingly clear that employers who cling to full-time return-to-office policies are fighting a losing battle. Workers have demonstrated that they are willing to push back against rigid attendance rules, and the data show that they are succeeding in securing more flexibility. The year-over-year increase in remote and hybrid work signals that flexible work is here to stay. Companies that recognize this reality and adapt their policies accordingly will likely find themselves in a stronger position to attract and retain top talent.
Gleb Tsipursky is CEO of the hybrid work consultancy Disaster Avoidance Experts and the author of “Returning to the Office and Leading Hybrid and Remote Team.”
