An employer policy or practice allowing for a combination of remote and in-person work by an employer's workforce. Hybrid work arrangements may apply to all employees or certain categories of workers. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to hybrid working or fixed definition of hybrid work. Employers may use the term hybrid to describe a new work model (hybrid working) or an employee classification (hybrid employee).

While hybrid work arrangements may vary significantly, most require eligible employees to work certain days or a certain number of days at the employer's workplace and allow employees to work the remaining days from home or another remote location. Hybrid work arrangements also may be incorporated into a broader flexible work policy covering a combination of full-time remote, full-time in-office, and hybrid employees.

Hybrid work has become increasingly common in the aftermath of the lockdowns and business closures necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. As businesses evaluate the future of work after the experience of working fully remotely during the pandemic, many employers have adopted hybrid work policies to promote work-life balance, improve employee flexibility and retention, and compete for top talent in a tight job market.

Hybrid work arrangements generally are not designed to address individual accommodation requests to work remotely, but rather apply to an employee population more broadly.

In the federal sector, hybrid work may involve any combination of telework, remote work, or in-office work. The Telework Enhancement Act (P.L. 111-292) defines "telework" or "teleworking" as a work flexibility arrangement under which an employee performs their duties and responsibilities and other authorized activities from an approved worksite other than the location where the employee would otherwise work (5 U.S.C. § 6501(3)). Federal sector telework is distinct from fully remote work, which may have been referred to as full-time telework and is now referred to as an alternative work arrangement under a written remote work agreement.

For more on hybrid work, see Standard Document, Hybrid Work Policy and Hybrid Work Checklist.

For more on hybrid work in the federal sector, see Federal Sector Hybrid Work Checklist.

For more about remote work generally, see Practice Note, Remote Employees: Best Practices and Remote Employees: Best Practices Checklist.