Five years ago, working remote became the norm. In fact, for many industries, it wasn’t an option. The rush out of the office was a major part of our whole society’s response to COVID-19.
Since then, things have changed. The pandemic is effectively over and telework is no longer a strict requirement. That said, working from home has plenty of perks that aren’t easy to give up.
A line has been drawn in the sand, and the hybrid wars rage on. The belligerents are those who work remote and those who urge a return to the office. We’re here to weigh both factions and see if we can determine who will win in the end.
The Remote Rebels is what we’ll call the faction of workers who work from home, a small office, their local coffee shops, or any other such place that isn’t the office. American instincts will compel many readers to hear “rebels” and think “good guys,” but that may not be the case.
Though I, the writer, will do my best to remain impartial, I could be considered a member of this faction. I work remote from my house in the Western United States and am therefore very familiar with the perks.
Remote work allows for a much more flexible schedule, a more relaxing work environment, and ostensibly a healthier work-life balance. On paper, this should make remote workers happier and healthier, therefore making them better workers overall, especially with more creative tasks.
Unfortunately, the evidence of this is shaky.
There are numerous studies that suggest working from home is more productive, and numerous more suggesting exactly the opposite. Famously, a study from Harvard in 2021 initially suggested that remote call center employees took 8% more calls. Further analysis revealed that they were taking 4% fewer calls, spending less time on each call, and resolving fewer issues.
Worse than that, remote employees are at greater risk of becoming overweight and depressed. Without proper collaboration, the isolation can be crushing.
That said, often times more creative jobs actually function better in a remote setting. An office space provides distractions and chances for others to view the creative process from an unflattering angle, getting the wrong idea that the creatives are slacking off. These are the workers keeping the fight for remote work raging in the Hybrid Wars.
The Office Loyalists represent the now ascendant faction in this conflict, not diehard fans of a famous sitcom. This faction is led by key directors and executives at most organizations and supported by industries where remote work isn’t an option.
I say this faction is ascendant because it now also includes the president of the United States. As of early 2025, government employees are now required to return to their offices, with vanishingly rare exceptions. Love it or loathe it, this marks a turning point in the Hybrid Wars.
Many business leaders have developed a negative opinion of remote work. There are those who still want to give their employees greater flexibility and may compromise with a hybrid environment. Even then, it’s hard to advocate for such a thing when examples of low productivity and poor mental health pile up.
With COVID at an end and new precedents being set by various institutions, the Loyalists are poised to win the Hybrid Wars.
Remote work in its entirety isn’t going to end anytime soon, if ever, but its widespread adoption is in a tenuous position. The Hybrid Wars are very likely to end soon with a victory for the Office faction.
While certain employers will take advantage of this to bring their remote employees back to the office on pain of termination, others will look to compromise to make the transition painless and avoid future conflict.
To that end, let’s address some points for peace, and what the future of hybrid work may look like.
There are certain things about working life that remote work cuts out in such a way that improves the overall experience. Chief among these are long commutes and office politics.
Many employees view their work as transactional. As their employer, you pay them x dollars for working y hours. What remains is their time to do with as they see fit. Respecting this agreement is integral to the work-life balance, which everyone, employer and employee alike, is trying to perfect.
But what happens when an employee needs to make a long commute to the office? A round trip of an hour or more throws the work-life balance out of whack. Worse still, this time benefits neither the individual nor the organization. If an employee can choose to work from home instead of dealing with this commute on a regular basis, they certainly will.
Dealing with commutes is bad enough, but what about dealing with other people? While it’s true that isolation can be soul-crushing and camaraderie is important, sometimes the petty drama and politics that coworkers generate is at best distracting and at worst destructive.
Bringing employees back into the office without friction will require mitigating these frustrations.
If dealing with the stressors of the workplace is easier said than done, offering a hybrid work option is the best strategy. Employees can trade off different days or weeks working in the office and working from home. This way employees won’t be perpetually isolated in their homes and also won’t have to deal with annoying coworkers on a regular basis.
Maintaining a hybrid environment, of course, requires state-of-the-art communications technology — UC, AV, and everything in between. Building a workspace where everyone has the flexibility to work when and wherever they’re at their best may require a little help from a trusted partner.
The Hybrid Wars ought to be resolved with a mutually beneficial treaty, which Continuant can provide.
For almost 30 years, we’ve worked with organizations of all sizes building and maintaining their communications environments. From legacy systems to the cloud, we’ve made telework a breeze with seamless UCaaS deployments and made the office a more exciting and efficient place with advanced meeting rooms and AV upgrades.
Continuant Connect is a platform that enables quick and easy integration for legacy systems and allows users to easily switch between different platforms such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams. With this, it’s easier than ever to make sure that every employee, wherever they may be, is an active part of the bigger picture.
Meeting rooms from Continuant make this even better. With equipment from industry leaders like Crestron and Poly, hybrid teams can collaborate with greater immersion than ever before.
Whether you’re a Rebel, a Loyalist, or something in between, sign the Treaty of Continuant (which is actually a form for a free discovery call) and start building the right communications environment today.