How it works
A fully remote employee has no regular office days. Communication runs through video calls, chat, shared documents and project tools, and many remote organizations favor written, asynchronous updates so people in different time zones can contribute without meeting live.
Remote work sits at one end of a spectrum. Hybrid work mixes office and remote days, remote-first organizations make remote work the default but keep some office space, and fully remote organizations may have no office at all. Many remote organizations still bring people together a few times a year for planning, onboarding and team building.
Remote work changes the office question rather than removing it. Organizations need space for occasional gatherings, coworking access for people who want a desk away from home, and a way to decide where gatherings happen. Research also points to trade-offs, such as less feedback and mentoring for early-career staff when teams rarely meet.
How to measure it
- Track how often remote teams meet in person and where, to size hub or coworking needs.
- Watch onboarding time and early-career progression for remote hires compared with hybrid or office-based hires.
Examples
- A software developer works from home in another state and joins the team in person for a planning week each quarter.
- A support team works fully remotely across time zones and hands work over through a shared ticket queue.
Benchmarks
In Great Britain in early 2025, 28% of working adults were hybrid workers and 14% worked fully remotely, while 44% still commuted to the office every day.
Kadence guide: Hybrid work strategy (citing the Office for National Statistics)
Common mistakes
- Treating remote work as office work at a distance, with the same meetings and hours, instead of changing how work is shared.
- Leaving junior staff without structured mentoring and regular in-person time.
- Keeping a large office for a workforce that rarely uses it, without measuring attendance.
How Kadence helps
For remote and distributed teams, Kadence Flex books coworking desks and meeting rooms worldwide through the LiquidSpace network, so teams can meet near where they live. People can set a remote working status so colleagues know where they are, and Team Kadence and Workplace Events help plan the days a remote team gets together.
Flexible office space · Distributed teams · Hybrid working coordination
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between remote work and hybrid work?
Remote workers work away from the office all or almost all of the time. Hybrid workers split their week between the office and another location, usually home. Hybrid work keeps regular in-person time, so it needs coordination and shared space; remote work relies mostly on digital tools and occasional planned gatherings.
Is remote work the same as working from home?
Mostly, but not always. Working from home describes where the work happens. Remote work describes any work done away from the employer's office, which can include coworking spaces, cafés or travel. A remote employee may work from home on most days and from a coworking space on others.
Is remote or hybrid work better?
Neither is better for every role. Remote work suits focused, independent work and widens the hiring pool. Hybrid work keeps regular in-person time for collaboration, mentoring and culture. Many organizations offer both and decide by role and team rather than applying one rule to everyone.
What is telecommuting?
Telecommuting is an older term for working away from the office and connecting to work by phone and internet. Today it means much the same as remote work or working from home, and it is still used in some government and legal contexts.
Related terms
- Hybrid work A way of working where employees split their time between the office and remote locations such as home.
- Virtual-first (remote-first) An operating model where remote work is the default for individual work and offices are used for planned gatherings.
- Hybrid work model The specific rules an organization uses to decide where and when people work, from flexible to office-first.
- Flexible working Any arrangement that changes when, where or how much someone works, such as flextime, hybrid work or part-time hours.
- Flexible workspace Workspace used on short or on-demand terms, such as coworking desks, bookable rooms and serviced offices, instead of a long lease.
Kadence editorial team · Last reviewed