Briefing | Debate continues around hybrid and remote working

Striking the right balance

Many organisations are working to get the balance right. There is increased attention on the long-term impact of hybrid and remote working on productivity, innovation, collaboration, and culture.

The soon-to-be-published HR Practices in Ireland 2025 survey found more respondents considered hybrid working to have a positive impact on productivity above other ways of working. However, lower productivity levels were associated with fully remote working. This will vary by organisation, team and individuals but ground rules are now being re-established about what happens on site and why.

The value of employees coming together cannot be underestimated but this needs to be managed with thoughtfulness and structure so that it delivers value to the organisation and builds relationships. Take induction and learning as examples – this has very much returned to face-to-face engagement for new employees, to support getting to know the organisation, building up relationships, understanding the culture and how things get done around here. Established employees are increasingly coming together in person to learn, to develop a learning culture, to share expertise both formally and informally, and collaborate.

While not many Irish organisations have mandated that workers should come back into the office five days a week, our HR Practices in Ireland survey identified an increase in centralised decision-making when it comes to the number of days on site, from 34% of organisations last year to 44% this year. We found 25% of organisations were increasing the number of days on site over 2024 and 2025. The pattern of on site working remains the same with about one third of organisations on site two days a week and another third on site three days a week. There was a small drop in the number on site for one day a week.

Managing the risks of mandated attendance on site

The risks of increasing the number of mandated days on site should be considered. The so-called practice of ‘task masking’, where employees openly exaggerate that they are working hard by making themselves look busy around the office, is one example. This could be seen as a new version of presenteeism where people were visible on site though not always contributing.

Then there is the issue of ‘hushed hybrid’, and the risk that it would become more pronounced if managers allow people to spend more days at home on an informal basis which counteracts the organisation’s policy.

Organisations should also consider the question of space and if the size and layout can cope with having the majority of employees on site at one time especially if it's been operating with only about 50% capacity for the last couple of years.

Flexible working is valuable for attraction and retention 

HR Practices in Ireland 2025 highlights that flexible working practices are the top attraction and retention tools for four in five organisations. This brings into sharp relief the fundamental dilemma of wanting to attract and keep required skills and talent while making sure the advantages of hybrid working benefit both the employee and the organisation.

It is also not an easy balance to get right when it comes to work-life balance. The Office of National Statistics in the UK produced figures in 2024 showing that more time is spent on activities supporting wellbeing on a day when a person is working from home. This shows the value of hybrid working from both the individual’s and organisation’s perspective. Another issue to consider is the volume of employees who now live further from their office locations as they did not expect to be attending every day and want to avoid regular long commutes.

It’s also important to make sure the role of managers in this process is not neglected. Managers have to buy in to the value of hybrid working, the need for a consistent approach, and why they are expected to have people on site at certain times. Support in how to deal with those resisting attendance policies will also be necessary.  

Change at an organisational level as well as at an individual level always presents challenges and this is one area where consultation, consideration and experimentation will help us to get it right.