Nearly three-quarters of CEOs aren’t expecting to implement full-time office return mandates and are reaping the benefits of hybrid work, according to a new study.

The International Workplace Group conducted a survey of more than 500 CEOs in a range of industries and found that more than nine in 10 had introduced some form of hybrid working, and most aren’t expecting to return to what was considered normal before the pandemic.

The Covid pandemic forced many businesses and workers to work full-time from home and many have not returned despite all restrictions being lifted. Many workplaces instead have found a middleground with hybrid work, with employees given the option to work some days remotely and others from an office.

While some organisations – notably some tech firms – are trying to force their staff to return to the office full-time, many others are seeing huge benefits with hybrid work and won’t be looking back, according to the survey.

The survey found the majority of respondents had seen benefits in employee engagement, company culture, efficiency, and collaboration thanks to hybrid work, and 74 per cent said that a full-time office return is not a business priority in the future.

“This latest research convincingly demonstrates that CEOs appreciate the critical role that hybrid working has in not only attracting, but retaining the highest quality talent,” International Workplace Group CEO Mark Dixon said.

“The uptake of hybrid working is continuing to increase as companies of all sizes understand its importance in creating an optimal environment for both the productivity of the business and the happiness of its employees to thrive.”

More than 75 per cent of CEOs whose companies had adopted hybrid work said this had led to improvements in employee engagement, company culture, and collaboration between teams and colleagues.

What the employees want

Hybrid work is also crucial in attracting the best talent to an organisation and ensuring these people remain in their roles, the study found.

More than 70 per cent of the CEOs surveyed said that having hybrid work in place had assisted them in hiring the best because of this.

A further 65 per cent of respondents said that they believed that implementing a return-to-office mandate would lead to them losing employees.

“It’s no secret that hybrid working arrangements have been a key incentive when attracting talent to an organisation, as employees across Australia are prioritising flexibility more than ever,” International Workplace Group Australia country head Damien Sheehan said.

“The adoption of flexible work models by CEOs has driven productivity, enhanced employee retention, and strengthened company culture.”

To help capitalise on the opportunities that hybrid work offers, nearly all the CEOs surveyed said they had invested in new technologies to assist this experience, and for nearly half of them it was the biggest investment last year.

Adapting to remote work

Recent research also found that key senior executives may leave an organisation if they are forced to return to the office full-time, with many large tech firms losing a significant number of senior managers to other companies that persisted with remote working.

A separate survey found that return to office mandates were being used by many companies as a ruse to conduct strategic downsizing, with 37 per cent of respondents saying they were forced to lay off employees last year after not as many remote workers quit as expected when they were told to return to the office.

This rise in popularity of hybrid and remote work has also led to a cat and mouse game between employees and their bosses, with the use of technology to surveil and to fake productivity.

Many employers are now monitoring staff who are working remotely using software, while workers have also been able to fake this productivity using technology such as “mouse jiggers”.