Hybrid work schedules appear to be businesses’ preferred method of addressing the never-ending discussion around returning to the office, according to data collected in a new report, Back-to-Office Report: Survey Data Reveals How Organizations Are Planning for the Future of Work.

Sister brands Women in Retail Leadership Circle (WIRLC) and Women Leading Travel & Hospitality asked executives from leading brands across both the retail and travel and hospitality industries how they’re navigating the many challenges and questions that come with defining a new way to work.

Hybrid Work is Here … At Least for Now

Nearly all of the 229 respondents (94 percent) said they planned on implementing what what we’ve come to know as a hybrid work schedule (i.e., part-time work from home, part-time work in the office). This data confirms what many employees are telling their employers: they value the flexibility that a hybrid schedule affords them.

Furthermore, implementing a hybrid schedule provides companies with the ability to ease into their return-to-office strategies, addressing any issues as employees return to offices after a year-plus absence — and with new protocols and procedures in place. While it’s unclear how long hybrid schedules will remain in effect, the current reality is that both employers and employees have come to terms that the model is the best path forward for the foreseeable future.

Offices Could Still Be Used

Nearly two-thirds of respondents (64 percent) said they either have required or will eventually require employees to return to corporate offices/headquarters full time. These offices were closed during the pandemic and employees worked remotely. The benefits gained from having employees in the office, including easier communication, improved team morale, better corporate culture, among other things, are leading employers across industries to mandate employees be back in offices, either now or some point in the future, on a full-time basis.

The 36 percent of respondents who will not require employees to return to the office on a full-time basis may have sold or are planning to sell their office space, or perhaps employees were given the option to become fully remote. Many companies realized staff were as effective and in some cases even more productive working remotely than they were in-office.

For more data and analysis, download the full report here.