SurveyMonkey recently conducted a study on remote and hybrid work, collecting responses from more than 3,500 U.S. workers. Based on the statistics the company shared, I think we can agree that when it comes to hybrid work, the workforce agrees to disagree.
Between 2017-2018, before COVID-19 introduced us all to face masks and elbow bumps, less than one-quarter of almost 35 million full-time workers had never exercised their option to work from home. In fact, almost half of us had never worked from home at all, according to Statista. As we all remember, things changed quickly.
Now, a little more than six years after the initial shutdowns, the pendulum has swung back the other way, with almost 40% of workers reporting that their “ideal work arrangement” has shifted. In 2025, based on a survey of 849 companies, Resume Templates reported that about 80% of companies were increasing their return-to-office enforcement measures, while about 27% of companies were returning to a five-day, in-office work week.
Why do companies want employees back in the office? The primary reasons, based on the Resume Templates data, were improved collaboration, productivity, and communication. But here’s where it gets a little messy: According to SurveyMonkey’s research, while 23% of workers want more remote work opportunities, 14% want more in-person opportunities. Turns out there’s no one-size-fits-all for this whole hybrid thing.
What draws folks back to the office? Collaboration and improved focus (32%) were highest on the list, with visibility (31%) and higher productivity (29%) not far behind. However, there’s also a healthy dose of personal worry to go with those company-first sentiments.
More than 45% of respondents were concerned about missing the opportunity to build relationships with co-workers. One-quarter of respondents were worried about missing out on unplanned learning with members of the senior team, and one-quarter thought hybrid would lead to declining trust between employees and management.
Remote work has its share of selling points, too. More than half (52%) of respondents noted the lack of a commute, while 44% reported higher productivity levels outside of the office. The majority of remote (72%) and hybrid (68%) workers say remote work provides a better work-life balance. That said, hybrid isn’t always an ideal situation, as about one-third were worried about home and work boundaries.
To summarize, remote workers want to avoid commuting and can be more productive at home, but they've also got career FOMO and can be more productive in the office. Wait, what? Welcome to the joy of statistical analysis, where you can use the same numbers to plead either side of the case.
Gallup recently estimated 26% of U.S. workers in remote-capable jobs are exclusively remote, while 52% are hybrid. Again, there's no official number, and "remote-capable" is open to interpretation, but Neat research from last year indicated more than 32.6 million Americans work remotely. That's about 19% of the civilian labor force, based on March numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Now that we've cited stats and research from various sources, what does it all mean? We can talk corporate culture or managerial motivations as much as you'd like—but whether they're happy or worried, you've got more than 32 million Americans who work outside of the office at least part of the time, and more than 6 million of those never work there.
The return-to-office trend may continue, and I'll concede that some workers may head back to the office full time. However, hybrid and remote work opportunities are not going to suddenly disappear, and neither is the workforce's reliance on videoconferencing for conducting internal and external business. Statistically speaking, there are more than 32 million reasons for Pro AV to keep effective and reliable meeting room and collaborative technologies as the top priority at InfoComm this year.
