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If you want to understand the current state of hybrid working in the UK and are wondering whether to do it or ditch it, this article is for you. We’ll share the key things we’ve learnt about hybrid working best practice over the last 5 years, so you can apply this to your team and keep everyone motivated. We’ll also look at the commercial impacts of hybrid working and how to measure success.
Employees are more productive in a hybrid setting
First, let’s address the elephant in the room. Some language being used to describe hybrid working is inappropriate. A current trend used by politicians and the media to describe compulsory office attendance is ‘back to work’ or ‘return to work’. This implies a person hasn’t been doing any work whilst away from the office. Language like this is more appropriate to describe employees who are returning to work after a holiday or sickness absence.
The truth is most employees who have benefited from hybrid and remote working since the pandemic believe they have been more productive. 84% say they get more done in a remote or hybrid setting compared to working full-time in an office, and 68% of UK workers prefer hybrid working patterns.
Hybrid working in the UK: the current landscape
Data from the House of Commons Library shows that in 2025, 27% of Great Britain’s workforce had some form of hybrid working arrangement. This is the second highest adoption rate in the world, after Canada. Whether to offer hybrid working is no longer a debate - 66% of employees would consider leaving a job if they had to go into the office full-time.
Hybrid working has become the default for many businesses and full-time office-based roles are in decline. Roles offering hybrid patterns are most in demand amongst the younger generations, especially Gen Z who have a different set of values and workplace expectations.
In 2025, large UK employers including Boots, Santander, Asda and John Lewis all moved away from flexible and hybrid working practices, requiring employees to be in the office in person for the full working week. From a commercial perspective, a mandated return to the office could be a smart move. With tax and wage bills increasing, businesses looking to reduce headcount may choose compulsory workplace attendance as a mechanism to squeeze out employees and avoid costly redundancies.
Mandated returns to the office have created opportunities for SMEs when it comes to talent attraction. Businesses offering hybrid roles may appear more attractive propositions. However, operating with smaller budgets, limited HR support and limited access to training can also make managing a hybrid workforce a challenge. Managers need to know how to respond to hybrid working requests and how best to lead, communicate, and care for a team who are rarely in the same room together. Poor management may build resentment among employees.
When remote and hybrid work models went mainstream in the early 2020s, managers were more concerned with employees being online between specific hours than about monitoring their wellbeing and productivity. Five years on, attitudes to timekeeping are more relaxed. People managers have become more comfortable and confident leading hybrid teams, and they understand how the flexibility offered by hybrid arrangements supports improved work-life balance and increased productivity.
Since the right to request flexible working became a legal entitlement from day one, workplaces have moved past acceptance of flexible working. SMEs understand hybrid and remote working practices are here to stay. The leadership conversation has moved on to how to get the best out of hybrid and remote teams and help them to feel more connected and supported.
The commercial benefits of hybrid teams
l Recruitment and attraction: Hybrid roles are more attractive to people who prioritise flexibility in the way they work, including young talent, parents and caregivers. This means, as an SME you might not have to offer the big salary to recruit top talent.
l Greater productivity: More than 8 in 10 UK employees say they are more productive in a flexible or hybrid role. Managers must ensure teams have the correct tools to work remotely to maintain their effectiveness.
l Increased connection and collaboration: Digital tools have made it easier for teams to communicate and work together. Collaboration creates trust and leads to ideas creation and innovation.
l A healthier workforce: The health and wellbeing benefits of hybrid working include reduced burnout, reduced sickness and absence, and better work-life balance. Research shows that more than a third of hybrid workers are healthier, take fewer sick days, and have fewer stress-related healthcare conditions.
l Trust and engagement: To be successful, hybrid arrangements require a high level of trust between manager and employee, and between team members. Where trust is strong, teams feel more motivated at work, leading to greater employee engagement.
l A competitive edge: Increased productivity, collaboration, innovation and a healthier, motivated workforce combine to create competitive advantages in the marketplace.
Our HR Consultants offer expertise and solutions to address the unique and common people challenges and opportunities affecting your workplace. Take a look at how we can help.
The foundations of successful hybrid working
To best support a hybrid team, you first need to have good foundations in place. Creating a culture of trust is key. As a manager, you have to trust that your team will perform without constant monitoring and check-ins. When you do this, they will repay you with increased respect, productivity and engagement.
Good communication is equally important. You will rarely have the benefit of informal office chats, so regular check-ins and staying connected are key. When good communication exists, teams collaborate more and perform more effectively.
Focus on wellbeing and inclusivity to help employees thrive and be productive. Hybrid workers benefit from the best of both worlds. When teams are together in person, build in time for socialising, team bonding and learning.
Clear processes and expectations are core to successful hybrid teams. Your hybrid working policy should set out how many days employees must attend their workplace, the frequency of anchor days (when the whole team is in the office), and roles which are suitable or eligible for hybrid working. Hybrid workers should also have employment contracts that reflect their working locations, hours, and responsibilities.
In need of HR Admin support to update employment policies and contracts? Learn how we can help streamline your admin and reclaim business focus.
Effective strategies for managing hybrid teams
Know your team
Show flexibility in the way you manage: look to accommodate individual needs and priorities. A personalised approach will help you understand each person’s needs. It’s important to set boundaries and agree when you can/cannot contact your team. Some people might find working from home lonely or isolating, whereas carers, parents, and employees with disabilities may reap the benefits.
Always have a clear reason for meeting
We all want to make best use of our time. Employees have become less tolerant of pointless online meetings. They can easily leave to focus on a higher priority task. If you can’t justify the reason for meeting, think twice about arranging it in the first place.
Whether you’re gathering the team together for an office day, or arranging a 121:
l Make clear the reason for meeting
l Decide who needs to be there and who doesn’t
l Consider how much of people’s time you require
l Get to the point quickly.
Set an agenda and maintain focus
Create a detailed agenda (not list of topics) to give structure and clarity to proceedings. Be conscious of people’s time and keep to topic. Politely request that unrelated conversations take place offline. People appreciate getting time back when a meeting concludes early.
Make in-person meetings purposeful
Consider how to make best use of anchor days - where the whole team are in together. Mentoring, performance reviews and recognition are best done face-to-face, while regular catch-ups work well online.
Think about how to grow and maintain the connection between remote employees.
Could you use the time for collaborative, team-building activities? It may also be a good opportunity to build understanding of company strategy, vision, values and behaviours, to strengthen the trust and communication required to work flexibly.
Encourage collaboration
Collaboration should not be limited to the time you spend together as a team. Encourage collaborative behaviours and interactions away from team meetings. ‘Who have you met with this week?’ is a helpful question to start the conversation.
Make time for hybrid workers
Organising in-person contact with hybrid employees can be challenging, particularly when your days in the office don’t coincide. It helps to establish when you will meet at the very start of your working relationship however flexibility is equally important. Be open to making time for hybrid workers to maintain a strong connection and provide a consistent level of support.
Training and development
When your team aren’t physically present, it’s easy to lose sight of the need for training. In reality, learning and development are more important than ever in a hybrid team setup. Employees need to learn how to use collaborative tools effectively and might require different skills such as self-motivation, listening and communication. Learning supports employee engagement, inclusivity, and health and wellbeing.
Whether they are working full-time in the office or at home, every employee should have equal access to training and development. Take time to discuss training needs with the individual and identify development that not only meets those needs but aligns with their work pattern.
Online learning is an accessible, inclusive solution and an effective way of supporting the transition to hybrid working - for both managers and employees. Explore our e-learning course catalogue.
How to measure productivity in remote and hybrid teams
One of the biggest grey areas in hybrid teams is how to measure productivity. We’ve all seen funny videos of homeworkers setting up robots to move their mouse to make it look like they are online whilst they have a snooze! Productivity measures should focus on outcomes and results rather than time spent at the desk and screen.
When you set goals and measures, communicate them clearly to your team. It all comes back to understanding and clarity around the purpose of our work. When teams know what they are striving for, and why, they are more motivated to achieve their goals.
Hybrid and remote working is the future of work
Hybrid and remote working is here to stay. Businesses moving back to more traditional working patterns will experience resistance. In our view, return to office mandates are not the solution. Businesses in Manchester, Altrincham and Cheshire open to new ways of working can create a competitive edge. Manager must find ways to maintain performance, productivity, motivation and engagement in hybrid teams. Following best practice is a good first step. If you would like to explore hybrid working strategies for your business, book a call with one of our HR Consultants.
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