Hybrid and Remote Working: Where Are We, Really?
Chris Gore asks where hybrid and remote working really stands in theHRDIRECTOR. Read his case for outcomes over attendance, fair management and better evidence.
SPOR Group | Updated 2026
Hybrid and remote working has been declared over, rescued and declared over again so many times that many leaders have stopped paying attention. Our co-founder Chris Gore took on the question in a feature for theHRDIRECTOR, and this article sets out his argument and what it means for the way you run your workplace. It builds on themes we first covered in hybrid syndrome and why hybrid working has not delivered on its promise.
What the Article Says About Hybrid and Remote Working
The piece starts with a pattern most HR leaders will recognise. One month the headlines say hybrid is finished because the office is back. The next they say flexibility has won, and then the four day week becomes the new answer. Chris argues that the swings continue because most organisations have no reliable evidence of what actually drives performance in a hybrid model, and many have stopped trying to find out. Decisions get made on opinion, anecdote and the loudest voice in the room.
Measure Outcomes, Not Attendance
The core of the argument is measurement. Too many businesses present attendance data as if it were productivity data, and lean on words like collaboration and culture to justify a policy. Chris draws on his military background, where the principle is simple: "You define the outcome, you measure against it, and you adjust." Applied to hybrid and remote working, that means agreeing what good output looks like for each team, tracking it and changing course when the numbers say so. We explore the same idea in our conversation on leadership lessons from the military to business, and in our piece on why return to office mandates will not fix productivity.
Weak Management Is the Real Problem
Remote work does not create poor management. It exposes it. Managers who relied on seeing people at their desks have nothing to fall back on when the team is spread across locations. The article says the answer is not to force everyone back, but to build management habits that work for distributed teams, with clear goals, regular conversations and trust. Our guides on managing remote employees without surveillance and without becoming the problem cover the practical side.
Flexibility Is Now a Baseline Expectation
Employees no longer see flexibility as a perk. They link it to wellbeing, inclusion and trust. Chris points out that ordering people back without clear evidence sends a signal of distrust, and that the gap between what leadership says and what staff hear is growing. Monitoring tools can widen that gap further, which is why it is worth knowing exactly what your employer can see through Microsoft 365 before you decide what to track.
The Fairness Problem in Hybrid and Remote Working
One of the sharper points in the article is about proximity bias. Senior leaders with established networks lose very little when they work remotely. Newer colleagues lose informal learning, visibility and easy access to the people who make decisions. Left alone, a hybrid model can quietly favour the people who need it least, so it has to be designed against deliberately. The meeting room is where this shows up most clearly, because a remote colleague who cannot see or hear properly is at a disadvantage in every discussion. Our article on why meeting rooms feel like the problem even when hybrid working does not hurt productivity looks at that gap.
Three Forces Shaping What Comes Next
Chris closes by pointing to three forces. First, AI and workforce analytics make it possible to measure output instead of presence. Second, pressure on property costs is pushing firms to redesign offices around the work that benefits from being together. Third, accountability is moving from where people sit to what they deliver. Each has a practical consequence. Smarter space planning starts with knowing how many meeting rooms your office actually needs, and anonymous occupancy data, like the kind we cover in our piece on occupancy sensor technology and meeting room AV, gives you evidence instead of guesses. On the AI side, our guide to deploying useful AI in your workplace is a sensible place to start.
What to Do Next
Start with outcomes. Agree what good looks like for each team and measure that, not badge swipes. Then look at the experience of the people who are not in the room, and fix the technology that lets them down. Finally, train managers to run distributed teams, because policy alone will not do it. If you are weighing a shorter week as part of the same conversation, our article asking whether your office is ready for a four day week is worth a read.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Chris Gore's article in theHRDIRECTOR about?
It argues that the hybrid debate keeps swinging because organisations lack evidence, and that leaders should define outcomes, measure them and build management that works for distributed teams.
Is hybrid and remote working still productive?
The article does not claim a single answer. It says the real question is whether you are measuring outcomes, because attendance figures tell you very little about performance.
What is proximity bias?
It is the tendency for people who are physically close to decision makers to gain more visibility and opportunity. In hybrid teams it can disadvantage newer colleagues who are working remotely.
Should companies mandate a return to the office?
The article warns that mandates without clear evidence can signal distrust to staff. It recommends defining outcomes and designing the office around work that benefits from being together.
How can technology support fair hybrid meetings?
Good cameras, microphones and screens help remote colleagues see and hear properly, and monitoring helps you find rooms that are failing before they cause problems.
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