Is it the end of the era of remote work?

Is remote work dead?

No, but the pendulum has swung. Remote work is on the decline, with an increasing number of companies requiring their employees to return to the office at least some of the time.

Many large employers have tightened attendance requirements, especially at the top end of the market. Among Fortune 100 desk workers, fully in‑office policies now dominate (54%), with hybrid close behind (41%). At the same time, average weekly requirements have climbed to nearly four days. The story outside the F100 is more nuanced, but the direction in big‑company boardrooms is clear.

What factors are driving this trend, and what does the decline of remote work mean for HR and people leaders? Read on to find out.

Remote vs hybrid vs in-office: The current state of the workplace

Many popular news sites and analysts agree: The return-to-office (RTO) tug-of-war has largely been decided, with one clear winner emerging – hybrid work.

Hybrid has become the default for most remote‑capable roles, with Gallup finding that work location patterns have stabilized since 2022. The majority of remote‑capable employees now work in hybrid roles, with smaller segments fully on‑site (21%) or fully remote (27%).

In many ways, the persistence of hybrid work makes sense, representing a middle ground between a fully remote and fully in-office team. It creates a balance between employees’ desire for flexibility at work and employers’ preference for collaboration and IRL connection.

Feature: What are employees looking for?
While hybrid work has won out on the employer side, many employees still prefer working fully remotely. In their report, “The Remote Work Gap,” LinkedIn found that the pandemic-era spike in demand for remote work has remained stable, even as the number of remote jobs has decreased. This is particularly pronounced in the United States, where more than 1 in 5 job seekers seek remote-only jobs.

Why is remote work decreasing?

Some of the key factors driving remote work’s decline include:

• Hybrid formalized as the operating norm. Many organizations now spell out where work happens in their policies (e.g., 2-4 days in office each week), making hybrid the default for many remote‑capable roles – especially at large companies. As a result, fully remote openings are rarer, even as candidate interest stays high.
• Leadership preference. One of the most common justifications for RTO comes from leaders who believe that being physically together improves teamwork and innovation. They argue that spontaneous, face-to-face interactions lead to better problem-solving, mentoring, and cultural cohesion – factors they believe are difficult to replicate remotely.
• Real estate pressures. Many companies leased or built large office spaces before the pandemic. With reduced occupancy during remote periods, office costs became harder to justify. As such, leaders may be driven to mandate RTO to “get value” from their real estate investments.

That said, the general decline of remote work doesn’t necessarily mean that remote work isn’t a valid operating model with benefits for both employees and their companies. Culture Amp’s data shows that remote workers are 3-4% more engaged than employees working hybrid or in-office. They also rate recognition, communication/collaboration, and confidence in leadership more highly than their non-remote counterparts.

What does this all mean for HR and people leaders?

In today’s ever-changing world of work, choosing between remote, office-based, and hybrid models remains a topic of contention for many organizations. No matter how you split the pie, though, there isn’t a single definitive “best” model.

Each model has its own pros and cons; while hybrid work has emerged as the prevalent way-of-working in 2026, that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily the best model for your specific organizational context.

In our experience working with thousands of companies from startups to enterprises, we’ve observed the following general trends:

Remote

Good for:

• Flexibility
• Autonomy

Benefits:

• High employee engagement and performance
• Stronger connection to leadership
• Access to broader and more diverse talent pool regardless of location
• Environmentally sustainable (i.e., reduced traffic jams, reduced air pollution)

Considerations:

• Potential blurring of work-life boundaries
• Higher risk of exhaustion or burnout
• Connection and community-building need to be actively addressed

In-office

Good for:

• Moving fast
• Enablement

Benefits:

• Spontaneous collaboration
• Organic mentoring and learning
• Strong company identity and cohesion
• Clear boundaries between work and personal life

Considerations:

• Least flexible and autonomous option – employers may want to consider flexible start/finish times and other policies to create flexibility at work
• Commute-related time and stress
• In-office distractions may reduce focus – flexible office layouts may help

Hybrid

Good for:

• Innovation through collaboration
• Balanced flexibility

Benefits:

• Offers both collaboration and individual focus time
• Flexible enough to meet employees’ diverse needs
• Combines opportunities for in-person mentoring and training with self-directed learning

Considerations:

• Requires clear policies for in-office days
• Managers may need additional training and upskilling

Remote, hybrid, in-office: It depends on you

Remote work hasn’t ended – it’s merely shifted towards a more balanced, hybrid model. The market has moved from “anywhere, always” to context‑based flexibility: hybrid for many, remote where it best serves outcomes, and purposeful office time.

Our recommendation: Start from outcomes, map the work’s interdependence, consider equity and development impacts, and track progress so you can learn and adapt. The best model for your company will reflect your company’s unique culture and goals. As you assess your options, consider which groups of employees you may be inadvertently excluding and create initiatives to address the needs of those employees.

By continuously evolving your employee listening approach, you can better understand the employee experience and how it may differ for your remote, hybrid and in-office employees. You can leverage these findings to tailor your workplace to the needs of your employees and unlock a culture of sustainable high performance and engagement. Tools like Culture Amp Engage can help you uncover the areas that will drive meaningful work for your employees and maximize impact to your business

Mandates alone won’t fix culture or performance, but good design will.

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