Remote work used to be the exception, not the norm.
Before COVID, according to stats by Bubbles, only 4.7% of UK workers worked from home. This all changed during the pandemic, as nationwide lockdowns forced companies to adapt quickly, suddenly having teams working from home almost 100% of the time.
As of October 2024, 41% of UK workers now work remotely at least part of the week, with 28% adopting a hybrid model and 13% working from home full-time. That leaves only 18% of workers that are actually in the office 5 days a week.
But as memories of the pandemic slowly fade into the background, companies are now asking employees to come back in full time. In November, it was reported that Santander made it mandatory to spend at least 3 days a week in the office, with the UK Public Sector and finance giant JP Morgan Chase following suit.
This has raised questions around employee retention and the need for more flexible policies about where and when employees work.
What Are The Benefits Of Remote Work?
Some argue that remote work gives companies and employees the best of both worlds. It not only allows employees to work in a way that suits them, but it has also been shown to improve productivity in some cases. Some benefits include:
Cutting commute times and costs: In London and other major cities across the UK, living close to the centre, or at least travelling there costs time and money. The extra hour in the day can be valuable work time that would otherwise be spent sitting on transport. Additionally, the cost, which can be nearly £10 a day for people living in city suburbs can mean huge monthly savings.
Better work/life balance: Employees that are able to work from home more regularly are more likely to have a better work-life balance. For parents, it might mean being able to be there for dinner with their kids, before signing back on in the evenings. For others, it may mean being able to go on a lunchtime run to clear their heads before signing back on. This can help with productivity and workplace satisfaction.
Lower office costs: Companies that adopt a hybrid mindset are less likely to need big office spaces, and may be able to make use of the growing number of co-working spaces popping up around cities. This can help reduce costs and improve company profitability.
Better retention: With lower costs, more time and flexibility, it’s no surprise that hybrid work reduced quit rates by a third (Nature). This can help with keeping employees engaged and help cut down on recruitment fees.
But despite these benefits, so many companies are now choosing a ‘back to the office’ mentality. So, what does remote work look like in 2025? To find out, we asked the experts.
Our Experts
- Tom Burton, Founder at Digility Ltd
- Luke Armstrong, Regional President, UK&I, EMEA, APAC at WeWork
- Sheraz Ali, Founder of HARO Agency
- Danny Gazit, Managing Director at Hype
- David Rice, HR Expert at People Managing People
- Alex Voakes, CEO at Peak PEO
- Deepak Shukla, CEO at Pearl Lemon
- Rachel Nielsen, Content & Creative Strategy Lead at Twirl Technologies Ltd.
- Valerian Gegidze, Founder and CEO of Gegidze
- Samppa Vilkuna, Founder & CEO at Superson
- Roger Wood, Manager at GoGoosey
- Isabelle Pearcey, Founder at IWVA
- Oliver Shaw, CEO of Orgvue
- Ed Johnson, Founder at PushFar
- Shani Brounshtein, CHRO at Atera
- Paul Smith, Entrepreneur and Founder of Touchstone Education
For any questions, comments or features, please contact us directly.
Tom Burton, Founder at Digility Ltd
“Have we reached “Peak Remote”? The debate appears to have stabilised in 2024 and I think the average number of days worked in the office versus remotely will remain fairly static across 2025.
“But where do I see scope for change:
“Security. COVID caught us out and there is still some catching up to do to ensure remote working is adequately secure. A key area is identity assurance and device assurance with the implementation of solutions such as Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) and Security Service Edge (SSE).
“Collaboration. Easy video conferencing was a godsend in 2020, but ad hoc team collaboration still has a long way to go. Sending a chat or scheduling a call is not the same as virtually leaning across to your coworking and asking, “have you seen something like this before?”. This is more about practices and process that technology and needs to avoid crossing the trust / surveillance threshold.
“Cohesion. Solitary confinement is a punishment in prisons. Isolation is great for focus and productivity, but humans are a social species, and it has an impact. In 2025 (I hope) the dominant drive for real face-to-face interaction will go beyond productivity and governance.”
Luke Armstrong, Regional President, UK&I, EMEA, APAC at WeWork
“The era of full-time WFH is over—at least for most workers. More and more, people want to be around others, to feel the energy of a shared space, and to experience the buzz of a collaborative environment. In our spaces, we’re seeing a universal need for community that is pulling people away from isolated setups and into spaces that foster creativity and interaction.
This shift is shining a spotlight on the growing value of the ‘destination workplace.’ These are high-quality, thoughtfully designed spaces that offer a productive environment, foster meaningful connections, and make the commute feel worthwhile. Our data backs this up – we saw a 36% year-over-year increase in On-Demand bookings in London*, demonstrating that individuals with unlimited flexibility are choosing spaces built for energy, collaboration, and the functionality they need to do their best work.
Building on this trend, more companies are committing to bringing their teams back to the office. Following Amazon’s return-to-office announcement, we saw a significant surge in large-scale space inquiries across our UK and Ireland portfolio, particularly in Dublin, within just 48 hours. Businesses are clearly seeking space solutions that align with new work schedules, which place a greater emphasis on in-office time.
Small and medium-sized businesses need the office too – they maintain steady attendance throughout the week. Our larger enterprise members see peak office usage on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Regardless of size, businesses increasingly recognise the value of face-to-face collaboration and are turning to flexible workspace solutions to support and enhance these interactions.”
Sheraz Ali, Founder of HARO Agency
“A totally new phenomenon of remote work is expected in 2025: 75% of knowledge workers will spend most of their working hours divided between home and new specialised hubs of remote work, replacing offices and providing top collaboration technology as well as networking in a way not limited to the fixed workplace.
“Working with global teams, I can attest that incorporating AI-based asynchronous communication tools increases productivity by 35%. In 2025, automatically coordinating smart scheduling assistants across time zones and having virtual reality meeting spaces will be standard, creating immersive team experiences.
“The four-day work week will accelerate; by mid-2025, 40% of remote-first companies will embrace this model. This shift will occur as companies realise that output is more important than hours logged. Since moving to a four-day schedule, we at HARO Agency have measured a tremendous 28% increase in team satisfaction and a 15% increase in client retention.
“Mental health tech will revolutionise remote work wellness. Smart devices will monitor stress levels and automatically suggest breaks, while virtual wellness rooms will offer guided meditation and stress relief. Companies will invest heavily in these technologies, with the average remote-first business spending £4,500 per employee on digital wellness solutions.
“I hope these insights paint a picture of the exciting developments ahead for remote work, Dana. I’d be happy to expand on any of these predictions with specific examples from my experience.”
For any questions, comments or features, please contact us directly.
Danny Gazit, Managing Director at Hype
“When remote work became more popular due to Covid-19, video call platforms and collaboration tools quickly improved 100x. As a fully remote company, Hype benefitted from this progress, and globally, remote work became a standard part of the modern business landscape.
As advancements continue, AI will be the biggest driver of change in remote work in 2025. Rather than “eliminating jobs,” AI is helping us work smarter and process information faster.
At Hype, we’ve already embraced AI to improve our client and staff onboarding. Tools like Google Notebook LLM analyse public client information and shared documents, then create a short podcast for the team. This speeds up onboarding by 10x, allowing team members to listen to the podcast at their convenience – eliminating the need to schedule calls with team members across multiple time zones for a presentation from the account lead.
In 2025, AI will boost human potential, enabling remote workers to focus on high-value tasks while streamlining routine activities. As a result, remote teams will experience a more connected, efficient, and productive work environment.”
David Rice, HR expert at People Managing People
“Remote work isn’t going anywhere, but it’s not going to be the default as much for companies with a strong presence in one geographic area. For those companies, hybrid working will very likely be the default. That may sound like remote work is actually fading, but that’s simply not the case. More and more companies have adopted geographically dispersed teams and others have seen a real backlash to return to office orders and will likely adopt hybrid models. In the end, people will be as much if not more in remote settings than they have in recent years. What I think will be interesting to see is what happens courtesy of new technology that can change how we work remotely. Making individuals feel closer together in virtual settings will continue to be a goal of tech providers and it will be interesting to see the ways they do it using things like VR/AR and AI powered tools.”
Alex Voakes, CEO at Peak PEO
“I believe remote working will continue to grow in 2025. Research from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has shown that remote workers sleep and exercise more on average compared to their office-attending counterparts – two proven components for increased overall job satisfaction and performance. Exercise in particular enhances creativity, improves engagement and increases positive mental health. Surely this should be what employers value the most?
Leaders looking to properly engage their workforce should go one step further and implement a four-day working week – with no additional hours or reduction in pay – as we have done for more than a year now. In that short time, we have witnessed a significant increase in productivity, engagement and overall staff satisfaction. If we want our employees to be healthier and happier, and in return, boost our businesses, we need to start treating them like the adults they are and trust them to get on and do their jobs.”
For any questions, comments or features, please contact us directly.
Deepak Shukla, CEO at Pearl Lemon
“Remote work in 2025 will continue to redefine professional landscapes globally. Deepak has witnessed firsthand the transformative shifts remote work has sparked. Here’s my take:
“The year ahead will see hybrid models solidify as businesses balance flexibility with in-person collaboration. Technology will drive this evolution, with AI-powered tools enhancing productivity and streamlining communication. Advanced virtual environments, such as metaverse-style workplaces, will provide more immersive and interactive experiences, making remote collaboration more seamless.
“For employees, work-life boundaries will tighten, with a growing emphasis on asynchronous work to support diverse time zones and lifestyles. As companies compete for talent, remote roles will become more inclusive, accessible, and accommodating of diverse needs, from flexible hours to mental health support.
“Employers will face the challenge of fostering a cohesive culture in a distributed environment, focusing on robust onboarding, virtual team-building, and regular feedback loops to maintain engagement. Leaders must prioritise upskilling and adaptability as the remote workforce becomes increasingly tech-reliant.
“If you decide to go with my pitch or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email me. I’d also appreciate an update if our contribution is selected.”
Rachel Nielsen, Content & Creative Strategy Lead at Twirl Technologies Ltd.
“Freelancing Frenzy: Social media is buzzing with narratives like “leave your 9-5” and “be delulu to create your dream life,” fueling a surge in freelancing and side hustles. One example is UGC (user-generated content). When we started Twirl, sourcing creators and educating them on how UGC could make them money was time-consuming. Now, we receive hundreds of organic applications daily from people looking to start a side hustle or transition into full-time UGC creation. Most cite TikTok as how they discovered us, where Twirl is often mentioned as a go-to platform for UGC work.
“Community-Driven Work Events: Remote work can get lonely, but freelancers are finding ways to connect. Think “freelancer Christmas parties” but on a larger scale—co-working days, networking brunches, and events to make solo work less, well, solo.
“The Rise of the Third Space: As home offices lose their appeal and cafés enforce “no laptop” policies, coworking spaces will thrive. But this time, people will seek spaces that foster real community, not just a Wi-Fi password.”
Valerian Gegidze, Founder and CEO of Gegidze
“The physical workplace will continue undergoing a transformation, with AI orchestrating hybrid work models and virtual reality creating immersive remote environments. These technologies will blur the lines between physical and digital workspaces, offering flexibility while maintaining team cohesion.
“In talent acquisition, AI-powered algorithms will continue to revolutionise recruitment processes, enabling precise matching of candidates to roles on a global scale. This will democratise access to opportunities and allow companies to build diverse, skilled teams regardless of geographic constraints.
“Cybersecurity will see rapid advancements, with machine learning systems providing robust protection for distributed work environments, addressing one of the primary concerns of remote work at scale.
“However, this technological leap brings challenges. The workforce will need to commit to continuous learning to remain relevant, while organisations must navigate the complex ethical and privacy implications of AI integration.
“2025 will likely be a pivotal year, marking the synthesis of technological innovation and human expertise. This synergy will create a more connected, efficient, and inclusive global work ecosystem. Organisations and individuals who can adapt quickly to this new paradigm will be well-positioned to thrive in the evolving landscape of work.”
For any questions, comments or features, please contact us directly.
Samppa Vilkuna, Founder & CEO at Superson
“In 2025, automation and remote work will continue to transform dramatically. As AI becomes more mainstream, businesses will harness rapid innovation without needing deep expertise, accelerating growth across sectors. The hybrid work model will dominate, with the evolution of new tools and systems enhancing collaboration and productivity for remote teams.
“We will also witness the rise of the “liquid workforce,” where skilled specialists prefer project-based roles over traditional employment, creating a diverse talent pool ready to tackle specific challenges. This shift allows companies to assemble specialised remote teams tailored to their needs.
“2025 will be a year of immense opportunity for organisations that embrace these changes, leveraging AI and remote work to drive innovation. Those who adapt will gain a competitive edge, while traditional models may struggle to keep pace with this dynamic landscape. Exciting times lie ahead as we reimagine the future of work!”
Roger Wood, Manager at GoGoosey
“As someone with years of IT/Tech recruitment experience, we are seeing a shift to a more hybrid office /home working since COVID-19 (where work suddenly switched to fully remote), as employers try to retain higher productivity against retaining/attracting staff.
“Employers looking to hire staff and have new employees 5 days a week in the office certainly find recruitment more of a struggle compared to those more flexible. Even candidates who admit to liking office-based work, still want 2-3 days at home.
“Software development is one area of IT where employees generally expect more remote working as essential.
“However, as employers look to reduce their outgoings, we have also seen an increase in outsourcing more work overseas. Very much a case of ‘If we don’t need an office for our workforce, why not just have an overseas workforce?’
“For 2025 we expect remote working to be a key feature of all IT/Tech jobs we work but definitely will be a balanced hybrid model rather than 5 days at home or 5 days in the office.”
Isabelle Pearcey, Founder at IWVA
“I believe that remote working in 2025 is set for seismic post-pandemic shifts, with hybrid work models, wellbeing, and flexibility taking full focus.
“However, not all companies will be taking advantage of this. There is a shift amongst larger companies to increasingly enforce in-office days, whilst smaller businesses and the ever-growing virtual assistant (VA) industry champion remote and hybrid working for its cost-saving, flexibility and productivity benefits. Childcare costs in the UK are prohibitively high and commuting expenses make flexible work essential for many parents. To attract and retain talent amongst all factions of the workforce, companies that don’t embrace flexibility in remote working will lose out on a lot of high quality talent.
“Wellbeing in the workplace is now a strategic priority for many companies, with initiatives addressing stress, burnout, and mental health integrated into company cultures. Optimistically speaking, I believe these values are set to grow and improve.
“The VA industry exemplifies the benefits of remote work, offering businesses scalable solutions for tasks like Executive support, HR, marketing, and project management. We support not only small businesses but often larger organisations as well which some people find surprising. Tools such as AI scheduling, workflow automation are ever evolving to enhance efficiency and productivity.
“Additionally, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are emerging as transformative collaboration tools, bridging gaps between physical and virtual workspaces – the future of remote working has the potential for a lot of collaboration and connectivity. As more organisations adopt outsourcing models, they bridge gaps where permanent hires are unaffordable or unnecessary.
“Ultimately, the businesses that will thrive are those that adapt to these evolving trends—prioritising employee wellbeing and flexible work, foster community and engagement while leveraging ever advancing AI and comms technology and the advantage of outsourcing to remain competitive.”
For any questions, comments or features, please contact us directly.
Oliver Shaw, CEO of Orgvue
“We’re seeing leading companies such as Salesforce, IBM, JPMorgan, and Amazon call people back into the office five days a week, citing concerns around productivity and competitiveness, and I expect to see more organisations follow suit, but are they right in doing so?
“Are organisations really seeing benefits by having people in the office, particularly when people collaborate across borders on a regular basis? In many instances, employees are coming into the office only to sit at their desk with headphones on, where they don’t achieve anything they wouldn’t at home. In 2025, the best leaders will trust their employees to remain productive, and won’t mandate them to come into the office, just so they can see them and not engage with them.
“Businesses must balance operational needs with employee preferences, instead of a black and white support for return-to-office or hybrid working. To achieve this, they should lean on internal data and understanding of job roles to design effective return-to-office strategies. This will help leaders make informed decisions on what roles can and cannot be flexible without making company-wide mandates that don’t take role-variances into consideration. Without this, a one-size-fits-all RTO approach is likely to result in increased turnover, disengagement, and reduced employee productivity.”
Ed Johnson, Founder at PushFar
“Remote working has been the ‘new norm’ for a few years now, and I don’t doubt this will continue to increase in popularity due to its many benefits for both employers and employees alike.
“For employees, they have the added flexibility of working wherever suits them, whether that be at home, in a co-working space or using a hybrid model, spending time both in and out of the office. This increased flexibility can help increase both productivity and job satisfaction.
“For employers, the pool of talent is now much larger, with the option to look wider geographically for the right person for a particular role. The cost-saving element for those who run hybrid or completely remote businesses is also very attractive, with reduced office space required.
“As we enter a new year, I anticipate that while the ‘return to office’ buzzwords have been flying around, for many, at most this will look like a hybrid model. As a fully remote business owner, I have seen for myself the huge benefits of remote working, and I don’t see a full return to office work any time soon. I also anticipate there will be increasing eyes on technology to support remote workers, whether it’s implementing new conferencing or messaging software, or considering technology which will provide added benefits to remote workers, such a mentoring, coaching or development technology which can be seamlessly rolled out globally.
“AI will also continue to reign in 2025, and for remote workers I anticipate we’ll see more integration, through AI meeting support, whether that's scheduling, note taking or setting objectives, to aiding with virtual collaboration.”
Shani Brounshtein, CHRO at Atera
“In 2025, AI tools will become increasingly essential for HR teams to help make smarter decisions about hiring, performance, and retaining talent. These tools will also personalize the employee experience and provide deeper insights into managing remote and hybrid teams.
“At the same time, workforce agility will be key. As remote and hybrid models continue to become the norm, HR teams will need to focus on equipping employees with the right tools and skills to adapt. This means fostering a culture where learning and flexibility are central, so employees can stay ahead in a rapidly evolving landscape.”
Paul Smith, Entrepreneur and Founder of Touchstone Education
“He has first hand experience of the challenge of remote work and, as you’ll see below is 100% supportive of this on a global scale. Cast your mind back to March 2020: The UK has just locked down; an already uncertain world is cast into chaos for a bewildered population. Within 12 weeks internet adoption for remote working has been accelerated by 12 years and we are never going back. Paragon Limited, one of the companies I founded with my wife Aniko, employs 74 staff supplying management services to a number of other companies world-wide.
“Prior to the pandemic all staff were based in the UK. When we talk about remote working people imagine a few days working from home combined with occasional forays into the office. The reality of remote work for our companies in 2025 is this: Paragon now supports companies with highly skilled staff working from the UK, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Dubai and Philippines.
“As remote working spawned digital nomads our recruitment expanded to include people wanting to work, or even existing staff moving to a number of different countries.
“We had two of the team relocating from Doncaster to Dubai. The new reality is simple. To attract the best talent companies have to be globally flexible with remote working. Governments need to realise their policies can no longer “lock-down” citizens. Dubai, Portugal, Spain, Thailand and many more countries have very attractive schemes for remote workers. Middle income earners can often improve their quality of life and reduce their tax bills.
“To delve a little deeper into one scheme that is perhaps less well known: Greece. UK nationals can relocate Greece within weeks. Greece has a programme open to all offering tax-residency with an absolute maximum of 100,000 euro per year tax or a flat rate just 7% if you are a pensioner. If you are a high-earning company director on £1,000,000 plus per year 100k euro is roughly 8% total tax plus of course Greece is a wonderful place to live. In fact, anyone earning £250,000 or more will save tax and national insurance by moving to Greece. Plus of course much cheaper housing, cost of living. Mediterranean climate and cuisine, even if the move was going to cost slightly more tax would you be tempted?
“Governments need to wake up to the real meaning of remote working to remain competitive in the post-lockdown world we live in. Pandora’s Lockdown Box is well and truly open, I see no prospect that any Government will be able to close it.”