Why Hybrid Work Leaves Both Companies and Employees Dissatisfied

October 22, 2025

Published in:

Leadership & Management

DAVID NILSSEN

Global Board Director

A woman sits next to an empty chair in a casual meeting. — Photo by Entrepreneurs' Organization

I’ll never forget one of my first remote meetings nearly a decade ago. My team was gathered comfortably around the boardroom table while I joined via Zoom. The camera angle was terrible—I could barely see them, couldn’t read their body language, and kept having to interrupt just to be heard. For most of the call, they forgot I was even there.

That experience crystallized something I’ve come to believe even more strongly today: Hybrid work isn’t a solution—it’s an expensive compromise that fails both companies and employees.

Nearly every day, we hear about another company calling people back to the office. Goldman, Google, Tesla, UPS, Amazon, Boeing—the list keeps growing. But despite the headlines, the reality is more nuanced: by the end of 2025, only about 27% of U.S. companies will operate fully in-office, while 67% will adopt hybrid models. When I ask leaders why, most say something like, “We tried remote, but it didn’t work.”

So, they settle for hybrid. A few days at home, one or two days in the office. It seems reasonable. But look, if we’re being totally honest with ourselves, hybrid work sucks. Not just for the employee, but for the manager, too.

The Two-Class System

Hybrid work creates two classes of employees: Those in the office and those who aren’t. It’s easy to be seen, heard, trained, and promoted when you’re physically present. Then there are those forgotten on Zoom calls, accidentally left off emails, missing the hallway conversations where real decisions get made.

Hybrid work isn’t a solution—it’s an expensive compromise that fails both companies and employees.

The hybrid workplace isn’t just clumsy—it’s painfully expensive. Imagine buying a house, paying the mortgage, utilities, maintenance, property taxes, everything—but living there just one day a week. No sensible CFO would approve that expense, yet companies worldwide are doing exactly this with their hybrid policies.

The Demographic Reality

Here’s what most leaders miss: The talent shortage isn’t temporary—it’s structural. In 2023, 77% of employers reported difficulty finding great talent, double the rate from just 10 years ago. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of mid-2025, there are about 7.2 million job openings in the U.S. but 7.4 million people unemployed, meaning job seekers now marginally outnumber available positions.

Why? Birth rates have been declining in developed nations for decades. The U.S. fertility rate is down to 1.62—well below the 2.1 needed to maintain population levels. The traditional playbook—competing for local talent with higher salaries—no longer works.

When I ran a company in Seattle, I competed with Microsoft, Amazon, and Zillow. I couldn’t match their salaries, but by going fully remote, I could offer something equally valuable: flexibility and purpose. According to the U.S. Career Institute, only 5% of workers want to be in an office full-time, while 54% never want to go to an office at all.

Why Commitment Beats Compromise

Most companies that say “we tried remote and it didn’t work” didn’t really try. They survived the pandemic but never invested in remote-first practices because they planned to return to the office. They viewed it as a moment in time, not a strategic shift.

In a hybrid environment, people default to in-office practices. Remote employees become second-class citizens. But fully committing to remote work means rethinking every aspect of operations.

Take onboarding. For decades, we trained by osmosis. “Sit next to Steve, watch him, you’ll pick it up.” That’s not onboarding—that’s lazy. And it doesn’t work remotely.

At DOXA Talent, where we now manage over 1,000 team members across six countries without a single office, we send new hires their computer a week in advance with a swag bag and family gift. On day one, their calendar is loaded with meetings and trainings. Everything is intentional.

Managing by Objectives, Not Sight

In offices, leaders manage by sight—if someone looks busy, leave them alone. Some try replicating this remotely with surveillance tools that monitor keyboards. This destroys trust and drives turnover.

Instead, we manage by objectives across 14 time zones. Leaders outline clear expectations and check progress regularly. It’s harder at first but becomes more effective. We rarely have delivery hiccups because everyone’s crystal clear on expectations. And we’re producing work around the clock—a competitive advantage hybrid companies can’t match.

Culture Without Borders

Building culture remotely requires respecting employees as whole people. We have team members in the U.S., Philippines, Vietnam, Kenya, and Colombia, each with unique customs and holidays. Independence Day is July 4 in the U.S., June 12 in the Philippines, and July 20 in Colombia. We honor them all.

Our team members in the Philippines save an average of 3.5 hours daily by eliminating commuting—that’s 38 extra days yearly to spend with their families. That explains why retention stays strong even when competitors offer higher salaries.

We also reward efficiency rather than penalize it. When team members finish work early, they can work on special projects or learn new skills. By creating opportunities instead of busy work, we identify top performers and help them grow.

The Path Forward

Remote work addresses both the demographic challenge and evolving worker expectations. But it requires genuine commitment, not half-measures. Hybrid policies give us the worst of both worlds—paying for physical offices and remote setups without optimizing for either.

Yes, some businesses need physical presence—hospitals, childcare, automotive. But most companies can be fully remote. And if you can go fully remote, you should.

The brightest future belongs to those who adopt a remote, employee-centric mindset as a strategic move toward inclusivity, efficiency, and innovation. By fully embracing remote work, companies can attract top talent globally and build thriving organizations.

Let’s build a future where work isn’t confined by geography but defined by our collective potential. The question isn’t whether to go remote—it’s whether you’ll commit fully or get left behind with an expensive compromise that satisfies no one.

Contributed by David Nilssen (EO Seattle), the CEO of DOXA Talent which helps businesses build and scale-up high-performing, borderless teams leveraging talent from across the world. David has over 800 team members and ZERO office space. He is also the co-founder of Guidant Financial which has helped 30,000 entrepreneurs to secure US$7 billion to start or buy a business in each of the 50 states.

David recently contributed Why Your Workforce Strategy Must Go Global on EO's Inc.com channel.