Hybrid work to dominate, but 'intentional' office days will define careers: ACCA Report
New Delhi, May 31
Forward-looking, India's workplace is set to settle into a hybrid default, but with sharper rules. As companies globalise and teams spread across cities and time zones, the next 1-2 years will be less about "mandating days" and more about making office time purposeful.
Employees who treat in-office days as opportunities for collaboration and visibility are likely to see faster career progression, while organizations that decentralize policies to managers will win on both flexibility and performance.
According to ACCA's latest report, hybrid work remains the clear preference both globally and in India. Similar to 2025, 75% of respondents globally and 79% in India prefer hybrid work over fully remote or fully office-based models. The shift is already visible: 53% of respondents in India are currently working in a hybrid model, up from 45% last year and higher than the global average of 45%. That rise "suggests that organisations are responding to the preferred work patterns of employees," the report notes.
The data also shows strong support for "intentional office presence." In India, 74% agree that organisations should require employees to spend a set number of days in the office each week, and 69% believe greater office presence helps career progression, higher than 58% globally. The figure climbs to 72% among Gen Z in India, compared to 63% globally.
Experts at ACCA's India roundtable said hybrid is a "more balanced approach" because it lets people prioritise work while enabling collaboration. But they cautioned against one-size-fits-all mandates.
"It's not true that you need to be physically present in front of a person to engage better. To the question of whether it is better to work hybrid than full-time in the office, I think wherever technology permits us to work hybrid, we should," said Nisha Srinivasan, Dell Technologies, as quoted in the ACCA report.
Giridharan R, Grant Thornton Bharat, added that "organisations need to have purposeful and intentional policies in place based on a model that works for their clients, while being agile to individual needs." He suggested a base framework with decision-making decentralised to hiring managers or division heads "to find a balance between individual and organisational requirements."
ACCA's findings point to a workplace where flexibility stays, but office days get a strategy. With 55% of Indian respondents expecting to be in the office more often over the next 1-2 years, companies that design meaningful in-person time will likely gain the edge in both retention and career growth.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Finally, someone said it! As a working mom in Pune, hybrid has been a lifesaver. But I agree that office days shouldn't be random. When I go in, I make sure I have meetings lined up with my team. Otherwise, it's just wasted travel time. Good to see ACCA backing this approach. 😊
The Gen Z stat is surprising—72% think office presence helps career growth? As a millennial, I’ve seen the opposite. Offices can be distracting. But these kids are hungry for mentorship, I guess. Companies better not treat this as a mandate to bring everyone back full-time. That’s a recipe for churn.
From a global perspective, India's numbers (79% prefer hybrid) align with trends in the UK and US. But I worry that "decentralizing policy to managers" could lead to inconsistency—some managers might pressurize for 5 days in office. The report is right: it needs to be intentional, not arbitrary.
Love the quote from Nisha Srinivasan at Dell—"if technology permits, work hybrid." That’s the pragmatic Indian way. We’ve seen how WFH during COVID saved jobs and families. But yes, for freshers, being around seniors in office helps a lot. Hybrid done right is the sweet spot. 🙌
Respectfully, the report glosses over one issue: Indian cities have terrible commutes. "Intentional office days" sound great on paper, but if you have to spend 2-3 hours in Bangalore traffic to sit in an open cubicle, it’s not productive.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.