How “Hybrid Creep” is quietly driving a return to the office

Return To Office (RTO) mandates have been all over the headlines in the past few years – as has the resultant employee push back – with the impact being felt most keenly by female workers. 

Many CEOs have been bullish in pushing their mandates, using everything from threats to withholding bonuses to blatant use of the RTO policy to quietly fire staff who they knew wouldn’t comply. 

However, recent months have seen an evolution of tactics emerge, with employers now using the newly termed ‘hybrid creep’ to subtly and gradually push workers into the office over time.

Anchor days signalling “Hybrid Creep”?

This trend sees a slow and steady change of working practices designed to power a move back into the office, but without the drama that the draconian RTO mandates saw. 

As detailed in Forbes, the most prevalent sign is that businesses have been noted to be adding more “anchor days” in the office when teams are needed together. “Before long, the nominal two-day office schedule has crept up to three or four days,” it shares. 

The numbers support this thesis. EuroNews reported in October that two and three-day schedules now account for 81% of hybrid roles. Sharing data from Indeed, it detailed that one-day requirements fell from 35% in 2022, to 15% in 2025. 

In contrast, job roles requiring three days in the office increased from 16% to 25%. The percentage of roles with a four-day requirement went up by a factor of four, but still remains low at 4%. 

These increases reflect a widely held belief by many business owners that having teams in one location increases collaboration and, therefore, productivity. For smaller businesses, there’s a balance to be had between team building and the potential cost of maintaining an office space. 

Changing expectations

In addition to this, another shift is occurring – one that’s even more subtle. This is the unwritten understanding that those who show up in the office more will be rewarded with faster career progression. 

This isn’t a new approach, and recent years have seen companies threatening career stagnation for those who do not comply with RTO mandates. As a result, those employees with an increased physical presence receive the most promotions and plaudits. 

Some businesses are even going so far as adopting more drastic measures, including staff surveillance. There’s been a sharp rise in this behaviour, with nearly a third of UK employers now using “bossware” to monitor staff, including tracking emails and web browsing. 

For attendance, this means logging when staff are in situ. As a report by Resume Builder added, one in 10 bosses admit that they use monitoring software to encourage their staff to come back to the office. 

However, neither approach takes into account that there has been a shift in expectations among employees, too, especially between Gen Z and Millenials. While new graduates are actively seeking out office-based roles, millennials are opting for the opposite, instead prioritising flexibility and hybrid working.

As the FT reported, there is also a potential clash between Gen X and Millenials, especially in very traditional sectors like finance. An “older banker” told the paper that some managers feel “resentful of younger employees being able to work flexibly when they themselves spent decades slumped over company desks. They expect the same of others.”

For employers, the message is stark: in this diverse workplace culture, a one-size-fits-all model doesn’t always work. 

Perks and parties

It’s not all hardline tactics, though, and a less insidious approach adopted by employers has been the rising number of perks in the office. These are specifically aimed at tempting employees back willingly, rather than forcefully. As Forbes writes: “Free catered lunches, happy hours, guest speakers, wellness programs, and team-building events are all making a comeback. The catch is that they’re only available to people who show up in person.”

Fun these opportunities may be, but the message remains the same: those who don’t attend the office will miss out, and their career progression will feel the potential ramifications. Business leaders are perhaps hoping that FOMO will be a better motivator than RTO, but the undercurrent of compulsion remains. 

This says much about the nature of “hybrid creep”. It’s subtle, not mandated, and perhaps leaves employees with an uneasy sense of unwritten expectation.

Why is it happening?

Ultimately, this trend demonstrates that there’s still a clash between what employees want and what employers think they need. The tactic shift to gentler, more subtle methods hasn’t come about because employers have recognised this difference, but more because they’ve simply accepted that straight RTO mandates haven’t delivered what they need.  

Hybrid working is still very popular in the UK. According to the Global Survey of Working Arrangements, the UK has the second-highest adoption of hybrid working in the world after Canada. The Office for National Statistics shared that more than a quarter of employees in the UK are working under some kind of hybrid contract. 

Indeed, a YouGov survey revealed that the number of employees working from their office/ place of work every day has shifted very little since December 2021, with around half still working from home in some capacity.

However, there is a stark difference in percentage when respondents were asked whether they would like to be in the office full-time. This has gone down from 39% in 2021 to 20% in December 2025. Flexibility is a rising want for employees. 

Many employers, though, are still pushing to get their staff in. “Hybrid creep” is the newest strategy in a long line of methods designed to make this happen. The difference this time is that it’s slow and steady, so that the change is normalised rather than feeling forced and abrupt.

It’s also possible that workers are now more willing to accept the “hybrid creep”. This could be reflective of the fact that times are tough and the job market across sectors is proving challenging. Employees have fewer options and are likely more nervous about pushing back in case it costs them their role.

As Forbes reports: “One year ago, 51% of workers said they’d quit rather than accept a non-negotiable return-to-office order. Today, that number has plunged to just 7%.”