Why Hybrid Work Persists: What Companies and Employees Get From the Office

The debate about where people work can make it sound as if employees all want to work from home while employers want everyone back in the office.

Neither assumption is true for everyone.

Some people do their best work at home. Others prefer the office, or want a mix of both.

A more recent regional picture comes from JLL's 2025 Workforce Preference Barometer, which surveyed 3,100 workers across nine Asia-Pacific markets. Seven in ten respondents faced some form of return-to-office requirement, and three in four of those employees viewed the policy positively. JLL reports that 56% said working together in person delivers better results, 43% preferred working in the office, and 40% considered mandated attendance fairer for everyone. These are reported preferences and perceptions, not proof that office attendance improves every person's performance. JLL's 2025 APAC report

The Office Can Offer Something to Employees, Too

For some people, going into work creates a useful boundary between home and the working day. The routine, the commute, a coffee in the city, seeing colleagues and leaving work behind at the end of the day can all be part of a working life they prefer.

Others find it easier to concentrate away from home, or value the energy of being around a team.

Think about a sales team. The work may happen through calls and systems, but the atmosphere can matter: hearing how a colleague handles an objection, sharing a win, asking a quick question or feeling the momentum build across the floor. A video call can connect people, but it will not necessarily recreate that shared energy.

That does not mean every sales team needs to be in an office every day. It means we should not assume the office matters only to employers or that the same environment suits every person and every kind of work.

Employers Value the Shared Experience

Companies may want people together for collaboration, informal learning, mentoring, client work and the relationships that help a team function. Those can be real needs, not simply excuses to monitor attendance.

Culture belongs in this conversation. A remote company can have a strong culture, but people may need to build connection and shared understanding more deliberately. An office creates opportunities for informal interaction; it does not guarantee that people will feel included, supported or loyal.

Nor does a return-to-office policy automatically solve problems with teamwork or management. If people commute in only to sit on video calls or work separately, the organisation may have required presence without creating much shared value.

Hybrid Needs Coordination, Not Just a Rule

Hybrid work is often presented as a compromise: a set number of days at home and in the office. But the value of office time depends on whether people who need to work together are actually there together.

JLL's APAC research highlights that employees judge office requirements partly by the experience they get in return. Four in ten respondents expected improved office spaces and amenities alongside mandated attendance. The report recommends coordinating team presence so people can collaborate, learn and build relationships during office time, rather than simply requiring everyone to be in the same building.

That matters for both sides. Employers may get the shared problem-solving, coaching and team energy they want; employees are more likely to see value in office time when it supports their work and working life. The survey does not prove that every hybrid policy succeeds, but it shows that office requirements are not automatically rejected when people see a reason for them.

For teams working across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Southeast Asia, there may not be one office all colleagues can reach. Shared team time still matters, but it needs to be coordinated across locations rather than assumed from an office address.

The Question Is What People Need From Each Place

Earlier articles in this series have explored how recruitment, management, agreed availability, hiring decisions and fairness need to adapt as more work can happen remotely. One asked how managers should lead distributed teams; another considered fairness when people in the same team have different working arrangements.

This is another part of that discussion. Flexibility matters, but so do connection, shared energy and the experience people want from work.

There is not one arrangement that suits everyone. Some employees want more time at home. Others want the routine, social contact or separation that an office gives them. Employers may need people together for particular work, but attendance alone is not evidence of contribution.

Hybrid work is not simply splitting the week between two locations. It means deciding what people benefit from doing together, what they can do effectively elsewhere, and how to make shared time worthwhile.

The question is not whether home or the office is better. It is what employees and the business need from each, and whether the working arrangement actually provides it.