Hybrid is the new normal, even in France: 94% of companies plan no change to their remote work policy in 2026. And yet, the expectations gap between employees and their managers has never been wider.
Is remote work a given? According to Apec – Association Pour l’Emploi des Cadres‘s latest March 2026 survey, 87% of large French organizations report quality-of-life gains from remote work — but only 61% see clear productivity benefits. 61% of managers allow their teams to adjust remote days weekly, with 47% requiring no prior validation. And if remote work were reduced? 38% of companies anticipate recruitment difficulties. 33% expect a drop in engagement. Around half of executives say they would consider leaving.
Is #remote work similarly perceived by all generations? The « Mind the Gap » report (2025) of USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism adds a generational layer that every manager must understand. 72% of Gen Z professionals say hybrid work makes their jobs easier — vs. just 39% of Boomers. 47% of Gen Z would accept a pay cut to keep flexibility. Today’s managers are not just managing tasks. They are managing generations with fundamentally different relationships to presence, trust, and work itself.
The real question is not whether remote work works — it does. The real question is: what kind of #manager does it require? Eurofound‘s European research shows that the most effective hybrid model is not « office-first » or « fully remote ». It is structured and balanced, built on clear frameworks, team-level agreements, and above all, trust. The manager who thrives in 2026 is not the one who counts days in the office. It’s the one who builds cohesion across distance.
As a company, is reducing remote work today worth it? From my point of view, the decision must be well prepared as it may carry more risk than benefit, particularly for talent attraction and retention.
Remote work doesn’t reveal how your team works. It reveals how you manage.
Inspirations: Laetitia Niaudeau Ivailo Kalfin Fred Cook
#FutureOfWork
