Dr. Gleb Tsipursky – The Office Whisperer
Nirit Cohen – WorkFutures
Angela Howard – Culture Expert
Drew Jones – Design & Innovation
Jonathan Price – CRE & Flex Expert
Updated figures published by Flex Index make it clear: hybrid work models dominate how U.S. companies are moving forward as full-time/in-office work is taking a back seat.
According to The Flex Index report for Q2 2024, 37% of U.S. companies have adopted a structured hybrid model, which is a notable increase from 20% in the previous year. This outpaces the 31% of companies that require full-time in-office work, and the 32% of companies that are fully flexible.
Flex Index’s data showcases the diverse approaches to flexible work environments adopted this year — based on company size, industry, and location.
The updated figures reveal these models typically require employees to spend an average of 2.59 days per week in the office. However, the specific time required in the office differs depending on the company.
Percentage of companies listed by the minimum days per week they require employees to be in the office:
- 4 Days – 6%
- 3 Days – 53%
- 2 Days – 36%
- 1 Day – 5%
Overall, the Q2 2024 data reveals “69% of all U.S.-based companies on an industry-weighted basis offer some degree of work location flexibility.”
Notably, large firms are showing more of an interest in adopting the structured hybrid approach.
“Structured hybrid grew to 53% of companies with 5-25k employees and 67% of companies with 25k+ employees,” according to the report.
Fully flexible work opportunities are more common among small businesses. In the data, small businesses are defined as those with fewer than 500 employees. Of those small businesses, 73% allow complete work location flexibility.
Interestingly, the report compares various sectors to reveal both the top five most flexible and least flexible industries.
Top five most flexible industries (% of companies that offer location flexibility):
- Technology – 97%
- Insurance – 93%
- Media & Entertainment – 93%
- Telecommunications – 89%
- Financial Services – 88%
Top five least flexible industries (% of companies that are full time in-office):
- Restaurants & Food Services – 65%
- Education – 51%
- Hospitality – 48%
- Retail & Apparel – 40%
- Manufacturing & Logistics – 40%
Geographically, the Western and Northeastern states of the U.S. are leaders in offering workplace flexibility. Massachusetts stands out as a leader in workplace flexibility with 91% of its companies offering flexible work arrangements.
When it comes to full-time office work, southern metros like Jackson, Miss., and McAllen, Texas, have the highest demand for in-office presence, with 46% and 44% of companies respectively requiring employees to be in the office full time.
The recently released report adds to the notion that hybrid work is not a one-type-fits-all solution, but it seems that more and more companies are working to determine which type does fit their needs.
