Impact Economist Logo

The new hybrid reality

How knowledge workers are feeling their way towards a hybrid work future.

As part of the Making hybrid work human programme, Economist Impact, sponsored by Google Workspace, conducted a global survey in September-October 2021 of over 1,200 knowledge workers in twelve countries. The survey reveals the current state of hybrid work and its main benefits and challenges.

Download infographic2021 Global survey report

Organisations have increased both location and time flexibility in work arrangements since the onset of the covid-19 pandemic, and hybrid work is here to stay

Increase in location flexibility
(% working remotely at least one day per week)
0
20
40
60
80
100
29%
Pre-pandemic (2019 and earlier)
78%
During the pandemic (2020‑21)
51%
Post-pandemic (2022 or later)
Increase in time flexibility
(% working flexible hours)
0
20
40
60
80
100
41%
Pre-pandemic (2019 and earlier)
70%
During the pandemic (2020‑21)
52%
Post-pandemic (2022 or later)

Hybrid work appears to be having an overall positive impact on individual wellbeing, but some groups are more vulnerable to its negative impacts

Impact on individual wellbeing:
6
3
%

63% reported a positive impact on physical wellbeing

And 63% reported a positive impact on mental wellbeing

5
3
%

53% reported a positive impact on social wellbeing

And 53% reported a positive impact on financial wellbeing

There were uneven impacts on mental well‑being across groups
62%

Of frontline workers are more likely to say that limited social interactions with co-workers negatively impacts their mental health

52%

of non-frontline workers

Gen Z/Millennials are more likely to feel stressed by the increased monitoring associated with flexible work than Gen X and Baby Boomers
0
20
40
60
80
100
Gen Z / Millennials
58%
Gen X
48%
Baby boomers
45%

While flexible work has been generally beneficial for work performance, it could pose a threat to workplace relations

Impact on work performance
(% reporting a positive impact on)
0
20
40
60
80
100
64%
Autonomy
58%
Productivity
56%
Time management
50%
Work hours
Impact on work relations
(% reporting negative impacts)
0
20
40
60
80
100
57%
feel disconnected from their organisation and co‑workers
56%
feel that the lack of face‑to‑face supervision creates a sense of distrust

Technology is essential to preserve workplace connections; however, a supportive technology stack alone is not sufficient

New technologies that allow for time and location flexibility is considered as the most important condition to achieve the long-term success of hybrid work models.

Workers in organisations that fail to provide a supportive technology stack
0
20
40
60
80
100
65% feel disconnected from their organisation and co-workers
65%
59% agree that the lack of face-to-face supervision creates distrust
59%
Workers in organisations that manage to provide a supportive technology stack
0
20
40
60
80
100
52% still feel a sense of disconnect from their organisation
52%
54% still sense distrust among co-workers and managers
54%

Broader organisational improvements are crucial to the long-term success of hybrid work, including clear communication and enhancing workplace connections

The three most important organisational and managerial practices selected by respondents to ensure hybrid work’s success all refer to clear communication
Clear communication regarding job responsibilities
Clear expectations regarding work hours
Clear guidelines for in‑person and remote‑work coordination
The leading five practices to preserve workplace connections and relations under hybrid models:
1

Weekly (or more) frequent catch-ups within teams

2

Regular set hours for collaboration within teams

3

Regular updates on overall organisation projects and achievements

4

Regular cross-team meetings and events

5

Fixed period of time in which all team members co-locate

Explore more

2021 Global survey report

Learn more about employee attitudes and experiences with hybrid work.

Read the report

Making hybrid work human

Learn what is hybrid work and its current trends through the lens of history.

Read executive summary