Over the last 100 years, we've seen the world of work continuously evolve, shape-shift, and become moulded by changing social expectations.
In the 1970s, a significant number of women entered the paid workforce. By the 1990s, legal protections such as the right to breaks became standard. And now, in 2025, spurred on partly by the COVID-19 pandemic, the conversation has shifted again: we're talking about the right to flexible work.
However, the flexibility conversation is about more than corporate models. It's a deeper conversation about what good work looks like. It's about redefining how we measure productivity, purpose, and the human impact of our jobs.
As Laural Farrer, Founder and CEO of Distribute Consulting, says,
"Workplace flexibility is a bridge to take us to fundamentally better ways of working."
In this article, we explore what flexible work looks like in 2025.
What Does Work Flexibility Really Mean?
When we think of flexible working, we’ve come to associate it with the balance of home and office working - at least that seems to be the loudest dialogue.
But true flexibility takes many forms. Today, flexible work can encompass a range of models, including:
4-day work weeks
Work-from-anywhere models
Outcome-based performance over hours logged
Job sharing
Part-time
Flexitime
Phased retirement
Sabbatical policies
There’s no single way to implement flexibility, and organisations have many paths to choose from.
One of the most significant shifts in the past two decades occurred in 2019, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced a sudden and large-scale shift to remote work.
During that time, we learnt some important lessons, one being that productivity wasn’t tied to a specific location - the office.
In a 2020 review of data, Forbes reported that “Teleworkers are an average of 35-40% more productive than their office counterparts, and have measured an output increase of at least 4.4%.”
Not only was remote working capable of outperforming office work, but employees liked it too.
Why Do Employees Enjoy Flexibility?
Every employee’s lifestyle is different, some may have disabilities, caregiving responsibilities, or lengthy commutes.
Implementing flexible workplace practices is about respecting these differences and creating an environment where individuals can thrive and perform at their best. After all, a happy, supported workforce is not just good for morale - it's good for business.
When employees are given flexibility, some of the benefits they find are:
Better work-life balance
Increased feelings of trust
Greater autonomy
Reduced costs (commuting, meals, etc.)
More time for self-care
But the conversation around flexibility is nuanced. For instance, in a FlexJobs survey of 4,000 respondents, we can see differing opinions around location flexibility.
NordLayer’sdata layout shows that 32% of employees want to work in a hybrid model, leaving 65% of employees wanting full remote working, and a very small portion wanting full-time office work. Of course, these numbers will probably differ based on a number of variables such as sector, worker generation, and country.
While it may feel impossible to cater to everyone, being open-minded and listening to what workers want tends to be a good first step.
Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case, and some tensions have arisen around working arrangements, such as the return-to-office (RTO) mandate.
The Call of the Office
"...it is what it is" Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber, recently said to employees during a push for a stricter RTO policy.
His blunt remark reflects a growing tension across some larger companies like Google, Amazon, Tesla, and others, as senior leadership pushes for more in-person work, often against the preferences of their employees.
Leaders like Amazon's CEO, Andy Jassy, argue thatreturning to the office "strengthens company culture, boosts collaboration, and fuels innovation." But many employees remain unconvinced. Instead, there's a growing nervousness that the RTO is becoming more about control and distrust.
For some employees, the RTO mandate has often not been a happy one. They cite issues such as poor culture in the office, burnout, and logistical issues like a lack of desk space.
2 in 5 employees believe returning to the office would significantly decrease their job satisfaction, citing concerns over work-life balance and mental health.
Tensions at Amazon
The tensions between the C-suite and the general workforce are probably best highlighted in an open letter that the Amazon workforce wrote to Chief Executive Matt Garman:
"Our time working remotely during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic proved that we are effective, creative, and successful without being primarily in-person, and to take no lessons from that experience would be extremely disappointing".
What's clear is that flexibility continues to be a tense conversation between those who enforce the rules and those who have to live by them.
Still, not all companies are pushing the same narrative. Some organisations continue to embrace flexible working models, recognising that productivity and innovation aren't confined to office walls.
Is Work Flexibility in the Employers’ Best Interests?
It depends, but improving employee happiness and work satisfaction certainly is.
One of the greatest displays of how healthy a work environment is can often come down to one quality: trust.
When employees are trusted to deliver high-quality work independently, it not only eases management burdens and strengthens workplace relationships but also helps retain top talent by promoting a positive, empowering culture.
Richard Branson says it best,
"To successfully work with other people, you have to trust each other. A big part of this is trusting people to get their work done wherever they are, without supervision."
There’s also a strategic side to flexibility: it helps future-proof the organisation. Embracing flexible work arrangements opens the door to a range of long-term benefits, which we explore below.
#1:The global workforce
Flexible working plays a crucial role in attracting and retaining global talent.
By removing the constraints of traditional office hours and fixed locations, companies can hire skilled professionals regardless of where they live. This opens access to a broader and more diverse talent pool, including individuals who may not be able or willing to relocate.
Flexibility also supports different time zones, allowing teams to operate smoothly across continents and enabling businesses to offer near-24/7 coverage.
Of course, this also opens the door for workers themselves, giving them the ability to choose when and where they work, improving job satisfaction and work-life balance, making companies that offer flexibility more attractive to top talent.
#2: Output, not time
Focusing on output instead of traditional working hours can significantly benefit businesses. It emphasises results over time spent at a desk, encouraging efficiency, accountability, and autonomy - all things that great employees love.
Workers are motivated to work smarter, not longer, which can lead to higher productivity and better-quality outcomes. It also helps businesses operate more effectively across time zones, particularly when managing remote or global teams.
Measuring success by deliverables rather than hours fosters a culture of trust and performance.
#3: Phased retirements
In the UK, the retirement age has continuously increased over the last 20 years, meaning people are working longer than ever.
For workers nearing retirement age, increased flexibility in the form of a phased retirement policy means they don’t have to suffer the intensity of 40-50 hour work weeks, while businesses can still benefit from their vast knowledge.
It also enables a smoother transfer of knowledge, skills, and relationships from experienced employees to newer team members.
Offering these age-conscious policies is a great indicator that an organisation is not only age-inclusive but that it values its employees in and out of the “office”.
#4: Custom sabbaticals
The world of work can be demanding. Employees need mental and physical breaks to help prevent issues like burnout, absenteeism, and, at worst, leaving a job altogether.
Sabbaticals can be really crucial periods that allow workers to rest, recover and provide some fresh thinking, so that they can come back to work with new perspectives and, hopefully, renewed energy.
Allowing employees to take extended, planned time away from work, whether for personal growth, travel, education, or rest, can lead to increased engagement, loyalty, and productivity upon their return.
For businesses, sabbaticals can be an opportunity to develop internal talent by temporarily promoting other team members into acting roles, fostering leadership skills and resilience.
Looking to the future
In the evolving landscape of work, businesses must recognise that flexible working is no longer a temporary response to crisis but the future of working well.
To remain competitive, attract top talent, and support employee well-being, organisations should develop flexible working policies that are inclusive and clearly communicated. Sometimes, this requires a mindset shift, from viewing flexibility as a perk to embedding it as a core element of organisational culture.
Of course, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to flexible working policies. Businesses must take a strategic look at their own organisations, speak with their employees, consider their 5-year plan and ask the question - how can we work well?
