Let’s face it. Remote work has secured a place in modern work culture, and it’s unlikely to ever go away.
But with 52% of leaders wanting more in-person work in 2025, what does that mean for employees who’ve grown used to working from anywhere?
So, Hubble spoke with more than 125 of London’s top startup and scaleup founders to find out. Here’s what we discovered!
Remote companies still value the importance of in-person working
Around 22% of the people we surveyed said they operate with a remote-first strategy. But interestingly, 74% of those companies still offer their employees the chance to work in person.
It seems like even remote-first companies recognise the benefits of getting their teams together face-to-face. But for what kinds of activities?
Socials and offsite reign supreme as top in-person activities
Remember when a “company offsite” or team retreat used to be a nice-to-have? Now, it’s become a linchpin of company culture.
While 71% of remote companies offer company-wide socials, a whopping 67% now put on whole company offsites to help bring teams together.
It’s a significant investment, with many companies taking employees abroad for several days—or even weeks.
These funds are often freed up by savings from no longer paying rent on dedicated office space, usually the second-highest fixed cost for businesses.
Remote working seems to work for most companies
When a company’s work strategy is working, there’s usually not much reason to change things.
Success creates a sense of stability, and most organisations prefer to stick with what keeps their teams happy and productive.
In our survey, 70% of remote companies said they’re not planning to change their approach in 2025—a strong sign they’re happy with how things are going.
Leaders want the option to work remotely
Interestingly, a lot of our leaders want the option to work remotely themselves—regardless of the work arrangements they’ve put in place for their teams.
41% of leaders work “mostly from home, sometimes in an office”, while another 40% work “mostly from the office, sometimes at home”.
Technically, these stats point to a “hybrid work strategy.” But it’s interesting that remote work—like working from home—still plays a role in many leaders’ schedules, even though they’d like their employees to leave it behind.
Many remote leaders are leading by example
What’s reassuring is that remote leaders are leading by example. 56% work mostly from home, with occasional office time, just like their teams. Plus, many companies still offer perks like day passes to coworking spaces, showing they’ve found a balance that works for everyone.
Where are the latest stats on hybrid and office-based working?
Great question.
The Hubble team has compiled all our survey findings into an in-depth report, and you can easily download your free copy.
It includes the latest stats on these key topics:
- Where are teams and leaders actually working today—hybrid, remote, or office-based?
- The pros and cons of each approach, including hybrid vs. fully office-based work.
- Do leaders prefer employees to be in the office more often?
- What changes are leaders planning for remote and office-based work in the coming year?
