How to get that hybrid or remote job you want: 6 expert tips

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ZDNET’s key takeaways

• More employees are required to be present at least four days a week.
• Return-to-office mandates don’t mesh with the digital economy.
• Promote hybrid or remote work by speaking management’s language.

The state of hybrid or remote work is in flux, with more pressure to return to in-person offices. The number of days that hybrid workers are in the office has steadily increased from 2023 to 2025, with 34% now going to the office four days a week, up from 23% in 2023, according to a survey by technology specialist Owl Labs. At the same time, employee expectations are moving in the opposite direction. The survey found 37% of respondents would reject a job without flexible hours, 34% wouldn’t accept full-time office requirements, and 30% need location freedom. 

Some major employers, including Dell, Goldman Sachs, and Google, have introduced return-to-office mandates. However, it would seem to be in employers’ best interest to facilitate hybrid or remote work, especially as they are locked in a struggle for high-end tech talent. 

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“Traditional hiring cannot keep pace with demand for AI, cloud, and cybersecurity talent,” said Graig Paglieri, chief executive at Randstad Digital. “Companies are increasingly relying on global freelancers and digital nomads — a talent pool expected to grow from 50 million today to more than 60 million by 2030.”

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Intuitively, hybrid work seems to make sense, especially for professions such as developers, designers, and other digitally enabled roles. “Our entire team is both remote and asynchronous, as well as all of our instructors,” said Daniel Daines-Hutt, content marketing manager at Zero To Mastery Academy. 

“I’m in New Zealand while the majority of our team is in the US or Canada, with some enjoying Costa Rica. I didn’t have to pitch anything for this. Everything we do is digital from creation to delivery and communication, so it just didn’t make any sense to have an office.”

For professionals, here are six tips for pursuing hybrid or remote work opportunities: 

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1. Study the culture of potential employers: Look for employers that value autonomy and outcome-based performance, advised Radvile Sliogeryte, talent acquisition specialist at Omnisend. “Make sure you ask them about their values, approach, preferences, and day-to-day. Matching expectations matters because perceived autonomy is the strongest predictor of engagement and retention.” When speaking with a prospective employer, “weave culture into the values conversation,” said Advita Patel, founder and CEO at CommsRebel. “Ask, ‘How do you support people to work in a way that brings out their best?’ That question tells you everything you need to know about their culture.”  
2. Bring flexibility up before even taking a job: “Be up front and communicate with your manager or potential employer from the get-go,” urged Maddison Ryan, founder at The Digital Hub. “Ask all the questions about work arrangements up front in an interview, and then talk about your ideal environment. Show how you’ve delivered work using this model before.” In a job interview, “be clear about how you do your best work,” Maffei advised. “Instead of saying ‘I want a flexible schedule,’ say ‘Here’s the setup that helps me deliver at a high level’ and come with examples of your success. Employers who value performance will understand that.”
3. Seek out small-to-medium-sized companies: Return-to-office mandates may exist at many major employers, but smaller firms can be more amenable to flexible arrangements. This is particularly true with newer companies or startups that are digital natives. Therefore, understand the nature of today’s digital workplace, and hold back from investing in elaborate corporate spaces. 
4. Focus on what hybrid helps you do, not just what you want: If you are in a job and want to make things more flexible, you need to sell managers on hybrid or remote working arrangements by speaking their language. “Managers respond when the request is tied to better work, clearer communication, and stronger teamwork,” said Maffei. “If you’re already in the job, come with a straightforward plan. Explain the schedule you’re proposing and how it will help you stay focused, hit your goals, and collaborate better with your team. When the ask is framed around outcomes, it’s easier for leaders to say yes.”  
5. Show how you will remain accountable: One thing that managers fear is a loss of control if they can’t see what their employees are doing at any given moment. The foremost question on their minds is, “Will there be any loss of quality?” said Daniel Burrus, founder and CEO at Burrus Research. “Now pair that with a plan that shows how you’ll deliver results, stay visible, and accountable to your role. Often, when managers hear the word ‘flexibility,’ they interpret that term as a potential loss of control. If they are assured of predictable results, their concern goes away.”  
6. Propose a pilot hybrid or remote work project: “Suggest running a remote and async month to test assumptions and see what actually improves,” said Elena Skvortsova, HR director at Muse Group. “During such a pilot, it’s important to focus on the metrics and data again. The goal is to show that strong results can be achieved regardless of where people work. When managers see that output stays high or even improves, it becomes much easier for them to support remote or hybrid arrangements.”