As one of the most visible effects of the pandemic, hybrid work – which combines remote and in-person working – has become the norm in many parts of the world. But it remains the subject of much criticism, given the extent to which it disrupts traditional managerial habits.

A Chinese-American study featuring researchers from Stanford University, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Peking University looked into the effects of hybrid working on 1,612 employees of Trip.com, an online travel agency based in China, between 2021 and 2022.

Involving 395 managers and 1,217 non-managerial staff, this company began implementing hybrid working from 2021 through a six-month trial. Employees whose birthday fell on an even-numbered day were required to come into the office five days a week, while the others worked from home for two days.

Most of the study participants were men in their 30s, and half of them had dependent children.

At the time, managers were unconvinced by this type of organisation, worrying, in particular, that it would be detrimental to their teams’ productivity. But these fears appear to have been unfounded: Stanford researcher Nicholas Bloom noted that employees who worked from home two days a week had the same level of productivity as their colleagues who went into the office every day.

And according to the study published in the journal Nature, occasional remote working did not hinder career development, as hybrid workers were just as likely as others to be promoted.

But the positive effects of the in-office and remote working mix were felt most strongly in terms of annual turnover. Trip.com employees who occasionally worked from home were less likely to resign, especially women, non-managers, and those with long commutes to the office.

Overall, resignations fell by 33% over the course of the trial, saving the Chinese company millions.

However, it would be an exaggeration to say hybrid working is the ultimate solution for retaining employees – it certainly was not enough to retain managers who wanted to move on to new professional horizons. This could be because, since the pandemic, this role has become increasingly difficult.

Be that as it may, the researchers are convinced of the multiple benefits of this organisational structure. “Hybrid work is a win-win-win for employee productivity, performance and retention,” Bloom concluded.

And that’s just as well, considering that some 100 million workers worldwide now alternate between in-office and remote working.