Dive Insight:

The proliferation of remote and hybrid work models has sparked no shortage of discussion, but the solution for many employers may lie in listening to their employees, whatever it is they may want, various experts and studies have shown.

Yelp, for example, opted to go fully remote after it noticed only 1% of its global workforce chose to come into the office once it opened back up, the company’s chief people officer previously told HR Dive. Much of that decision relied upon employee survey data and office utilization data, as well as insights from candidates who had applied thanks to Yelp’s remote work focus.

Other surveys have also indicated that remote and hybrid work will likely remain the norm. Close to half of IT and business decision-makers surveyed by Foundry earlier this year said their employees work in a hybrid format, and 30% said they were remote only; only 29% said they were completely in-office. Even CEOs, at least in the summer, were rejecting the commute to the office, citing convenience as well as concerns about gas prices.

But employees may still see value in a return to the office, particularly those keen to work physically next to their co-workers again. The main thing remote workers tend to miss about the office? The camaraderie, one survey noted. And friendship at work is a powerful retention factor, one expert previously told HR Dive.

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