A new analysis by Savills of the top 200 Fortune 500 companies suggests the debate over remote work is largely settledโfor now.
According to the research, most large employers have kept their existing workplace policies in place over the past year, with fixed hybrid schedules remaining the dominant model despite growing return-to-office pressure.
More than half of the companies analyzed (55%) require employees to work in the office a set number of days each week, making fixed hybrid the most common workplace strategy among major employers.
Another 27% have adopted office-first policies, up from 24% in 2025, signaling a modest shift toward more in-person work.
Meanwhile, flexible hybrid arrangements, where employees have greater discretion over when they come into the office, accounted for 16.5% of companies, down slightly from 17.1% a year earlier.
Remote-first policies continued to decline, representing just 1.5% of the companies studied, compared with 2.5% in 2025.
Return-to-Office Push Continues
The findings come as employers face a changing labor market, economic uncertainty, and ongoing efforts to increase office attendance.
While some companies have tightened in-office requirements, the overall pace of change has been slow. Nearly 90% of the Fortune 500 companies analyzed did not significantly alter their workplace structure over the past year.
Workplace Strategies Enter a New Phase
The data suggests that large employers are making incremental adjustments rather than abandoning hybrid work altogether. As labor market conditions evolve, companies may continue to fine-tune attendance expectations, but the broad framework of hybrid work remains firmly in place.
For now, fixed hybrid schedulesโnot fully remote work and not a full return to the officeโremain the preferred model across corporate America.
