Office workers cling to remote and hybrid work despite growing pressure to return

Even as businesses push for full-time office attendance, many employees continue to resist—valuing the flexibility of working from home above all.

Remote work remains ingrained in today’s workplace

As of summer 2025, employees globally average 1.3 days per week working remotely. Breakdown by region:
- 1–2 days in the US, UK, and Australia
- 1–1.5 days across Europe
- 1 day in Latin America and Africa
- 0.5–1 day in Asia
Although media in the US often emphasize pushback against remote work, since 2023 hybrid arrangements have largely stabilized and are now the accepted norm. In Denmark, remote working flexibility has become as highly valued as traditional job perks like pensions or paid vacation.

According to the State of Remote Work Report 2025:
- 69% of US companies now allow flexibility in work location (up from 51% in 2024).
- Among companies with fewer than 500 employees, a strong 73% offer full flexibility.
- 51% of employees prefer working remotely full-time and report higher job satisfaction.
- A substantial 90% of employees praise remote work for enhancing flexibility and work–life balance.

Major international firms—including Amazon, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, SpaceX, and Tesla—have introduced policies in early 2025 requiring full-week office attendance. In Europe, many businesses now limit remote work to just one day per week.
Some managers justify this shift by citing challenges managing remote teams. However, Professor Christine Ipsen of the Technical University of Denmark points out that her research shows no decline in employee effectiveness when working from home.
Management strategist Curt Steinhorst is more outspoken: he argues that RTO policies stem not from productivity concerns but from employer distrust, control, and power dynamics.