There will be no full return to offices. Hybrid working has proven to be a permanent solution

Hybrid work was supposed to be a temporary solution after the COVID-19 pandemic, but it has become a permanent element of the business strategy of most companies – according to the Colliers report. This choice of work organization was declared by 94 percent. surveyed companies in Poland.

According to the authors of the report, companies have already become familiar with the hybrid work model and are currently focusing on managing distributed teams as effectively as possible. Organizations are also encouraging employees to return to stationary work to a lesser extent than a year or two ago.

As indicated in the report, in the initial period after the pandemic, many organizations treated hybrid work as a temporary solution that was to function until a “return to normality”. In 2022, 63 percent companies encouraged employees to return to the office, and 18 percent it did not take such actions. Currently 49 percent organization is trying to encourage employees to increase the number of days they work in the office, and 34% declared not to exert pressure. companies.

“The stage of waiting for the great return to offices is behind us. Today, no one is asking whether hybrid work will stay with us – it has already been decided. Another question becomes crucial – how to effectively manage this model so that it becomes real support for business and employees. Organizations are gradually giving up on simple, standard solutions and are looking for a way to adapt the principles of hybrid work to their goals and needs,” she said. Dorota Osiecka from Colliers Define.

The data presented in the report shows that the percentage of companies preferring to work mainly from the office has been systematically decreasing and in 2025 it amounted to 8%. However, the hybrid model is evolving. Companies are increasingly implementing diverse work models within one organization to ensure that they are tailored to the needs of individual teams. This approach is now demonstrated by 17 percent. companies. A year ago, 15 percent applied such a policy, and in 2022 – 5 percent. enterprises.

The authors of the report also drew attention to a change in the approach to employment. The percentage of companies that offer full remote work from anywhere in Poland is decreasing – currently 28% of them, which means a decrease of 5 percentage points year on year. Simultaneously more and more organizations focus on employing people who live no more than two hours from the office – this approach is declared by 40 percent. companies – an increase of 6 pp. According to experts, this guarantees operational security. An employee living within a two-hour commute can quickly arrive at the office in a crisis.

Remote and hybrid work have a positive impact on the well-being of employees and work-life balance, and therefore make it easier to retain specialists and experts in the organization – it was pointed out. In addition, it increases recruitment effectiveness and individual efficiency, as well as strengthens the organization's resilience and business continuity, translating into better results for the entire company.

More than half (51%) of the surveyed companies indicated that remote work had a negative impact on the flow of information at the operational level. At the same time, 37 percent there are no defined key communication channels, 44 percent there are no rules implemented to ensure the appropriate organization of hybrid meetings, and 66 percent has not implemented practices and rules related to asynchronous communication.

The popularization of hybrid work also affected the office space market – the number of sublease offers increased. There are approximately 65,000 available in Warsaw. m2 of office space in this formula is nearly 10%. free surface. This phenomenon is also spreading in smaller markets. (PAP)

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