Evolving Expectations and Strategic Realignment

In the wake of the pandemic, hybrid working emerged as a transformative force, reshaping how businesses operated and how employees engaged with their roles. Fast forward to 2025, and while hybrid work remains a key part of the employment landscape, its form and prevalence are evolving.

Many organisations, particularly larger employers, are reassessing the balance between flexibility and in-person collaboration. A growing number of companies are increasing mandated office days, driven by concerns around productivity, culture, and the underutilisation of expensive office space.

Yet hybrid working is far from obsolete. It continues to offer strategic advantages in talent attraction, employee well-being, and operational agility. The model is being refined, moving away from blanket policies toward tailored approaches that reflect team needs, business functions, and individual preferences. As we navigate this next phase, the challenge for employers is clear: how to preserve the benefits of flexibility while fostering connection, performance, and purpose.

Facilitating Seamless Collaboration in a Changing Hybrid Landscape

As hybrid working evolves, fostering effective collaboration between office-based and remote employees remains a top priority. With many organisations recalibrating their models, often increasing in-office expectations, it’s essential to ensure that teams remain connected, engaged, and productive regardless of location.

To support this transition, leaders must invest in both physical and digital infrastructure. Harvard Business Review highlights three guiding principles for hybrid success: equity, engagement, and ease. These should inform how spaces are designed and how technology is deployed.

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Traditional video conferencing setups often leave remote participants at a disadvantage. To overcome this, businesses should repurpose underutilised office space into dedicated hybrid collaboration zones, equipped with high-quality AV tools and inclusive layouts. Clear communication protocols and structured meeting formats ensure every voice is heard, while training helps teams embrace new tools with confidence.

Structuring Office Time to Maximise Collaboration and Culture

Flexibility remains a powerful draw for talent, but successful hybrid working requires more than just letting employees choose their own schedules. Without structure, teams can drift into isolated routines, weakening cross-functional collaboration and diluting company culture.

As Emilie Gregson, Founder of Signature Career Management, puts it: “Remote working can be beneficial from a productivity perspective, but this isn’t the only impact of hybrid-working. If businesses don’t carefully manage the interaction between their teams, they risk reduced levels of collaboration, innovation, and the transfer of knowledge that thrives in face-to-face environments.”

A well-designed hybrid strategy should include scheduled in-office days that promote meaningful overlap between teams, especially where collaboration, creativity, and mentoring are critical. At the same time, employees should retain the flexibility to choose remote days that suit their personal lives. This semi-structured approach supports performance while respecting individual needs.

Boosting Feedback to Strengthen Connection and Purpose

One of the biggest challenges in hybrid working is the risk of communication breakdown. When teams spend less time together in person, issues can go unnoticed until they escalate, impacting morale, performance, and retention. Only 27% of employees report receiving more feedback since moving to hybrid models. 

Yet feedback is essential, not just for performance management, but for building purpose, alignment, and belonging. Many employees feel their organisations lack a clear purpose, or that it doesn’t translate into meaningful impact 

Regular 1-2-1s, PDPs, and mentoring sessions help bridge this gap. Feedback fosters inclusion, supports development, and reinforces the connection between individual contributions and organisational goals. “

"Feedback is the gift that keeps giving in a hybrid-working strategy. It brings people into the fold who might otherwise feel on the fringes, and it opens the door to mentoring, development, and stronger team cohesion.” — Emilie Gregson

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Conclusion: Building a Hybrid Strategy That Works

As hybrid working matures, the question is no longer if it should be part of your strategy, but how to make it work effectively. Recent data shows that 41% of UK employees prefer a split of three days at home and two in the office, suggesting that flexibility remains a key driver of satisfaction and retention.

But hybrid success isn’t just about where people work, it’s about how they connect, collaborate, and contribute. Businesses must move beyond reactive policies and build intentional frameworks that balance structure with autonomy, and performance with wellbeing.

Here’s how to get started:

• Consult your teams: Understand what flexibility means to them and where collaboration is most critical.

• Design with purpose: Align hybrid policies with business goals, culture, and employee experience.

• Invest in infrastructure: From tech to training, ensure your systems support seamless hybrid collaboration.

• Measure and adapt: Track engagement, productivity, and retention, and refine your approach accordingly.

Hybrid working isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. But with thoughtful planning and open communication, it can be a powerful lever for growth, resilience, and competitive advantage.

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