If you’ve been tracking the headlines, you might think the world is returning to 2019. Big-name CEOs issuing return-to-office mandates. Commercial landlords cheering on occupancy gains. But when I sat down with Brian Elliott—the CEO of Work Forward and now the new steward of the Flex Index—we both agreed: the real story lies in the data. And the data tells a different tale.
The State of Flex in 2025
The Q2 2025 Flex Index Report provides the clearest view we’ve seen yet on what work really looks like across industries and company sizes. Here are the facts:
- Structured Hybrid is dominant: 43% of U.S. companies have adopted a structured hybrid model, requiring a set number of in-office days per week.
- Full-time office mandates remain a minority: Just 33% of firms require employees to be in the office full-time—up only slightly from 31% a year ago.
- Smaller firms favor flexibility: 70% of companies with fewer than 500 employees are fully flexible. In contrast, 70% of enterprises with over 25,000 employees have opted for structured hybrid.
- The Fortune 500 is shifting: Full-time in-office requirements among Fortune 500 companies jumped from 13% to 24% in the past two quarters. Yet even within that shift, structured hybrid is becoming the norm—with required days in the office rising from 2.3 to 2.9 on average.
- Policy is not compliance: While firms are increasing required office days, actual attendance hasn’t changed. People still work from home about the same amount as last year, according to Stanford and Census Bureau surveys.
Why This Matters Now
What struck me most in our conversation was Brian’s emphasis on intentionality. The best companies aren’t just mandating in-office days—they’re rethinking space, investing in employee connection, and adapting their real estate footprints to reflect actual usage.
As Brian said: “The best CEOs aren’t the ones issuing top-down mandates. They’re the ones asking: what’s the purpose of our time together?”
This aligns deeply with how we’ve built Kadence. Our mission is to help organizations orchestrate their hybrid work strategy—whether that’s through tools like Kadence Sense for smart space usage, or Insights Plus for measuring attendance, engagement, and ROI.
The $16,000 Desk
One moment in the chat that stood out: Brian shared that global law firms are seeing desk costs top $16,000 per person annually. With utilization rates still well below 50% in many sectors, it’s no longer just a culture conversation—it’s a financial one.
Let that sink in: entire floors of premium real estate—empty half the time, yet still racking up premium leases, utilities, and maintenance costs.
With average office attendance still hovering well below pre-pandemic levels (often below 50%), that number isn’t just startling—it’s unsustainable. CFOs and real estate leaders are starting to ask hard questions: What’s the ROI of a desk? Do we really need a 1:1 seating ratio? What if we could design smarter, leaner, more dynamic space?
At Kadence, we think hybrid work has moved beyond ideology—it’s now a data-driven business decision. You don’t need to mandate more days in the office. You need better visibility, smarter scheduling, and flexible policies that actually align with how people get work done.
What Leaders Should Do Next
If you’re reading this as a global head of real estate, people ops leader, or forward-thinking exec, here’s the bottom line: we are past the point of posturing. It’s time to act on what the data is telling us.
- The media may amplify return-to-office mandates, but the majority of companies are not going back to five days a week. The momentum is with hybrid—and the smartest leaders are leaning into it.
- Structured hybrid works best when it’s clear, consistent, and rooted in trust. Employees don’t want chaos. They want clarity about when and why to come in.
- Above all: use data, not dogma. Desk costs are rising. Utilization is lagging. Employee expectations have changed. Smart leaders are using this moment to rethink everything—from footprint to policy to culture.
And if you’re still relying on badge swipes and spreadsheets to manage hybrid? It’s time to upgrade.
Check out the full Q2 2025 Flex Index Report here
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