100+ Hybrid and Remote Work Statistics and Trends in 2023

Introduction: Hybrid and Remote Working Models

If you're thinking about embracing a remote, remote-first, or hybrid remote model in your team or company, then you probably will want some statistics to convince your boss. In this article, we round up all the most important statistics about hybrid and remote work in 2023, from all around the world.

Before we dive in, a quick note on the terminology.

Hybrid and remote work (work from home) exist along a spectrum, with various approaches tailored to different organizations and individuals. 

On one end of the spectrum, we have fully remote, and a remote-first model, where employees primarily work online. But, physical office spaces are still available for occasional in-person needs. On the other end of the spectrum, we find a more office-centric approach with limited work-from-home allowances.

Within hybrid remote work models itself, we find three primary hybrid work schedules:

• Hybrid Choice: Employees can select the days to work in the office within a minimum requirement. So, you need three days in the office, and deciding which ones are up to you. Google has this model, as does Facebook.

• Partial Choice: Alongside designated office days, employees can decide which additional days they want to work from the office, still with a minimum number of days.

• Fixed Days, or Organized Hybrid. This is where employers specify the days employees must be in the office. 
  

Certain companies embrace complete freedom of choice, allowing employees to select their preferred working style.  

Hubspot, an early adopter of hybrid work, offers its employees complete choice. Twice a year, each individual can choose their preferred profile, be it fully remote, hybrid, or predominantly office-based. Each option comes with its set of distinct benefits. For instance, those opting for complete remote work receive a more substantial budget for setting up their home office, while those favoring full office work enjoy a dedicated desk.

"In the last year, productivity has stayed the same, while the share of employees working from home has increased. Even better, the score on its annual question about how likely employees are to recommend HubSpot as a great place to work is 14% higher for employees working fully at home compared to the rest." – Eimear Marrinan, HubSpot VP of Culture and ESG

Which model to choose?

Globally, we observe a growing trend towards organized hybrid models, wherein employers determine when employees should come into the office, per recent Scoop data. This model has experienced a 30% surge in popularity during the last quarter, mainly at the expense of fully office-based approaches.

What's suitable for your team or company depends on many factors.‍

Virtual Internships' inspiring Global Head of People Operations Lucie Zajíčková said it well: "It's not about remote or hybrid but about flexibility, and having choice & control over how people work." ‍Job van der Voort, Remote's visionary CEO echoed this in a recent post: "It's not about working from home or not going to an office. It's about changing the relationship with work."

"It's not about remote or hybrid but about flexibility, and having choice & control over how people work." – Lucie Zajíčková, Virtual Internships‍

There are great reasons for companies to adopt hybrid and remote models. 

Hybrid and remote work boosts job satisfaction, engagement, and commitment, offering benefits such as increased flexibility, reduced commuting, and cost savings while fostering diversity and inclusion; it's highly valued by employees and employers alike for its positive impact on work-life balance, financial savings, and environmental sustainability. Let's review the key statistics that can help you make a case to provide more flexibility to your team.

Benefits of hybrid and remote work statistics

• Hybrid work increases job satisfaction, engagement, and commitment. (University of Leeds)
• Employees value working from home as much as an 8% pay increase. In tech and finance, employees value hybrid remote work at up to 11%. (Stanford)
• Remote work reduces quit rates by 35%, and 52% of employees we surveyed would quit if they could no longer work hybrid. (Stanford, FlexOS)
• Hybrid and remote work increase diversity and inclusion in race, gender, age, politics, and religion. (Stanford / Future Forum)

• Improved employee satisfaction and morale (60%) is reported by managers is the key benefit of remote work, alongside a reduction in commute time and stress (54%), improved work-life balance (53%), increased productivity (35%) and an expanded talent pool (30%.) (FlexOS)
• When companies offer remote work, employees feel more agency and autonomy, key drivers for human motivation. (Bersin) 
• 71% of those who work from home say it helps them balance their work and personal lives. That includes 52% who say it helps them a lot with this. (PEW)

• Hybrid work helps reduce real estate and operating costs by up to 50%. (Fortune)
• Hybrid and remote roles can save employees up to $12,000. (FlexJobs)
• Working from home supports the environment, as commuting is the most significant cause of greenhouse gas emissions in the US (90% comes from personal vehicles.) (Remote)
• Remote work allows companies to tap into a more extensive and diverse talent pool, enabling them to attract top talent regardless of geographical location. (Owl Labs)

In today's evolving work landscape, hybrid and remote work are emerging as a game-changer with benefits for employees and organizations. The evidence above is clear across productivity, cost savings, reduced carbon footprint, improved employee well-being, increased diversity, and more.

This transformative shift toward remote work can begin a new era of empowerment, flexibility, and success for individuals and organizations, paving the way for a future where work-life integration becomes a reality.

Statistics on hybrid and remote adoption in 2023

• In the US, working from home has stabilized at 25% of workdays. Before COVID, just a few years ago, remote work amounted to less than 5% of workdays, around one day per month. It then surged to 60% during the COVID-induced lockdowns, but we didn't witness a complete return to the 5% mark or anything close to it when offices reopened. (Nick Bloom/WFHResearch, 2023)

• Most employees now come to the office 2-3 days per week. This and leadership's desires of how often people come in (~3 days per week) has stabilized in the second half of 2023. We may have reached "hybrid work equilibrium." (Scoop/FlexIndex, 2023)

• According to the latest data from Kastle, which measures office occupancy by badge swipe-ins, offices are utilized less than ever, at an average of 47.3% across ten key metro areas, going as low as 37.5% in the San Jose metro area. (Kastle, 2023)

• Globally, most graduate employees work one or more days from home. (Nick Bloom/WFHResearch, 2023)

• Hybrid work is the dominant model: 49% of global desk workers work in a hybrid arrangement, 35% work full-time in-office, and 17% work full-time remote. But, 66% want a hybrid model. (Future Forum, 2022)
• Only 39% of US companies require office workers to be full time on-site, down from 49% at the start of the year. Employee choice models are on the rise: 26% of companies today, up from 23% at the start of the year. (Scoop/Flex Index, 2023)

• Hybrid models with employee choice and gathering for key events yields almost 100% employee satisfaction and compliance, better than fixed days of the week! This is the type of model companies like Atlassian, Airbnb, Cotopaxi, Dropbox, HubSpot and many others are using. Support people to come together for events that matter to teams: quarterly gatherings, new team formation, and or big project kickoffs. (BCG, 2023)

• Top-Down Decrees Lead to Dissatisfaction. People who are dissatisfied with their work model are >2.5 times more likely to consider leaving. Reversely, team-level decisions result in 3X better levels of satisfaction than top-down mandates. (BCG, 2023)

Statistics about hybrid and remote work productivity

The media seems to be focused on making work from home look bad – often spreading false or misleading anecdotal evidence that hybrid and remote work decrease productivity.

We thought it was time to get data on this and did our own study on employee productivity in July 2022. What we learned is that hybrid and remote managers are very pleased with their way of working, and don't see any of the difficulties that CEOs and company owners often talk about. The study revealed:

• 66% of managers saw increased productivity, and 48.5% said productivity has ‘significantly improved.’ Only 2% saw a decrease in productivity. Managers said their own productivity has significantly improved (38%) and not decreased (96%) (FlexOS)
• Your very best team members, "thriving stars," are more likely to flourish in hybrid and remote-working models, suggesting the working model has an impact on people’s ability to balance satisfaction, commitment, well-being, and self-reported performance. (McKinsey)
• Employees with location flexibility report 81% higher productivity scores. (Future Forum)‍
• 53% of people in APAC believe that the hybrid work model increases employee productivity, while 35% think flexible work will impact their physical environment and equipment. (The Economist)
• ‍30% of respondents said that less or no time commuting enabled them to be more productive. (Gartner)
  

Hybrid and remote policy statistics

• Having clear 'rules of engagement' or hybrid work policies are critical in hybrid and remote teams, but research shows that only 28% of companies created clear team agreements. (Microsoft)

Hybrid and remote work collaboration statistics

• 36% of remote managers say the lack of face-to-face interactions is one of the main challenges in their work. (FlexOS)
• The number one reason why hybrid employees come to the office is “to work with my team.” (McKinsey)

Statistics about hybrid and work and company culture

• Remote and hybrid workers are 57% more likely to say their company culture has improved over the past two years. They cite flexible
  work policies as the #1 factor behind that improvement (Future Forum)‍
• 32% of hybrid and remote employees said they feel connected to their company values, compared to 28% of office-bound workers. (Future Forum)

Statistics on managing hybrid and remote teams

• 98% say they trust their teams to be productive on non-office days. Only one respondent (out of 200) said they didn't. (FlexOS)
• Contrary to popular belief, 77% of managers find it easy, and 62% find it enjoyable or very enjoyable to manage remote teams. (FlexOS)

• Managers report that employee satisfaction and morale (60%) is a major benefit of remote work, alongside a reduction in commute time and stress (54%), improved work-life balance (53%), increased productivity (35%) and an expanded talent pool (30%.) (FlexOS)
• Managers are critical in hybrid and remote work, because employees are 7.9x more likely to stay at a job when given consistent growth opportunities by their managers, great managers can get 22% higher employee engagement across their teams, and teams with great managers tend to have 78% more psychological safety, which is one of the essential factors behind effective performance. (Humu)
• 39% of hybrid and remote employees said they feel connected to their manager, compared to 34% of office-bound workers. (Future Forum)

Return to office statistics

• Do people want to go back to the office? Asked to return to the office full-time, 15% of hybrid and remote managers in the US would consider looking for a new job, and 59% would return if needed. Only 26% would happily return to the office. (FlexOS)

• Data from a survey we did last year showed that 52% of Singaporeans would consider quitting their job if they were asked to return to the office. (FlexOS)

• 74% of introverts don't want to be at home full-time. 82% of extroverted workers prefer a hybrid work model (Myers-Briggs)
• 73% of employees need a solid reason to return to the workplace rather than just company expectations. (Microsoft)
• 74% of workers would be motivated to go to the office more often to meet with their work friends. (Microsoft)

Statistics about employees motivations to work hybrid or remote

• 98% of remote workers expressed their desire to continue working remotely, at least part of the time, for the rest of their careers. (Buffer)
• 70% said they wanted greater location flexibility, while 71% favored greater time flexibility, which is much higher than the companies are willing to provide. (The Economist)
• 66% of managers saw increased productivity, and 48.5% said productivity has ‘significantly improved.’ Only 2% saw a decrease in productivity. Managers said their own productivity has significantly improved (38%) and not decreased (96%) (FlexOS)
• Employee satisfaction and morale (60%) is a major benefit of remote work, alongside a reduction in commute time and stress (54%), improved work-life balance (53%), increased productivity (35%) and an expanded talent pool (30%.) (FlexOS)
• 53% of people in APAC believe that the hybrid work model increases employee productivity, while 35% think flexible work will impact their physical environment and equipment. (The Economist)
• Regarding the social aspect, 86% of ASEAN respondents observed improvement in relationships with family and 55% for friends. 73% of the ASEAN employees reported saving more than 4 hours a week, while 32% saved over 8 hours. Going further, 65% were able to reinvest the extra time saved from unplanned office interactions and no commuting by spending it with friends and family, which improved their holistic well-being. (Cisco)

Wellbeing statistics for hybrid and remote employees

• Employees who are burned out report 3.9x more stress and anxiety at work compared to employees who are not. (Future Forum)
• 63% of remote workers said they had experienced burnout or mental health issues. Burnout was highest among CXOs (78%) and VPs (81%)(Kona).
• 60% of employees noted improved physical well-being, with 79% exercising more, 78% feeling physically fit, and 77% feeling healthier. In terms of mental well-being, the study saw improved emotional well-being (59%), mental well-being (69%), and reduced stress levels (59%). (Cisco)
• Burnout of remote workers worsened because of the pandemic (38%) than are those working in an office (28%). Companies that switched to remote work during the pandemic probably didn’t have the structures or processes in place to manage this change successfully (Indeed/Kona).
• People who are burned out report 19% lower productivity and 29% lower ability to focus than employees who report not being burned out at work. (Future Forum)
• Female workers show 24% more burnout than their male counterparts, and 18-to-29-year-olds show 20% more burnout than workers age 30+. (Future Forum)

Statistics about hybrid and remote work cost savings

• Organizations can save an average of $11,000 per year for every employee who works remotely half of the time. (Global Workplace Analytics)
• Companies in Australia can save $7,579 per employee per year on office space and lower wages by hiring remote talents in lower-cost labor markets. (B2BHQ)

Hybrid and Remote Work Statistics by Generation

• 40% of the Asia Pacific employees prefer remote work, which is higher than Latin America (39%), Europe (35%), and North America (34%). Millennials showed the highest preference (47%), followed by baby boomers (18%). (Unisys)

APAC hybrid and remote statistics in 2023

As FlexOS is headquartered in Asia, we thought it would be good to look into statistics as it applies to our region specifically.

Given the many benefits of hybrid remote working models, and the young population in the region, it's no wonder that APAC organizations are wholeheartedly embracing hybrid work.

In fact, most companies in the region are actively encouraging this new model, recognizing its potential to revolutionize the way we work. And guess what? The support from employees is sky-high. They understand the value of hybrid work and the transformation it brings to their professional lives.

• 85% of companies actively promote and embrace a hybrid model. (Telstra)
• 52% of Singaporeans would consider quitting their job if they were asked to return to the office. (FlexOS)
• Countries like Australia, Malaysia, and Singapore lead the charge in remote working days. Singapore, in particular, stands out globally, with an average of 2.8 days of work from home per week. (Nick Bloom/WFHResearch)

• Nearly 43% of people in APAC worked in a hybrid arrangement for the first time during the pandemic, which is a stark contrast to pre-pandemic days when 78% of people had zero remote workdays. (The Economist)
• Nearly 53% of people in APAC believe that increased employee productivity will be a significant benefit of a hybrid work model. In comparison, only 35% of people believe that flexible work will impact their physical environment and equipment. (The Economist)
• ‍65% of employees across ASEAN believed that their quality of work has improved while working hybrid, with 66% noting development in job-related skills and knowledge, while 64% indicating a productivity improvement. (Cisco)
• Regarding the social aspect, 86% of ASEAN respondents observed improvement in relationships with family and 55% for friends. 73% of the ASEAN employees reported saving more than 4 hours a week, while 32% saved over 8 hours. Going further, 65% were able to reinvest the extra time saved from unplanned office interactions and no commuting by spending it with friends and family, which improved their holistic well-being. (Cisco)‍
• Looking at the health aspect, more than half (60%) of employees noted improved physical well-being, with 79% exercising more, 78% feeling physically fit, and 77% feeling healthier. In terms of mental well-being, the study saw improved emotional well-being (59%), mental well-being (69%), and reduced stress levels (59%). (Cisco)

• 7 in 10 employees across Asia have supported a shift to a hybrid work model. (Mercer)
• IDC says that more than 83% of employees report that the hybrid work model has made them more productive. (IDC)
• 49% of the employees have been somehow negatively affected by remote work settings (51% of the employees faced a lack of interaction with their colleagues, 27% reported facing noise negatively impact their quality of work, while 28% say that they could not collaborate or communicate effectively. (Microsoft)
• 92% of Singaporean employees want to take an active role and create small events like lunches or doing something fun after work to ensure the team stays connected while doing hybrid work. (FlexOS)‍
• 82% of business decision-makers say that getting employees back to the office in person is their primary concern, while 28% of surveyed said that their organization is prepared for hybrid work. (The Economist)

• Younger generations, notably Gen X, is more interested in office work to connect with senior leadership (78% of Millennials & Gen Z Vs. 72% of Gen X and older). (Unisys)‍
• 64.2% of Millennials want office space for collaboration, while 61.5% want to use it for internal meetings and activities. On the other hand, over 40% of baby boomers and Gen X wants to have office space for client meetings. (Unisys)
• Gen Z (18-24) in Singapore wants to be in the office for on-the-job learning so they can get direct feedback. (FlexOS)
• Accenture study, 63% of high-revenue growth companies have enabled productivity anywhere workforce models. Every 7 in 10 organizations are now recruiting talent from allocations and allowing hybrid work arrangements as it opens doors for new talent from all around the world. (Accenture)‍
• 5.2% of the workforce across Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, and Australia worked remotely before the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic forced a rapid shift to hybrid work, with over 36% of the workforce going hybrid by November 2023. (Accenture)
• ‍45% of organizations in the Asia Pacific are increasing investments in emerging technologies, 43% in cybersecurity, and 41% in increasing the pace of digital innovation projects. Almost 57% of APAC leaders are planning to invest in technologies that can better measure productivity across a hybrid work environment and optimize their operations. (Accenture)

Statistics prove that Hybrid and remote work are here "for good"

The trends we shared above indicate that hybrid and remote work has become more popular than ever, and their momentum continues to grow. 

Companies and employees are recognizing the multitude of benefits these models bring to the table. As we embrace hybrid remote work, we open doors to increased job satisfaction, enhanced productivity, greater work-life balance, reduced operating costs, and a positive environmental impact. 

Shifting to work-from-home policies enables organizations to tap into a wider talent pool, fostering diversity and inclusion. 

As we navigate the evolving work landscape, the transformative power of hybrid and remote work is undeniable, ushering in a new era where flexibility, choice, and collaboration thrive, ultimately leading to the success and well-being of individuals and businesses.