The state of remote work in 2026
Work-from-home and remote worker productivity
- A flexible work model is now firmly the norm. As of the end of 2025, 66% of US businesses still offer location flexibility and of those, 5% are fully remote while a further 19% allow employees to choose how much time they split between home and office. ( Remotive )
- Remote work continues to deliver real wellbeing benefits — a 2026 study showed that 72% of remote workers say it leads to a better work-life balance, compared to 68% of hybrid workers. ( Survey Monkey )
- A 2025 study found that remote-only workers produce roughly 29 extra minutes of productive work per day, the highest of all work modals. ( We Work Remotely )
- The average employee also saves $42 a day when working from home compared to going into the office. ( Owl Labs )
- 38% of mothers with young children say that remote jobs or telework options allow them to work longer hours or keep working at all. ( McKinsey )
- Nearly 70% of managers believe remote or hybrid work has made their teams more productive. ( We Work Remotely )
- European and U.S. workers save, on average, 70 minutes a day (from commuting and the like) when working remotely, and work on average about 30 minutes longer compared to in-office days. ( McKinsey )
Potential setbacks for working from home
- 61% of remote workers experienced burnout in 2025, compared to 57% for hybrid workers and 55% of workers overall. ( Eagle Hill )
- 25% of fully remote employees say they experience loneliness at work, compared to just 16% of fully on-site workers. Hybrid workers fall in-between at 21%. ( Gallup )
- Burnout from remote work can often come from the difficulty of having clear boundaries. 81% of remote workers say they check email outside of work hours, including on weekends (63%) and vacations (34%). ( Perk )
- In 2023, remote workers said their biggest challenges with working remotely included getting recognized by leadership (37%), collaborating (30%), and getting promoted (28%). ( Buffer )
- 55% of remote workers said it’s hard to feel connected to coworkers. However, 37% said remote work didn’t impact their connection to their coworkers. ( Perk )
- Remote work might have a detrimental effect on career growth as well. 28% of remote workers said working remotely has been harmful to their career growth, while 36% said it was helpful. ( Perk )
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Working from the office has its benefits too
- Learning on the job is a key advantage to spending physical time in the office, with 60% of workers saying the best way to learn a job is being around co-workers. Specifically for younger generations (Gen z and Millennials) who may be starting a new job, seeing more experienced colleagues interact and problem solve is a useful way to build confidence and develop their own skill ( Perk ).
- Researchers found when people spent more time interacting with others—talking, socializing and connecting—they displayed improved mental function, increasing cognitive performance ( University of Michigan )
- People who are in close physical proximity are three times as collaborative and see greater output in academic papers and patents ( MIT )
- Team relationships have taken a hit, with over half (56%) of office workers saying they’re concerned about a lack of team spirit or working relationships ( Perk )
- Many people feel in-person meetings are essential and produce more productive work. 60% of workers say they do more prep for in-person meetings than they do for online ( Perk ).
- In a 2025 work index, Microsoft found that cross- team collaboration scores drop by 17% in fully remote settings, and employees in fully remote environments take 28% longer to reach full productivity. ( Microsoft )
Understanding what employees want
- 98% of employees said they wanted to work remotely at least part time. ( Buffer )
- 60% of remote-capable employees prefer a hybrid schedule, while 30% prefer fully remote and less than 10% want to be in the office full time. ( Gallup )
- As of 2026, 64% of remote workers say they would quit or start looking for a new job if their employer stopped allowing remote or hybrid work. ( Founder Reports )
- That said, just because employees like to work remotely, doesn’t mean they want to be home every day. 40% of employees surveyed in 2024 said corporate travel is great for their personal and professional growth. ( Perk )
- Only 23% of remote-capable Gen Z employees say they would prefer fully remote work, compared with 35% among each older generation. ( Gallup )
- 23% of American Millennials say traveling for work helps their mental health. ( Perk )
- 81% of workers say remote work is the most important factor when evaluating a job — ranking above salary (77%) and flexible schedules (72%). ( Flexjobs )
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The future of work: a hybrid model
- As of 2025, 51% of remote-capable US employees work in a hybrid arrangement, with hybrid now the dominant work model ( Gallup )
- Office attendance in 2024 was 30% lower than it was in 2019, suggesting a continued shift toward hybrid work ( McKinsey ).
- Hybrid workforces are about 5% more productive compared to fully-remote or fully in-person workforces. ( McKinsey )
- Hybrid employees cite many benefits to a mixed schedule, including better work-life balance (76%), more efficient work (64%), less work burnout (61%), and higher productivity (52%). ( Gallup )
- 36% of hybrid employees are engaged in their work, compared to just 30% of fully on-site employees. ( Gallup )
- Hybrid employees also feel the most connected to their organization’s mission and purpose (34%), compared to fully on-site or fully-remote employees. ( Gallup )
Heading into the future with a hybrid work solution
- Self-booking options to let employees book their own travel and avoid overwhelming your admin and HR staff.
- Flexible fares to save you money on cancelled flights, even up to 2 hours before the trip time.
- Group booking rates to make group travel a breeze
- VAT refund on all eligible trips
- Carbon offsetting to reduce emissions and support your goals for a greener travel program
- Events management and support to host memorable, engaging company events
- and much more!
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