United States
Owl Labs’ 9th Annual State of Hybrid Work report breaks down the latest trends, explores how we’re working today, and takes a look at what’s next.
Introduction
Hybrid work has come a long way since our first report, and so have we. Now in its ninth year, this study captures the latest trends shaping how (and where) we work.
This year’s findings reaffirm what we’ve seen over time: hybrid work isn’t a trend — it’s a lasting shift. Employees and employers alike are prioritizing flexibility, often willing to trade compensation or quietly sacrifice productivity to protect it.
Stress levels among workers have risen in the past year, and 68% of working parents are concerned that caregiving responsibilities could impact their job performance. One constant? The value of strong leadership. A supportive manager remains a top workplace factor, with 89% of employees in agreement.
This year’s report also explores how AI is being used across the workplace — with 80% of employees already incorporating it into their jobs — and whether employers are encouraging (or even aware of) this growing trend.
Read on for a snapshot of how work continues to evolve, and the surprising ways people are adapting to make it work for them.
Key Findings
Polyworking is alive and well - 28% of employees have additional jobs or side hustles.
Over half (59%) of workers schedule personal appointments during traditional working hours.
69% of managers believe that working hybrid/remotely has made their team more productive.
80% of employees use or have experimented with AI in their work.
39% of workers say their level of work-related stress has increased since last year.
Nearly 1 in 2 workers (44%) say their employer’s/colleague’s political opinions have made them not want to go to the office.
68% of parents are concerned that their caregiving responsibilities might affect their job performance.
On average, full-time in-office and hybrid workers have a 31-minute commute.
65% of workers are interested in microshifting: structured flexibility with short, non-linear work blocks matched to your energy, duties, or productivity.
Over 1 in 2 workers (51%) would be interested in having an AI avatar replace them in a meeting.
Only 19% of workers said their company isn’t using employee tracking software.
Over a third (37%) of workers admitted that they have posted about their job/employer negatively on social media.
State of affairs
Section 1
While the way we work underwent a monumental shift in 2020, the past few years have shown steady momentum in the acceptance and adoption of flexible work, with hybrid work having increased year over year. The return-to-office tug-of-war continued, but 73% of workers say their companies haven’t changed their remote or hybrid policies in the past year, which meant many mandates stayed intact.
So, how often are hybrid employees actually heading into the office this year? The majority report going in 3 days (39%) or 4 days (34%) a week — both up from 2024. And if flexible work were taken away? Almost half (40%) of workers would start job hunting, 22% would expect a raise to make up for the lost flexibility, and 5% would flat out quit.
That said, most employees are staying in their current roles, with 92% not having changed jobs in 2025, but 27% are actively looking. Their top reasons? Better pay (49%), improved work/life balance (48%), and stronger career growth opportunities (44%).
Working type over the years:
Where are workers now compared to the start of the year?
10% of office workers switched jobs compared to just 4% of remote workers.
For those who have looked, or are looking for a new job, the primary reasons are:
Most hybrid workers spend 3 days in the office per week.
But let’s talk about hybrid workers’ preferred number of days in-office:
The top reasons workers think some employers are enforcing return-to-office policies:
If hybrid/remote workers were no longer allowed to work remotely or in a hybrid manner, now or in the future, they would:
What’s trending
Section 2
We’ve all heard of trends like polyworking and coffee badging, a term first coined in this report a few years back. This year, we asked workers which emerging workplace behaviors they’re actually adopting… and which ones might just be hype.
Turns out, side hustles are still on the rise, with 28% of employees reporting having one. And it’s not just employees: 31% of managers have at least one additional job, compared to 19% of individual contributors.
Coffee badging (showing up at the office just long enough to be seen) continues to gain traction, with 43% of workers already doing it and another 12% planning to try.
Unbossing, taskmasking, hushed hybrid, and more — get to know the trends that could be headed to your workplace next.
28% of workers have additional jobs/side hustles, with 22% having one additional job and 6% two or more.
Gen Z and Millennials are significantly more likely to have additional jobs than their older counterparts, Gen X and Boomers.
31% of managers have at least one additional job compared to just 19% of individual contributors.
Top reasons workers have an additional job:
Coffee-badging is alive and well. 43% of hybrid employees admitted that they sometimes go to the office for a few hours just to show their faces.
Caught in the ‘coffee-badging’ act. Who’s been caught by their employers and who’s sneaking by?
Up-and-Coming Trends
Workplace trends continue to rise, fall, and evolve - but don't mistake them for passing fads. Each trend represents a significant shift in how employees and organizations approach work at a given time, acting and reacting to external factors like new tech, global events, and changing societal values. So what trends are emerging from the 2025 landscape, and are workers actually trying them out? Let’s see…
The top trends workers have already participated in and planned to do again are:
Quiet Quitting
Quiet quitting is when employees are doing only the minimum required tasks to not get fired and no longer go above and beyond.
Quiet quitting is much more popular amongst men than women. Of those that say they’ve done it:
In-office workers are the most likely to engage in quiet quitting. Of those that say they have:
There is also a huge difference between managers and individual contributors. Of those who say they’ve engaged in quiet quitting:
Calendar Blocking
Calendar blocking is when you book or block off chunks of time in your calendar specifically to prevent clients or colleagues from taking over your time.
Calendar blocking by generation. Of those that calendar block:
Unbossing
Unbossing is when workers intentionally dodge management positions to focus on individual career progression versus managing others.
Unbossing is much more popular among men than women. Of those that say they have:
Unbossing by generation. Of those that do it:
Inside employee expectations
Section 3
So, what really matters to employees right now? Same as last year — compensation still tops the list, with 91% of workers calling it their #1 priority. Right behind that? Surprisingly or not, a supportive manager and solid benefits like health insurance and 401(k)s, both at 89%.
But stress continues to loom large: 9 in 10 employees (90%) say they’re stressed at work, and for 39% of them, it’s gotten worse over the past year. What’s driving the anxiety? The biggest concerns include lack of career growth (50%), limited flexibility (47%), worry over job stability (47%), and having their work activities monitored (47%).
When it comes to benefits that make a new role stand out, flexibility wins again, with 34% wanting flexible hours and 27% eyeing a 4-day workweek. And while 84% of employees say they’re engaged at work, 63% think their employers could step it up — especially when it comes to providing more flexibility for those who need it most, like working parents.
In this section, we get inside the minds of employees to see what drives them and what they value most.
The most important factors in the working lives of employees are:
The benefits that are most appealing in a prospective employer:
Top policies that would prevent workers from accepting a job offer were focused on flexibility:
The top workplace concerns that affect workers are:
51% of workers said that their level of work-related stress has stayed the same as last year, with 39% saying it has increased and 10% saying it has decreased.
The main reasons workers feel disengaged at work:
92% of workers admit that they could be convinced to come to the office with additional incentives. The biggest incentives would be:
We know employees want flexibility to work when and where they want. Here's a breakdown of productivity by task vs. location.
Cost of working
Section 4
In this section, we talk compensation — what employees are willing to trade for flexibility, and the hidden costs of work for both sides.
It’s clear that flexibility has real value: many employees are open to giving up part of their salary for the right benefits. The top trade-worthy perks? Better health insurance (73%), more or unlimited vacation (71%), a 4-day workweek (68%), and flexible working hours (65%).
Then there’s the indirect cost of showing up. Nearly a third (29%) of full-time office and hybrid workers spend 31–45 minutes commuting one way. That’s a lot of time that could be utilized differently or more productively — and when it comes to job transitions, nearly 1 in 3 employees (28%) say it takes 3-6 months to fully ramp up in a new role. The takeaway: meeting employees where they are, with the benefits and flexibility they actually want, could reduce costly turnover and lost productivity in the long run.
When in the office, in-person and hybrid workers spend an average of $55 a day, including $15 on commuting and $18 on lunch. That is a drop from $61 in 2024. Remote workers spend far less, averaging $18 a day at home, down slightly from $19 last year.
What percentage of your salary would you sacrifice for each benefit?
Younger generations are much more likely to take a pay cut for flexible working hours:
Younger generations are much more likely to take a pay cut for a 4-day work week:
More men are willing to sacrifice their salary for a flexible working location than women:
Younger generations are much more likely to take a pay cut for a flexible working location:
Remote workers are less likely to sacrifice pay for unlimited vacation compared to other types of workers:
What’s in the $55? Here’s a cost breakdown:
How have working costs changed since 2023?
The costs of onboarding. How many months does it take for workers to get up to speed with a new job?
Redefining the rules of work
Section 5
The rise of hybrid and remote work has reshaped how employees manage their time and define workday boundaries. Expectations around meeting times are shifting — 70% of employees say 8:00 AM or anything before is too early, while 82% prefer meetings to end by 4:00 PM.
Work hours are becoming less defined as well. 7% of employees report having neither a clear start nor end to their day, and nearly 1 in 5 (19%) say their day has a set start time but no clear end time — highlighting the continued blurring of work-life boundaries.
Flexibility during the day is also becoming the norm. Over half of employees (59%) schedule personal appointments during typical work hours, and 38% take up to an hour each day for personal time.
Interest is also growing in microshifting — a structured approach to flexible working where employees work in short, non-linear blocks based on personal energy, responsibilities, or productivity patterns. This year, 65% of employees said they are interested in this working style.
65% of managers schedule personal appointments during the work day compared to just 43% of individual contributors.
There is also a generational divide. Younger employees are more likely to make appointments during the workday.
For those workers who schedule appointments during the day, how much time will they take out of their workday to attend them?
What time is too early for your first meeting?
What time is too late for your last meeting?
93% of workers said they have a clear start and/or end to their workday. However, that isn’t equal across working styles. Of those who said they have a clear start and/or end to their workday:
If companies are using employee tracking software, the main uses are:
Should employers disclose if they are using employee monitoring tools? 85% of workers think so.
Managers are more than three times as likely to try microshifting than individual contributors. Of those that are interested in microshifting:
Caregivers are almost more than three times as likely to try microshifting than non-caregivers. Of those that are interested in microshifting:
Tech at work
Section 6
In the previous section, we explored how employees are rethinking time — when we work, when we meet, and how today’s workers are drawing new boundaries. Now, we turn our attention to the meeting experience itself — and the growing role technology plays in shaping it.
Similar to 2024, the call for smarter, more reliable tech hasn’t quieted. In fact, it’s louder than ever. Nearly 8 in 10 workers (77%) say they’ve lost time to technical difficulties — a cost we’ve come to call the “meeting tax.” On average, employees say they lose over six minutes just getting hybrid meetings started, and more than 1 in 4 (27%) report losing 10+ minutes per meeting to tech setup alone.
The takeaway is clear: easy-to-use tech wins. Complex setups are still a major hurdle — over two-thirds of workers (67%) admit they’ve abandoned attempts to get video technology working in a meeting space altogether.
On average, workers have 5 online meetings and 5 face-to-face meetings a week:
Average number of virtual/hybrid meetings versus face-to-face meetings workers have per week:
While the average number of meetings (both virtual and face-to-face) was similar to those in 2024, there was an increase in those attending 7-8 meetings per week.
The most common hybrid meeting issues:
Who’s feeling left out the most?
For some workers, the time and effort spent setting up video technology for meetings are often in vain:
When asked to think about their employer’s hybrid meeting equipment, most workers gave either positive or neutral responses:
The modern manager’s role
Section 7
If there’s one relationship that can define the workplace experience, it’s the one between employees and their managers. As stated earlier, the data shows that having a supportive manager ranks among the most important workplace factors for employees. How leaders show up — how they support, connect, and guide their teams — plays a crucial role in building trust and driving team success.
Despite ongoing conversations around where we work, managers’ top concerns don’t waver based on working location. Whether remote or in-office, managers’ concerns and focuses for their employees remain the same: employee engagement, IT support, and overall satisfaction.
And while some still question whether hybrid or remote work is truly effective, nearly 7 in 10 managers (69%) say it’s actually improved their teams’ performance, debunking an outdated myth with firsthand insight.
The main changes employers have made in 2025, according to workers, are:
Managers’ main concerns when managing remote team members:
Managers’ main concerns when managing in-office employees are:
51% of workers believe their working style has made them more productive:
76% of workers said that their employer had made changes to the office in 2025. The top changes:
Managers define productivity in their business as:
How do managers believe working hybrid/remotely has impacted their teams' productivity?
Workplace AI + what’s next
Section 8
AI continues to reshape how we live — and increasingly, how we work. This year, 80% of employees say they’re using AI in the workplace, up from 72% in 2024. More than a quarter (27%) report using it daily to streamline tasks and boost productivity.
Encouragement is growing too: 64% say their companies support AI adoption, with some even offering dedicated training. By comparison, in 2024, 62% said they use it on their own, without company encouragement.
And when it comes to AI avatars, more than half of employees (51%) say they’re open to the idea—suggesting that the future of work might look and sound a little different.
In this section, we explore how AI is being used, who’s embracing it, and what it means across generations, roles, and work styles.
80% of workers report using or having experimented with AI in their work.
Of those that use AI daily:
More hybrid workers have adopted AI into their work than remote or in-office workers:
Nearly two times more managers use AI compared to individual contributors.
The younger generations are adopting AI practices into their work more than older generations:
How much do companies encourage AI? It varies.
Final Thoughts: The future is flexible — but focused
Across every insight — whether it’s how we manage time, meetings, technology, or teams — one theme remains constant: employees want flexibility, but they also want support, clarity, and connection. From the growing demand for intuitive tech to the undeniable impact of strong managers, the workplace needs to evolve to meet both human needs and high performance.
As AI adoption rises, boundaries shift, and hybrid norms solidify, it’s clear that the most successful organizations will be the ones that listen closely, adapt quickly, and lead with intention.
The future of work isn’t one-size-fits-all — but it’s here, and it’s taking shape in real time.
Reach out to press@owllabs.com with any press inquiries and questions.
Appendix: Background + Demographics
Owl Labs surveyed 2,000 full-time workers in the United States, ages 18+, at companies with 2+ employees. This survey data was collected in July of 2025 with third-party data and research agency, Vitreous World.
Gender
Generation
Geographic Location
Caretaker Role
Company Size
Company Type
Role
Worker Type
Salary
About Owl Labs
Owl Labs is the first company to build AI-powered, 360-degree video conferencing solutions for hybrid organizations. Its connected device system and Owl Intelligence System software make meetings more inclusive and collaborative by leveling the playing field between remote and in-room participants. The Meeting Owl 4+ is the latest generation of the first WiFi-enabled, 360-degree camera, microphone, and speaker that automatically zooms in on whoever's speaking. Owl Labs has raised $47 million in funding and is based in Boston, with remote and hybrid employees all over the world. To learn more and explore the company's research on the State of Hybrid Work, visit owllabs.com.