Important notice - We are aware of a scam where people are impersonating CMD Recruitment to offer jobs via WhatsApp & Telegram. This is a scam, CMD Recruitment will never contact new candidates via these methods. Any legitmate offer from CMD Recruitment would be made via a telephone call.
May 6, 2026
The way we work has changed. That much is obvious. But formalising these changes into a hybrid working policy that actually delivers, for the employer and the employee alike, is where most businesses stumble.
At CMD Recruitment, we’re seeing first-hand how candidate expectations around flexible working arrangements have shifted since 2020. According to ONS hybrid working statistics UK data from early 2025, around 28 percent of working adults reported splitting their time between home and the office, that figure has held steady for over a year now, which tells us something vital hybrid work is not a trend, it’s a structural shift.
Yet a surprising number of UK businesses still don’t have a formal hybrid working policy in place. Some rely on informal agreements. Others are improvising as they go . A few are still pushing a rigid return to office policy without weighing what this means for talent attraction and retention.
If you’re looking for a hybrid working policy template UK employers can actually use, or you want to understand the hybrid working principles that should underpin your approach, this guide is for you.
The Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act 2023 changed the game for employers across the country. Employees now have the right to request flexible working from day one of employment, not after 26 weeks, as was previously the case. Two requests per year are permitted, and employers must respond within two months.
This alone should be reason enough to get your hybrid working policy documented and communicated with precision. Without one, you’re leaving yourself exposed to inconsistency, confusion and potential legal challenges.
But beyond the legal obligations, there’s a commercial argument too.
Businesses competing for the best talent in 2025 need to be upfront about how they operate. A well-defined hybrid work model signals to prospective candidates that you’ve thought about how work gets done, and that you respect the balance between productivity and personal life . CIPD hybrid working research has consistently shown that employees with access to flexible arrangements report higher job satisfaction and are less likely to seek roles elsewhere. The fact is that a well-structured policy is not just a compliance exercise, it’s a retention tool.
If you’re creating a policy from scratch, you need to cover more ground than just “two days in the office.” A strong hybrid working agreement template will address the practical, legal and cultural elements of how your team operates.
Start with the basics. Your days in office policy should specify whether particular days are mandatory or whether employees have flexibility to choose. Many companies are now adopting a core hours and flexible hours model, employees must be available during set windows but can structure the rest of their day around personal commitments.
You’ll also want to address home working risk assessment requirements alongside health and safety obligations for home workers. Data protection and remote working protocols need attention too, including GDPR home working considerations, if your office space has been reduced, a hot desking policy becomes essential, equipment provision matters who covers the cost of home office setups? And your hybrid working communication guidelines should spell out expectations around digital collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams.
One area that often gets overlooked is probationary period hybrid working terms . If new starters are expected to be in the office more frequently during their first three months, state this clearly. Ambiguity breeds frustration.
The policy should also outline any contractual changes for hybrid roles, particularly where the shift represents a permanent change to someone’s terms of employment. ACAS hybrid working guidance recommends consulting with employees before making changes and documenting everything in writing.Managing Remote and Hybrid Teams Effectively
Having a policy is one thing, making it work is another.
Line manager responsibilities in hybrid working environments are significant. Managers need to be equipped to lead teams they might only see in person once or twice a week, which means rethinking how they communicate, how they assess output. And how they build trust with people they’re not physically alongside every day.
Performance management for remote workers should not rely on visibility. The old assumption that someone sitting at their desk equates to productivity has never been accurate, and it doesn’t hold up in a hybrid model. Managers should focus on outcomes and deliverables instead. Set clear expectations. Review progress regularly. Give feedback in real time rather than banking it for annual reviews.
Inclusivity in hybrid work environments also requires deliberate attention. There’s a real risk that employees who come into the office more frequently will be perceived as more committed, even when their output is identical to someone working from home, this kind of proximity bias can quietly erode team cohesion if left unaddressed.
Regular one-to-ones, team check-ins and structured collaboration days help bridge this gap.
Employee wellbeing and hybrid working are closely linked, but the relationship is not always simple. For some, the flexibility of working from home has been life-changing. For others, blurred boundaries between work and personal life have led to longer hours and heightened stress.
A good work-life balance policy acknowledges both realities.
It should encourage employees to switch off at the end of their working day, discourage out-of-hours messaging, and provide resources for those who are struggling, it can be tempting for employers to assume that hybrid working automatically improves wellbeing . It doesn’t, not without structure.
Where hybrid working and productivity intersect is also worth examining. Research from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development suggests that well-managed hybrid arrangements can boost output, but only when employees feel supported and trusted. Micromanagement kills both morale and performance. It doesn’t matter where someone is sitting.
One question we’re increasingly fielding at CMD Recruitment is whether hybrid roles should be compensated differently, the short answer is no, but salary benchmark UK data should still inform your approach.
The reality is that candidates in 2026 expect competitive compensation packages alongside flexible working, they’re not willing to accept a lower salary because they get to work from home two days a week. If anything, the expectation has flipped hybrid working is now the baseline, not a perk.
Using salary benchmarking tools UK employers trust, such as those provided by the ONS, Glassdoor, or recruitment agencies with sector-specific data, will help you understand the UK average salary by role and ensure your offers align with the market. A market rate salary comparison UK exercise should be conducted at least once a year, for hard-to-fill positions.
Consider how salary sacrifice and benefits for hybrid workers might factor into your overall package too, enhanced pension contributions, wellbeing stipends or home office allowances can all differentiate your offer without necessarily increasing base pay.
Your hybrid working policy says more about your company than you might think.
Candidates are scrutinising these policies during the application process . And a vague or overly restrictive approach can turn away strong applicants before you’ve even had a conversation. UK recruitment trends in 2024 and 2025 show that candidate expectations around flexible working are now a primary factor in job decisions. In sales and marketing roles specifically, we’ve seen candidates decline offers from businesses mandating five days in the office, even when the salary was higher than the alternative.
Your employer brand and hybrid work approach are now inseparable, if you’re advertising a role as “flexible” but expecting employees to be in the office four days a week, this disconnect will surface during the interview process . It will damage trust. Be honest about what you’re offering.
Hybrid working policy examples UK businesses can learn from tend to share one common trait transparency. The best policies are specific, fair and easy to understand, they don’t hide behind vague language or leave key decisions to individual managers.
If you don’t yet have a formal policy in place, now is the time. You don’t need to overcomplicate it. But you do need to get the fundamentals right.
Start by consulting with your employees, find out what’s working and what’s not, review your legal obligations under the Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act 2023 and ensure your policy aligns with current UK employment law on flexible working. Then document everything clearly and make it accessible to every member of your team.
A hybrid working schedule that works for one department might not suit another. That’s fine. The policy should provide a framework, not a rigid set of rules that ignores the reality of how different teams operate.
At CMD Recruitment, we work with businesses across the UK to ensure their hiring strategies reflect the expectations of today’s candidates, if you’re unsure how your hybrid working policy compares to competitors in your sector, or if you’d like support benchmarking your compensation packages, get in touch with our team.
The companies that get this right won’t just retain their best people. They’ll attract the next generation of them too.
Back to Blog
