Even though there is a push for employees to return to the office full time, research from Stanford University economics professor Nicholas Bloom found that a hybrid work schedule of three days a week in the office is optimal. Those hybrid employees were just as productive as staff who worked in the office five days a week, the study reported.GETTY IMAGES
At the end of 2022, Vik Kambli, chief operating officer and leader of people operations for veritree, says the company’s pivot from remote working to a hybrid schedule happened somewhat organically. The Vancouver-based climate-tech platform, which verifies, tracks and measures reforestation, is a spinoff of the sustainable clothing company tentree and was just a year into operations at the time. “The needs of that business were calling for a higher level of collaboration within the team,” Mr. Kambli explains.
By 2023, the company had mandated two days a week in the office – Tuesdays and Wednesdays – with about half of the team’s now 80 members coming in on Thursdays for “working sessions” to tackle core business challenges.
Despite employers such as major Canadian banks, the Ontario provincial government and online retailer Amazon mandating employees back to the office for four to five days a week, veritree has held firm on its two-day mandate.
“I think our team members, myself included, appreciate the ability to just put our heads down and get stuff done,” Mr. Kambli says of his work-from-home days. “If you’re going to sit in front of your computer and work on a strategy deck or a piece of code, you might be better off doing that at home.”
Research from Stanford University economics professor Nicholas Bloom found that a hybrid work schedule of three days a week in the office is optimal. “Performance for hybrid employees was identical to the folks that came in five days a week,” Mr. Bloom explains. “So, it seems that if you’re in three days a week, that’s kind of enough. You get a lot of mentoring and in-person connectivity, and performance was no better when dragging in people for the fourth and fifth day.”
An Angus Reid poll released in 2025 found that 59 per cent of respondents would prefer to be fully remote while 20 per cent preferred a hybrid schedule. Only 21 per cent wanted to be in the office full time. But Mr. Bloom has a suspicion as to why some companies are mandating a five-day-a-week return to office, despite what the research shows. “Many of the companies I see that are mandating a five-day return to the office actually want to reduce headcount,” Mr. Bloom explains. “It’s seen as a way of executing cheap layoffs.”
A five-day return-to-office mandate has negative consequences. “Your best, most talented employees, in a hot area like AI [artificial intelligence], are probably exiting,” Mr. Bloom explains. “They’re going to some other company that’s going to let them work from home for two or three days a week.”
Developing the best return-to-office strategy is company-dependent, says to Nora Jenkins Townson, founder of the Toronto-based HR consultancy Bright + Early. “I would start by working with the leaders about what is feeling important about moving [from a remote] to a hybrid or full-time in-office model,” she says. “What do they feel that they’re going to gain from it? What do they feel like they’re losing by being currently remote?”
She also recommends companies collaborate with employees about their wants, needs and desires. “Appoint a committee of culture carriers or interested folks from all levels and departments to hear concerns and where people are coming from,” says Ms. Jenkins Townson.
When companies she consults are eager to implement a full five days in the office, Ms. Jenkins Townson says she tends to nudge them towards a hybrid schedule instead. “It’s very challenging for caregivers, folks with disabilities and folks who live a little farther away if you’re mandating them back a full five days,” she says. “I see the value of collaborating in-person when possible, but [hybrid] is more inclusive to give people more flexibility and treat them like adults in terms of how they spend their time and get their work done.”
There are a few ways that a hybrid can be executed with greater success. Mr. Kambli reminds companies to invest in adequate audio-visual equipment to hold interactive hybrid meetings on in-office days. “It drives me bananas when we have large meetings and everyone’s just talking to their laptops because there’s one person on a call, as opposed to looking around the table at each other,” he admits.
When it comes to implementing a hybrid schedule, Mr. Bloom doesn’t suggest allowing employees to pick their in-office days. “You always think that choice is good,” he says. “But the main reason why people come in is to socialize with co-workers and work face-to-face, and that means they need their co-workers to be there.”
Another suggestion is to plan meetings strategically throughout the week. Mr. Bloom says that small and short meetings, with three people lasting 30 minutes, for example, can work quite well virtually. But larger and longer meetings should be saved for in-office days, where people will be more engaged and less likely to multitask.
While hybrid schedules and the return to office can look different for each company, Ms. Jenkins Townson advises leaders to execute their workplace policies with transparency. “You’re giving people a map to specific expectations,” she says. “Just give people the clarity and the information and set that expectation up front.”