This CEO says companies are getting hybrid wrong. It's not about mandating days in the office, he says.

"Forget weekly visits to the office - Toptal CEO Taso Du Val says real hybrid work happens once a quarter. The remote CEO, who runs a global hiring company with roughly 700 employees, told Business Insider that companies are misinterpreting the concept of hybrid work by mandating a certain number of in-office days a week. Instead, he said, leaders should reserve in-person collaboration for larger-scale decision-making. "When people think hybrid, they often think about it in terms of weekly or daily cadences, instead of yearly, right? Hybrid needs to be thought of as yearly," Du Val said."

"He said he thinks penalties, like restricting promotions or equity, are 'unnecessary punitive measures,' but acknowledged that some businesses didn't thrive under a remote structure during the pandemic. He said that since some companies were rushed into it, they didn't adopt the proper policies, infrastructure, procedures needed for it to work effectively. Du Val said remote work can serve as a major cost saver and talent advantage for companies - but it needs to be enacted effectively."

Hybrid work should prioritize periodic, multi-day in-person collaboration rather than mandated weekly office days. Weekly or daily in-office quotas misinterpret hybrid work; in-person time should serve larger-scale decision-making and strategic alignment. Some companies imposed penalties like restricted promotions or equity, but punitive measures are unnecessary. Rapid pandemic shifts exposed missing policies, infrastructure, and procedures needed for effective remote work. A structured 80/20 model—remote 80% and in-person 20%—enables quarterly three-day team and managerial off-sites and an annual executive gathering. Properly enacted remote work delivers significant cost savings and broader access to talent.

Read at Business Insider