The Truth about Hybrid Work in 10 Charts

Amid some turbulence from several companies that recently tried to mandate a Return to Office move, hybrid work is here to stay and still transforming business operations worldwide. 

As HR leaders, understanding this is insightful and beneficial for your strategic planning and future success. The following ten charts bring you critical insights into the current state of hybrid work and its long-term direction.

1/ On-site employees have dropped the most in engagement since 2020.

2/ 73% of Amazon employees said they are considering looking for another job because of the in-office work policy.

3/ 67% of US firms currently offer work location flexibility.

4/ The food services, transportation, and manufacturing industries have the lowest remote and hybrid rates due, in part, to the need for physical interaction. 

5/ 03 days per week is the most favorite number of days hybrid workers spend in their office.

6/ Structured Hybrid has become the dominant flexible work model in the United States at a 38% adoption rate.

7/ US workers now live farther from their employers, especially those with higher compensation, those in their 30s, and those hired since March 2020.

8/ 44% of hybrid employees “coffee badge,” in which 47% of managers do this, compared to just 34% of individual employees. 

9/ 92% of employees reported feeling engaged in a hybrid work model environment. 

10/ Hybrid employees feel most connected to their companies’ mission or purpose.

Chart #1: Gallup’s study found that employees whose jobs could be performed with remote flexibility but required to work on-site daily have the lowest engagement level.

Chart #2: 73% of Amazon’s employees, surveyed by Blind, were reconsidering their future at the company after the mandate, an obvious sign of disengagement and a potential loss of talent density. 

Chart #3: According to the latest data from Flex Index, 67% of US firms, accounting for industry variations, provide work location flexibility, meaning they don’t mandate corporate employees to work full-time in the office.

‍Chart #4: The paper “The Evolution of Work from Home” showed that retail, hospitality, food services, transportation, and manufacturing employees have low work-from-home rates, typically between 0.7 to 0.9 days per week. 

Most roles in these industries require physical presence to interact with customers or operate specialized equipment in designated facilities. Since staff primarily work on-site, their managers do as well.

‍Chart #5: According to the latest data from Owl Labs, many hybrid workers wish for fewer office days. Three days a week remains the most popular number of in-office days for hybrid workers, with 41% reporting how often they go in. Three days a week is also the favorite number of days in-office for all hybrid workers. 

According to the latest hybrid work statistics, 2-3 days per week is now considered the 'perfect harmony' between how often employees prefer to come into the office and their leadership's expectations.

‍Chart#6: Structured Hybrid has become the dominant flexible work model in the United States at a 38% adoption rate. 

At Structured Hybrid companies, corporate employees are not expected to be in the office full-time. Still, there is a set expectation (most commonly on a weekly basis) for how much time employees spend in the office. According to latest data from Flex Index, this type of hybrid work schedule is the most popular among all working models.

‍Chart #7: The paper “Americans Now Live Farther from Their Employers” found that US workers now live further away from their employers; most are “high-earning Millennials” and were hired in March 2020.

‍Chart #8: The latest data from Owl Labs showed that 44% of hybrid workers are coffee badging. In this group of coffee badgers, 47% are managers-level employees. 

Chart #9: Hybrid US employees are happier than last year, with 92% saying they feel more engaged. Meanwhile, this rate dropped for those entirely in-person or fully at home, according to Morning Consult.

Chart #10: Gallup’s latest statistics (data in May 2024) showed hybrid employees feel most connected to their organization’s mission or purpose, while fully in-office employees think the least.

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