Hybrid work is not going away, despite headlines that major CEOs are pushing for return to office mandates.

Hitting the mainstream after the COVID-19 pandemic, hybrid work is now employed at 64% of workplaces, according to a new survey from Zoom.

The report, titled Navigating the Future of Work, surveyed more than 600 IT and C-suite leaders and nearly 1,900 employees across the globe, questioning their views on workplace models, productivity levels, and the impact of generative AI.

While hybrid may reign as the most common form of workplace organisation across Western Europe (60%), North America (75%), and APAC (59%), the survey noted that not all models looked the same.

Scheduled, flexitime, and outcome-based hybrid approaches are all adopted across various industries, noting that the future of work may continue to diversity.

Employees, however, support the most flexible models, with remote work from anywhere (36%) being the top choice, followed by flextime (25%).

In-office work was only preferred by a quarter of respondents when compared to all other types of hybrid and remote working options.

Furthermore, 84% of all employees believe they get more done in a hybrid/remote setting than in the office or onsite. This figure increased for 18-24 year olds (93%), and remained high for 45-54 year olds (78%).

However, despite its current popularity, the workplace is likely to continue to change.

Leaders are most influenced by productivity (84%) when dissecting their workplace models, followed by recruitment ability (62%).

75% of leaders say it is moderately to very likely that they will change their workplace model in the next two years. About four in five (82%) say that work will become more flexible, while only 3% say work will become less flexible to a degree.

The typical arguments for in-office work oft cited by CEOs fall flat when looking at the survey – workers say they are more productive working remotely, and many say they feel more connected working remotely too.

While employers cite the need for human connection, hybrid and remote workers tend to feel more connected to their co-workers and management team than in-person workers.

Employees do miss some aspects of the office, saying that it is easier to connect with coworkers, as well as citing the ability to have spontaneous conversations.

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The AI Elephant in the Room

We of course cannot talk about the future of work without discussing generative AI.

As the workplace turns hybrid and remote, companies need to consistently update their current tech stack to stay competitive and secure.

Most (75%) agree that their tools and technology used for remote work needs to be improved, and that new tools and technologies will be required to support remote work (72%).

When asked about the next immediate change to their workplace model, leaders commonly answered with AI integration.

Only 6% of leaders admitted that their organisation did not use generative AI, with the overwhelming majority using the tech for chatbots (56%), content generation (49%), and design assistance (46%).

Further, 84% of leaders have said that AI has improved productivity, and 64% of employees agreeing that AI makes it easier to do their job.

Employees, however, are more cautious about AI, with 64% sharing their concern that the technology will negatively impact their job.