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On-Site Versus Remote Versus Hybrid Work: Which Has the Greater Advantages?

Written by

Edited by

Dan Shepard

Pearly Huang

Updated on: August 26th, 2021

Editorial Note: The content of this article is based on the author's opinions and recommendations alone. It may not have been reviewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any of our network partners.

Months into the coronavirus pandemic, 35% of the U.S. workforce was working from home, an increase of nearly three times from two months prior. By January 2021, that figure dipped back to 23%.

A new report from Roseland, N.J.-based ADP Research Institute asks employees how they feel about on-site, remote and hybrid working arrangements.

Here’s how the report breaks down these categories:

On-site: Employees who work from the office daily
Remote: Employees who work from home daily
Hybrid: Employees who split work between the office and home

TABLE OF CONTENTS

On-site work: Better chance to get hired, promoted
Remote work: More collaboration, support — but more time spent
Hybrid work: Mixing the best of both worlds

On-site work: Better chance to get hired, promoted

The report seeks to find where on-site work offers more benefits for employers — and the same for remote or hybrid workers.

First, ADP finds 57% of employees feel their manager would prefer to hire or promote on-site workers than remote workers. They aren’t incorrect, as 59% of managers confirm this.

On-site employees tell ADP they enjoy the social aspects of working in the office. In fact, 70% of on-site workers say they have a stronger bond with co-workers, compared with 64% of remote workers. The same trend is apparent elsewhere, too, as 48% of on-site workers feel they have a strong connection with colleagues in other departments, versus 42% of work-from-home (WFH) workers.

And those working on-site say they’re four times more likely than their remote working counterparts to have unplanned face-to-face time with co-workers.

Remote work: More collaboration, support — but more time spent

While on-site employees might enjoy more on-the-fly interactions, remote workers report there’s a sense of collective energy that transpires physical space. (Early in the pandemic, LendingTree looked at where employees are more likely to work remotely.)

According to the ADP survey, 62% of WFH employees say their team is more collaborative, versus 47% of on-site workers.

Remote workers also express that their team is more supportive — 66%, versus 59% of on-site workers — and less likely to be prone to gossip — 9%, versus 20% of on-site workers.

But according to ADP’s report, 39% of remote workers say they’ve been working longer hours because of the pandemic, versus 21% of on-site employees. In fact, on-site workers report working one less hour a day than remote workers and not having as much time broken up by errands and personal tasks.

Remote-working parents (fathers and mothers equally, though men are more likely to have dedicated office spaces) express that the length of their days has increased. Among survey respondents, 40% say their days have stretched out because of the pandemic, versus 20% of on-site working parents.

Hybrid work: Mixing the best of both worlds

So, where does hybrid work come into play? Hybrid workers, according to ADP, feel they receive the best constructive criticism. In fact, 72% of hybrid workers say they receive this kind of feedback, versus 64% of remote workers and 57% of on-site workers.

And while it’s noted above that on-site workers cite stronger connections than their remote colleagues, the ADP survey finds that hybrid workers perceive a better social relationship than the other groups.

So given certain employees prefer on-site work while others prefer remote work, a hybrid setting could present the best of both worlds.

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Methodology: ADP Research Institute conducted an online survey in February 2021 of 9,010 full-time U.S. employees. These employees worked on a team and haven’t switched companies during the pandemic.