Here's a situation that marketing, media and events companies regularly deal with. The recruitment process runs smoothly, interviews go well, and leaders put together a competitive package.

Then the candidate asks a simple question.

"How often do I need to be in the office?"

If the answer is five days a week, many candidates quietly back away. Not because they dislike office work. Most don’t. But they don’t want to feel unnecessarily restricted.

Recent 2025 remote work statistics show that 76% of workers would look for a new job if remote work were not an option, and 69% would accept a pay cut to keep some flexibility. In the same report, 85% said remote work is the top factor influencing whether they apply for a role.

That is quite a shift.

What This Article Covers

This article looks at why hybrid work expectations have become almost non-negotiable for many candidates in 2026. Around 58% prefer fully remote roles, and another 40% prefer hybrid arrangements.

We will look at why return-to-office mandates drive higher turnover, why flexibility now influences 76% of retention decisions, and what hybrid work policies actually reduce hiring problems.

Pay, title and progression still matter. Of course they do. But for many candidates they no longer outweigh the question of flexibility.

If you are competing for marketing, media and events talent today, you need to understand that.

Hybrid Work Demand, The Numbers Tell the Truth

For years, flexibility was something candidates appreciated but often traded away if the job felt right.

That is not the case anymore.

The FlexJobs State of the Workforce report asked candidates what type of role they wanted:

• 58% said fully remote
• 40% said hybrid
• 2% said full-time office

Other research points in the same direction. Robert Half found that flexibility influences whether 76% of employees stay with an organisation, not just whether they apply.

Owl Labs reports that many employees would start job hunting if flexibility disappeared, even if nothing else changed.

And around 17% of workers have already left jobs because employers changed their office policies.

If you recruit in marketing, media or events, that will not surprise you. Conversations about flexibility come up constantly now.

Many employers still treat flexibility as something to weigh against pay or progression. Candidates increasingly see it as part of the job itself.

Despite that, 53% of workers were required to return to the office in 2025, up from 23% in 2024. Around 30% of companies say they plan to eliminate remote work by the end of 2026.

That is quite a collision course.

What Candidates Actually Want, And Where Employers Lose Them

Most candidates are not asking to disappear entirely.

Many still want to meet colleagues, collaborate, and spend time in the office when it makes sense.

What they react badly to is being told exactly where they must be every day regardless of the role.

Flexibility usually comes down to a few simple things:

• Some choice over where they work during the week
• A say in how their working day is structured
• Clear expectations they can plan their lives around
• Confidence they will be judged on their results, not visibility

Those expectations line up with what employees are saying elsewhere. Around 83% of candidates now prioritise work-life balance over salary.

And there is a practical side to that.

A shorter commute means hours back each week. Fewer fixed days in the office can reduce childcare costs. Flexible start and finish times remove a lot of daily stress.

For many people that matters more than a slightly higher salary.

So when employers insist on five office days for roles that do not genuinely require it, candidates hesitate. Not out of laziness. Out of common sense.

When companies explain what flexibility actually looks like, and stick to it, recruitment conversations usually move forward. When expectations are vague or constantly changing, candidates move on.

The Cost of Ignoring the Demand for Flexibility

From a business perspective flexibility can feel intangible.

Salary is easy to calculate. Office attendance is easy to measure. Flexibility is harder to quantify.

But the cost of ignoring it shows up quickly.

Businesses with strict return-to-office rules see turnover run as much as 13% higher.

Replacing people is not cheap. The cost appears in slow hiring decisions, overstretched teams and the time it takes for new hires to get up to speed.

Senior and specialist employees are often the first to leave because they have options.

When they go, organisations lose knowledge, relationships and leadership capacity that take years to rebuild.

Hiring teams feel the impact as well. Strict office policies shrink the candidate pool. Some candidates simply do not apply. Others drop out when expectations become clear.

Suddenly recruitment becomes slower and more expensive even when compensation is strong.

Finding the Balance, What Works When Hybrid Is Done Well

Interestingly, only 16% of business leaders think five-day office attendance is actually necessary.

Most managers accept that flexibility should exist. The challenge is designing it properly.

The organisations handling hybrid work well usually focus on three things.

Presence with purpose

The strongest hybrid teams are clear about why people come together.

Office time is used for planning, decision-making, onboarding and work that benefits from face-to-face discussion. Not simply as proof people are working.

Clear rules rather than rigid ones

Hybrid policies fail when expectations are vague.

The organisations seeing fewer recruitment and retention issues tend to spell out:

• How often teams meet in person
• Whether days are fixed or chosen by the team
• What work happens in the office
• How performance is assessed

Clarity removes a lot of unnecessary friction.

Managers who focus on outcomes

Policies matter, but the real test happens with line managers.

The managers who make hybrid work succeed usually focus on results rather than hours, hold regular check-ins rather than constant monitoring, and ensure remote voices are heard in decisions.

When that happens, teams feel trusted.

From Strategy to Reality, What Marketing, Media and Events Employers Should Do Now

Most organisations do not need a complete rethink of how work happens. They need clearer choices and more consistency.

Start by looking at your recruitment process.

Do candidates lose interest when they discover hybrid work is not available?

Do employees start leaving when flexibility disappears?

If the answer is yes, the message is fairly clear.

Next, make the policy explicit. A workable hybrid approach explains how often teams meet, who decides those days, and how performance is evaluated.

When candidates understand the arrangement early, recruitment conversations become simpler.

Managers also need guidance. When flexibility feels like a favour rather than part of the job, trust disappears quickly.

And finally, avoid sudden reversals. Few things unsettle teams faster than changing a working arrangement people have already built their lives around.

Flexibility now shapes who applies, who accepts offers and who stays.

That reality is unlikely to reverse.

Don’t Underestimate the Draw of Flexibility

Roles are taking longer to fill. Strong candidates are harder to find. Good employees sometimes leave with very little warning.

Hybrid work sits underneath many of those outcomes.

Candidates rarely argue about it. They simply decide whether a role fits their life.

The organisations holding onto talent are not promising unlimited freedom. They are doing something simpler.

They are being clear.

They explain how work is done, when people come together, and what actually matters in terms of performance.

That approach will not remove every hiring challenge.

But it does remove a lot of avoidable ones.

Best regards,
John 

At Reilly People we specialise in recruiting marketing, media and B2B events professionals across the UK. For over 30 years I have worked with organisations looking for high quality commercial talent, from media sales and marketing specialists to senior event leaders.

If you would like to discuss how hybrid expectations are affecting your current hiring plans, or if you are struggling to attract the right candidates, feel free to get in touch.

020 3691 0040
outreach@reillypeople.co.uk