Hybrid Work Policies: The New Make-or-Break for Recruiting

Employers’ return-to-work plans are a hot topic in the news these days, with many workers reportedly planning to quit if they’re forced back into the old 9-5, five days a week grind. While some companies are embracing the remote work model, the majority of employers are looking at some kind of hybrid arrangement where workers split time between the office and home.

What that looks like, however, looks quite different depending on the company and industry. Just this past week, Apple announced that it would be supplementing its three-day-a-week in-office policy with a two-week “work from anywhere” benefit.

“Companies are at an inflection point where they are making decisions related to the future of work,” says Yanina Korilen, partner with Aon’s Data, Strategy and Rewards Solutions team. “Very few companies expect the workplace to be the same as before, they will use the workplace as a space to collaborate, to meet people, and generate new ideas.”

Though we’ve seen over the past year that employees are more than capable of getting their work done from just about anywhere, that’s not the only concern employees have. “Most companies believe it is easier to protect the culture if employees spend time in an office environment,” says Korilen. “Many are working to find new ways to forward the culture, such as off-site outdoor events and virtual events.”

Results of a recent Aon Pulse Survey offer a glimpse of what direction employers are heading in crafting their policies. Very few anticipate a return to the full five-day workweek, but they have some time to think about it still, with about half of employers not planning a return to the office until Q3. And it would behoove employers not to rush the decision, as it will set the stage for future recruiting and retention efforts.

“We are seeing organizations developing their hybrid work plans with divergent models and competing approaches,” says Kaumil Dalal, director, technology at West Monroe, commenting on the company’s latest C-suite poll. “There is no single blueprint for hybrid work. The shift to a hybrid work is more than a logistical challenge—it’s a transformational effort that needs a new operating model. Companies need to start thinking about hybrid work with the transformation lens rather than a logistical exercise. This is the greatest opportunity in a generation to reinvent business. Companies that take it seriously will reap rewards for years to come.”