Hybrid Working in 2025: Evolving Expectations, Office Tensions & The Role of Salary

Three days in the office. No change in salary. Hybrid working is evolving. 

What does that mean for employees and employers in 2025?

What was once presented as a benefit is now a source of tension. Across the UK, employers are increasing in-office expectations, often moving from two days to three per week, without adjusting pay or support.

In today’s job market, particularly within marketing, communications, and digital, professionals are paying close attention. What once felt like autonomy now feels conditional.

EMR is hearing clear signals from candidates. Salaries are under scrutiny, flexibility is being reassessed, and working arrangements are now central to both attraction and retention.

From Short-Term Fix to New Expectations

Initially, hybrid working served as a practical response to exceptional circumstances. It enabled teams to continue operating while adjusting to public health measures, while also giving employees greater choice over how and where they worked.

By 2022, hybrid working had become the default model across many UK-based marketing and digital roles. Two days a week in the office became common practice, balancing in-person collaboration with independent, remote work. Insights into how the marketing industry is navigating flexible working can provide valuable perspective.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), more than a quarter of working adults in Great Britain (28%) were hybrid working by autumn 2024. The model has become the standard for many. But expectations are beginning to change again.

Now, organisations, particularly in London and other major cities, are encouraging or requiring more frequent office attendance. In some cases, this is positioned as part of a cultural reset or performance strategy.

However, employees who accepted roles with the expectation of flexibility are beginning to question whether the original terms still apply. For some, the change feels like a loss of autonomy or a step back from earlier commitments.

Why Employers Are Increasing Office Attendance

For many organisations, the shift towards greater in-office attendance is not solely about control or rigid policies; it reflects broader business needs. Employers cite several reasons for encouraging more face-to-face interaction:

- Collaboration & Innovation – Many leaders believe that spontaneous, in-person interactions lead to stronger teamwork, faster problem-solving, and more innovative ideas. While remote tools facilitate communication, they don’t always replace the value of being in the same room.

- Training & Development – Junior employees and new hires often benefit from in-person mentoring, shadowing senior colleagues, and experiencing company culture firsthand. Employers see office-based work as a key way to embed learning and development.

- Productivity & Engagement – Some organisations have observed differences in productivity or engagement levels between remote and in-office teams. While hybrid remains popular, some employers argue that more structured in-office time strengthens accountability and alignment.

- Cultural Cohesion – Maintaining a strong company culture is often easier when teams regularly interact in person. Leaders are keen to preserve a sense of shared purpose, connection, and belonging, particularly as hybrid teams can sometimes feel fragmented.

These factors help explain why some businesses are adjusting hybrid policies. However, the key challenge is balancing these needs with employee expectations—ensuring any changes feel fair, well-communicated, and supported by practical solutions.

Stagnant Pay, Rising Costs

Commuting is expensive. Office-based work comes with additional spending on transport, food, and in some cases, childcare. When expectations to be present more often increase without any improvement in compensation, pressure builds.

Most salaries have not kept pace with these added costs. In many instances, allowances or reimbursements that were briefly introduced during early return-to-office phases have now been withdrawn.

As a result, hybrid is no longer seen as a benefit. It is increasingly viewed as a standard model with diminishing value.

Jobseekers working with EMR are starting to reframe their expectations. In conversations about new roles, they are asking more targeted questions about flexibility, work location, and any support for office-based days. For professionals feeling underpaid amid rising costs, understanding how to approach salary discussions is crucial.

In cases where pay cannot be increased, candidates want alternatives. These include compressed hours, enhanced leave policies, or clearly structured flexible arrangements that reflect their personal circumstances.

Employers who treat flexibility as a fixed offer, rather than an ongoing conversation, may find it harder to secure the talent they need.

Candidates Are Setting New Benchmarks

There is growing evidence that working patterns are now influencing movement across the market.

Some employees are adjusting and accepting increased office attendance. Others are making different choices. This includes seeking remote-first positions, moving into contract work, or prioritising employers that offer clearer terms around hybrid working.

Within marketing and communications, EMR is seeing greater scrutiny of how flexibility is framed. Candidates are no longer satisfied with vague references to hybrid. They want details. ​Accessing comprehensive salary benchmarking data can support these conversations and shape expectations.

The most frequent questions include:

“How many days per week are required in the office?”

“Are those days fixed or negotiable?”

“What happens during periods of lower project volume or higher travel costs?”

Why Flexibility Means More Than Convenience

Professionals are placing greater value on having influence over their working week. This is especially true for those more likely to adopt hybrid models. According to the ONS workers aged over 30, parents, and those in managerial roles are more likely to follow a hybrid arrangement, with male working parents doing so at a higher rate (41%) than their female counterparts (30%).

The shift in attitude is not just about convenience. It reflects a desire for fairness, consistency, and greater trust in how employers handle flexibility within their wider culture.

What Employers Are Doing to Stay Competitive

Some employers are responding to this feedback by improving how they attract and retain staff through clearer hybrid policies and greater flexibility. According to the CIPD’s Resourcing and Talent Planning Report 2024, nearly three-quarters of organisations now advertise at least some roles as open to flexible working, and those with clear onboarding practices for hybrid roles are more likely to report stronger engagement and retention outcomes.

Examples include:

Providing clear written policies on hybrid working

Instead of relying on informal guidance or verbal expectations, some companies are formalising their hybrid arrangements in writing. These policies often outline the number of days expected in the office, explain the rationale behind that number, and include provisions for exceptional circumstances such as caring responsibilities or long commutes. EMR recognises flexible working’s role in supporting productivity and retention across competitive hiring markets. Our research found that 66% of respondents would turn down a role without flexible working or flexitime, and nearly a third of employers risk excluding working parents by not offering adaptable arrangements.

Allowing teams to coordinate their own in-office schedules

Rather than enforcing top-down rules, some organisations are empowering individual teams to agree their own in-office rhythms. This approach recognises that the needs of a digital marketing team may differ from those of a corporate communications function. It also allows flexibility around project deadlines, collaboration needs, and personal preferences, which can improve engagement and reduce resistance to in-person working.

Offering reimbursements for specific office-related costs

A limited but growing number of employers are reintroducing modest contributions to offset travel or childcare costs tied to office attendance. While not framed as benefits, these payments are often perceived as gestures of goodwill that acknowledge the practical impact of more time spent commuting or coordinating schedules.

In recruitment conversations, clarity is now essential. Candidates expect honest and detailed answers to questions about office expectations, remote support, and flexibility over time.

For existing teams, the same approach applies. Employees are more likely to stay engaged when they understand the reasons behind workplace policies and when they feel part of the discussion.

This is especially important in competitive talent areas like brand, digital strategy, and communications, where flexibility has long been a core attraction.

What Hybrid Working Might Look Like Going Forward

Hybrid working is now embedded, but expectations are still being defined.

Increased in-office attendance, especially without any adjustment to salary or support, is being closely examined by employees.

Employers who want to attract and retain skilled professionals in 2025 must go beyond offering a hybrid policy. They must ensure that it is consistent, well-communicated, and supported by a wider offer that reflects the real pressures people face.

This means being transparent, open to feedback, and ready to adapt.