Eurofound’s research offers a clearer picture. Drawing on ten case studies conducted in both public and private organisations across Austria, Finland, Lithuania and Spain, Eurofound explores how hybrid work is structured, why it is adopted, and what its implications are for working conditions and employee performance. The findings underscore both the diversity and the complexity of hybrid models, as well as their enduring appeal to both employers and employees.
What drives hybrid work adoption?
The pandemic may have accelerated the adoption of hybrid work, but it didn’t invent it. In seven of the ten organisations studied, hybrid models predated COVID-19. For these early adopters, implementation often involved overcoming entrenched office cultures, managerial resistance, and a lack of digital infrastructure. Externally, interacting with clients or partners unaccustomed to remote collaboration proved an additional hurdle.
The remaining three organisations had no hybrid framework before 2020, implementing remote work only as a crisis response. But what began as a necessity has, for many organisations, evolved into a strategic advantage.
Why employers embrace hybrid work
Eurofound’s research identifies five primary drivers behind the continued adoption of hybrid models:
- Labour market competitiveness: With talent increasingly difficult to attract and retain, especially in tech and knowledge sectors, offering hybrid work has become a key differentiator. Several organisations report using it as part of a deliberate strategy to appeal to younger professionals and skilled workers prioritising work–life balance.
- Digital transformation: In many cases, hybrid work is both a consequence and an enabler of broader digitalisation efforts. Investments in collaborative platforms and cloud-based tools have made remote collaboration more feasible and efficient.
- Cost efficiency: Downsizing office space and reducing overheads are tangible benefits. The reorganisation of office spaces (for example, desk-sharing schemes) can lead to savings.
- Employee engagement: Improved motivation, job satisfaction were reported as outcomes of well-managed hybrid models.
- Sustainability goals: Fewer commutes translate into reduced carbon emissions – a metric increasingly relevant for ESG-conscious organisations.
Why workers choose hybrid
While remote work was initially imposed during lockdowns, its continued uptake in the context of hybrid work arrangements is largely voluntary. In every case study, the option to work in a hybrid mode was discretionary, contingent on certain job roles and managerial agreements. The freedom to opt in appears central to its success.
The dominant reason cited by employees for choosing hybrid work is commuting time savings. Time previously spent in transit is now repurposed for rest, personal responsibilities, or leisure, improving employees’ work-life balance. This was particularly appreciated by those with long commutes and/or caregiving duties.
Employees also reported improved productivity, often tied to greater autonomy and the ability to work when they felt most focused. Over time, many began to value these intrinsic benefits—greater concentration, self-paced workflows, and fewer office distractions—as much as, if not more than, logistical conveniences.
Crucially, hybrid work was linked to higher job satisfaction and enhanced overall well-being. Several case studies revealed that hybrid work is linked to enhanced motivation and job satisfaction, contributing to building trust when it is adequately managed.
Many interviewees underlined that hybrid work comes with a certain learning curve, in which the work-intrinsic benefits of this arrangement are increasingly appreciated over time. For some, the hybrid format has changed the very way they thought about their relationship to work.
Three emerging hybrid models
Despite a shared vocabulary, hybrid work models vary significantly in their design and management. Eurofound categorised the ten case studies into three distinct types:
- Structured, balanced (5 cases): These models are governed by central policies but allow team-level discretion. Typically, workers are permitted to work remotely for 2-3 days per week (40%-60% of working time). Line managers play a key role in scheduling and coordination, balancing organisational needs with individual preferences.
- Flexible, unconstrained (4 cases): These setups prioritise individual autonomy, with few formal restrictions. Remote work is often the default, and office presence is largely optional. Line managers are tasked with managing diverse team arrangements, often with most staff working remotely the majority of the time.
- Rigid, office-first (1 case): The outlier in the study. Remote work is tightly controlled and limited to one fixed day per week, agreed upon in advance with the line manager. Variation is minimal with a top-down policy dictating terms for all staff.
The divergence in models reflects different organisational cultures, industries and managerial attitudes. It also suggests that hybrid work, far from a one-size-fits-all solution, is being adapted to fit specific operational contexts.
The role of social dialogue
The presence of employee representatives was one of the criteria for the selection of the organisations to be studied by Eurofound, so that the role they played in the design and implementation of hybrid work could be examined. Workers' representatives have been actively involved through negotiation in the cases from Austria, Finland, and Spain, and to a lesser extent in Lithuania.
Social dialogue and, at times, also collective bargaining, has been especially relevant for two important aspects of hybrid work. Firstly, it has helped to ensure equitable access to hybrid work across the organisations, including compensation in case some specific jobs did not allow for a hybrid organisation. Secondly, it has ensured the voluntariness and reversibility of the agreed hybrid work arrangements.
Ensuring the balance between remote and on-site work and reinforcing employer's support for ergonomics (by providing or financing proper equipment and tools, for example) are two further aspects that are gaining relevance in social dialogue on hybrid work.
Also noteworthy is the fact that, while hybrid work could create some challenges for the operation of works councils, trade unions, and other workers' representatives, in studied organisations, these bodies seem to have adapted well to the hybrid settings, in some instances pointing out that it can actually help them reach out to more employees.
Hybrid is more than just a perk
One of the most important insights from Eurofound’s research is that hybrid work, when well implemented, offers tangible benefits for both employers and employees. It enhances productivity, expands the talent pool, reduces costs, and improves well-being. But these benefits are not automatic: they depend on thoughtful design, supportive management, and strong worker participation in the design and implementation of the adopted models.
The diversity of models seen across the ten organisations underscores the importance of context. What works in a public agency in Spain may not suit a tech firm in Lithuania. Yet, all cases point toward a common trend: hybrid work is no longer an emergency response. It is becoming a strategic feature of modern workplaces.
Looking forward to the future of work
The full implications of hybrid work on job quality, organisational performance, and labour market dynamics are still unfolding. Eurofound’s upcoming policy brief – The hybrid workplace in the post-COVID-19 era – will delve deeper into this topic and present the main, need-to-know policy pointers, building on these case studies and data from the latest round of the European Working Conditions Survey (2024).
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