Five years after the pandemic introduced remote work to much of the country, the British workforce has largely embraced a hybrid work culture.
According to the Office of National Statistics, more Brits work remote or hybrid (43%) than from the office full-time (39%).
But with a recent increase in return to office (RTO) mandates and the rise of TikTok work trends like ‘coffee badging’ and ‘quiet vacationing’, is the new normal already at risk?
Despite its popularity with workers and positive impact on work–life balance and mental health, flexible work is still facing challenges. Here are seven workplace trends that are influencing the future of flexible work in 2025:
1. Managers want staff back in the office
Since the start of 2025, major companies including Amazon, JP Morgan, and Santander have been mandating a return to the office (RTO). This shift comes despite warnings from experts that such mandates could prompt employees to seek new opportunities elsewhere.
Our Future of Work Survey supports this prediction, revealing that 2 in 3 UK workers (66%) would leave or consider leaving their job if required to return to the office full-time:
- 5% would quit immediately
- 30% would initially return to the office but try to find a new job as fast as possible
- 31% would return to the office but tentatively start looking for a new hybrid or remote opportunity
- 34% would return to the office and happily remain in their job
Younger workers are especially resistant to full-time office returns — 76% of Gen Z and 72% of Millennials say they’d look for a new job if required to return to the office full-time.
In its State of Hybrid Work report, Owl Labs revealed that 26% of professionals have been affected by changes in remote and hybrid policies in the last year. Companies cited concerns such as staff being distracted at home, lack of ability to monitor work, IT support issues, and miscommunication risks as reasons for these changes.
Despite the perception that remote workers are less productive, staff report feeling healthier and more efficient. Unless RTO mandates lead to widescale resignations or performance declines, the slow rollback of remote work is likely to continue through the year.
2. TikTok trends are driving a mistrust of remote work
One reason for the uptick in RTO mandates is that some employers don’t trust their staff: If they can’t see them, then they aren’t working.
Unfortunately, some viral TikTok trends have only fueled this belief. According to our Future of Work Survey, 22% of workers admit to secretly taking time off, commonly known as ‘quiet vacationing’, and 59% say they start the week by putting minimal effort into their tasks (‘bare minimum Mondays’).
Even if you do see your colleague at the office, it may just be an act: 27% of workers admit to ‘coffee badging’, the practice of coming into the office briefly just to be seen before leaving to work remotely (or not at all).
And just because your colleague appears like they’re working, they might in fact be working on something else. Almost 1 in 4 Brits (23%) admit to working multiple remote jobs simultaneously without informing employers (‘overemployment’).
Gen Z are the worst offenders when it comes to taking advantage of remote work flexibility with 44% saying they ‘coffee badge’, 41% admitting to engaging in ‘overemployment’, and 39% saying they ‘quiet vacation’.
Needless to say, with some workers taking advantage of the flexibility they’ve been granted, there’s a growing culture of mistrust, and not just between managers and employees: In the same Future of Work survey, we found that people trust themselves (63%) to be productive while working remotely more than they trust their colleagues (56%).
If remote work is going to survive, colleagues need to help build a culture of trust in their organisation, while managers would do well to judge employee engagement on the quality of output, rather than the exact time they’re active online.
3. Remote work is more important than salary
Given that most remote and hybrid employees say they’d quit if forced back into the office, it’s unsurprising that remote work is a top priority for job seekers when weighing up their opportunities. According to our findings, 58% of UK workers consider remote work options important or very important when contemplating their employment options.
In fact, over half (51%) of respondents said they’d accept lower pay to work remotely, while 53% said they’d prefer to work remotely even if it meant they wouldn’t be considered for promotion.
Younger generations especially value remote work. 55% of Gen Z and 56% of Millennials say they’d work for lower pay if it guaranteed they could work remotely, compared to 47% of Gen X and Baby Boomers.
Employees highly value remote and hybrid work, and companies that don’t offer flexibility risk losing top talent — even to lower-paying jobs. That said, companies who offer flexible work may see this as an opportunity to keep salaries low.
4. Hybrid policies are a compromise we can agree on
Given the ongoing tug-of-war between employer RTO mandates and employee preferences for remote work, hybrid work policies remain a common compromise that most people seem happy with.
In our study, 2 in 3 workers (63%) in remote-friendly professions say they prefer hybrid policies, while 18% want fully in-office work and 19% prefer fully remote work.
But what’s the most popular hybrid policy?
- 8% want 1 remote workday per week
- 18% want 2 remote workdays
- 23% want 3 remote workdays
- 13% want 4 remote workdays
If companies mandate in-office time but still want employees to thrive, offering 2–3 remote days per week is a fair balance. Our study found that UK workers, on average, request 2.6 remote workdays per week, showing a strong preference for flexible work.
Gen Z aren’t as remote-obsessed as you think
Gen Z, often scapegoated for undermining traditional office culture, actually want more days working face-to-face.
While 56% of Millennials and Gen X prefer working remotely for most of the week (3+ days a week), almost half of Gen Z (47%) want to work at the office most of the time, as do 50% of Baby Boomers.
Gen Z is the biggest group pushing for hybrid work, so it may seem surprising that they value in-person work more than Millennials and Gen X. However, this preference is largely driven by the importance they place on career growth.
- In our study, 85% of Gen Z said career growth opportunities were important or very important when considering what companies to join, compared to 67% of UK workers as a whole.
- Furthermore, 3 in 4 Gen Z workers (74%) connected in-office work to opportunities to move up the career ladder, more so than Millennials (71%), Gen X (66%), and Baby Boomers (69%).
5. Lack of flexibility is a leading cause of burnout
Poor mental health is a serious problem for the UK workforce — and it’s hurting employee engagement. According to Deloitte’s Well-Being at Work Survey, 57% of employees are considering quitting for a job that better supports their well-being.
Our Future of Work Survey explores this issue further. It indicates that 2 in 3 UK workers (67%) have experienced depression because of their work and almost 9 in 10 workers (87%) have been stressed or burnt out at least once. This trend is particularly relevant for women, with 1 in 3 female workers (32%) saying they experience stress and burnout regularly or all the time, compared to 1 in 4 men (26%).
It’s also important to consider demographics shifts as Baby Booomers retire and more Gen Z workers move into full-time work. This issue directly affects them.
- 92% of Gen Z and 93% of Millennials say they’ve experienced burnout at least once, while 34% and 33% say they experience it regularly or all the time.
- Likewise, 71% of Gen Z and 72% of Millennials report being depressed because of their job, while 23% and 17% say it causes their depression regularly or all the time.
But what’s causing this poor mental health? While half of workers (50%) cite long hours and overwhelming workloads, 30% say it’s because of inflexible work schedules.
It’s clear then that flexible work is key to combating the UK’s rising mental health crisis and providing Brits with a better work–life balance, particularly for younger employees. However, considering the recent rise in RTO mandates, executives don’t seem to agree.
Delotte’s study also revealed that 91% of C-suite executives believe their employees think they’re doing enough but only 56% of employees think their company’s executives care about their well-being. Until this disconnect is resolved, mental health will remain an issue for both companies and workers.
6. Flexible working hours are a no-brainer
Since 2024, all UK workers have the right to request flexible work from day 1, so when will the 9–5 finally lay to rest?
Research from the CIPD suggests that job satisfaction and output are boosted when employees can work flexible hours, and companies cite flexible hours as an important factor in attracting staff.
Our data aligns with the CIPD study: 61% of UK workers say that flexible working hours benefit their productivity, while 75% say they make them feel less stressed. Gen Z employees benefit the most, with 64% reporting increased productivity, compared to 62% of Millennials and 46% of Gen X and Baby Boomers.
Our survey also revealed that flexible hours are important or very important for 71% of UK workers considering employment options. Again, younger generations lead the way, with 80% of Gen Z and 77% of Millennials saying that flexible hours have a large impact on their decision to join a company.
As workplace demographics shift, it’s important that companies don’t shun the rising need for flexibility at work. If they want to continue to attract the best talent and ensure that that talent can perform at the highest level, they need to adapt to the times. Surely, it’s a win–win for both companies and employees.
7. Four-day work week not off the table
Remote work and flexible hours aren’t the only way workers are seeking more control over how they use their time.
Our research also showed that, despite reducing the number of hours worked, the four-day workweek could benefit companies. 43% of UK workers believe a shorter workweek would improve their productivity and well-being. It’s especially popular among Gen X (49%) and Millennials (44%), who make up most of the workforce.
18% of workers also expressed a desire for part-time or reduced hours to aid their well-being and productivity, while 9% suggested job sharing (when two people share the same job) would be an attractive option for them.
Women (23%) were noticeably more in favour of part-time or reduced hours than men (15%), as were Gen Z (25%). Meanwhile, Millennials (13%) were more in favour of job sharing, compared to the other generations.
Overall 95% of Gen Z and Gen X and 97% of Millennials thought some form of flexible work arrangement would help their productivity and well-being, with Baby Boomers lagging behind at 85%.
This generational divide shows that, despite some RTO mandates and restrictions on flexible hours, the shift towards flexible work is ongoing and here to stay in one form or another.
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