"Coffee badging is making a comeback in 2026, but does that reflect a trend toward remote-hybrid jobs sizzling in 2026? In 2023, I wrote for Forbes.com that hybrid and remote work were still on the rise at the time. At the end of 2024, leaders predicted t he death of return-to-work polices in 2025. But more recently, 70% of companies have formal return-to-work (RTO) policies. So, what does that mean for the state of remote-hybrid jobs in 2026?"
"Remote-hybrid jobs have reshaped when and where the American workforce works. A 2024 report by Global Workplace Analytics, found a significant rise of remote work in the U.S., with nearly 30% of the workforce working remotely full-time. Archie reveals a 39% to 28% drop in full flexible options between 2023 and 2024. Studies show overall that the day-to-day workforce is simply happier with remote work because of more life to live outside of work."
"A survey of employees by Propeller Insights, commissioned by Bospar, reveals that remote workers deliver higher productivity (61%), better work-life balance (81.4%) and a preferred home office environment (87.5%). "Executives may want us to believe their workers are more productive at an office, but study after study-including research from the Federal Reserve-reveals that's just not the case," asserts Curtis Sparrer, principal and co-founder of Bospar."
Coffee badging is reappearing in 2026 as a visible workplace practice. Remote-hybrid arrangements reshaped when and where Americans work, with nearly 30% working remotely full-time in 2024. Full flexible options declined from 39% to 28% between 2023 and 2024, and 70% of companies now maintain formal return-to-work policies. Employee surveys report higher productivity (61%), improved work-life balance (81.4%), and strong preference for home offices (87.5%). Some executives and research show growing in-office requirements, with 34% now going in four days weekly, raising concerns about increasing mandatory on-site time.
Read at Forbes
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]