Since the pandemic, hybrid work has established itself as the “new normal” for many organizations. Today, however, this model is being put to the test: several multinational companies are reducing remote workdays or even abolishing flexibility policies altogether.
In the United Kingdom, for example, an increasing share of job postings now include two or more mandatory office days (The Guardian, 2025), while companies such as Dell and JPMorgan have mandated near-total returns (The Verge, 2025). In the United States, commentators are talking about “hybrid creep”—the gradual tightening of hybrid models (Business Insider, 2025).
This shift is not limited to English-speaking countries. In Italy, too, the debate is open. While many organizations have successfully experimented with smart working, a strong presentialist culture remains—especially in more traditional sectors.
The real question, therefore, is no longer whether to maintain hybrid work, but how to make it sustainable. And this is where trust comes into play: not as an abstract value, but as a real infrastructure to be designed and nurtured.
Rollback as a Stress Test
Data show that employees continue to value flexibility: according to Gallup, nearly 60% of “remote-capable” workers prefer a hybrid approach. Yet more and more organizations are reversing course.
Why? The stated reasons often refer to innovation, collaboration, and company culture. But beneath the surface lies a deeper issue: trust. The fear that, without direct supervision, performance, engagement, and motivation might decline.
The paradox is clear. Fully remote work does not automatically result in greater well-being. Gallup data show that only 36% of fully remote employees report high job thriving, compared with 42% among hybrid workers. What makes the difference is not extreme flexibility, but the balance between autonomy, interaction, and mutual trust.
Trust as the Infrastructure of Hybrid Work
Thinking of trust as a “soft skill” is not enough. For hybrid work to succeed in the long term, it must be treated as an organizational infrastructure—built on clear rules, effective tools, and consistent behaviors.
The first step is to redefine how performance is evaluated: moving away from attendance and toward measurable goals that focus on outcomes rather than hours. At the same time, organizations must foster psychological safety through empathy, active listening, and ongoing feedback—supported by digital rituals and genuine moments of connection that strengthen belonging and team cohesion, even at a distance.
Technology plays a key role, but it must be designed to enable work, not to monitor it. Integrated collaboration platforms, shared dashboards, and digital well-being solutions are essential to ensure transparency, autonomy, and balance.
In this context, leadership takes on renewed importance. Managers must be equipped to lead distributed teams with an inclusive and flexible approach, supported by senior leadership capable of offering clear and consistent direction.
Finally, to keep the hybrid model agile and effective, organizations should adopt a cyclical approach of feedback and adaptation—regularly revisiting the “rules of the game” to stay aligned with people’s needs and an evolving environment.
What Lies Ahead: The Evolution of Hybrid Work
The question is not whether hybrid work will endure, but in what form. Looking ahead, several directions are emerging:
- Modular hybrid: more fluid combinations of office presence, focus days, and collaboration windows.
- Technology and AI: potential risks of digital surveillance, but also opportunities to use algorithms to improve transparency and coordination.
- Well-being and boundaries: future models must protect individual rhythms and prevent burnout.
- Employer branding: in Italy, where competition for talent is already intense, the ability to offer trust and autonomy will become a decisive competitive advantage.
The current wave of office mandates represents a genuine stress test for the maturity of hybrid work. Yet it need not be a step backward. It is an opportunity to recognize that the real lever is not flexibility itself, but the ability to build trust as an organizational architecture.
The companies that succeed in designing this infrastructure—integrating tools, culture, and leadership—will be those best positioned to attract talent, sustain performance, and create lasting value over time.
