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Most new recruits to white-collar jobs are required to spend at least two or three days a week in the office, while roles requiring just one office day are dying out, according to an analysis of job postings.
Hybrid work – where staff split their time between the office and another location, such as their home – has cemented itself as the new normal for millions of workers since the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, hybrid roles are no longer as flexible as they were after the end of the lockdowns, according to the job-search website Indeed’s study of its listings, highlighting ongoing tensions between employees’ expectations and employers’ demands.
The vast majority (85%) of UK hybrid roles posted on Indeed now require at least two days a week in the office, up from 77% in 2024 and 66% in 2023.
More than half (56%) of job postings expect workers to spend two days in the office, while one-quarter (25%) require three office days; just 4% specify attendance on four days.
However, only 15% of postings permit just a single office day each week, down from 22% in 2024 and more than a third of postings in 2023 (34%) and 2022 (35%).
Analysis of jobs across different sectors showed employees in accounting were expected to work from the office most often, for an average of 2.4 days a week, followed by those in human resources (HR) and IT infrastructure roles (2.3 days a week).
Software developers – in a role traditionally seen as permitting more remote working – are also now expected to spend more time at their desks: 2.3 days a week on average, a rise of 0.6 days since 2023. This could be the result of the balance of power swinging back towards employers amid a cooling labour market, or a push for more in-person collaboration in organisations.
Architecture and social science jobs had the lowest office attendance requirements, averaging 1.6 days a week.
Jack Kennedy, a senior economist at Indeed, said: “What we’re seeing is employers using the softer labour market to push for more face-to-face time, whether that’s to encourage collaboration, rebuild office culture, or simply because they feel they can.
“But workers continue to prize flexibility, and many will think carefully before accepting roles that don’t offer it.”
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Hybrid working requirements also vary by region, with workers in north-east England expected in the office most often (2.7 days a week), followed by those in Wales and south-west England (2.3 days), then London and Scotland (2.2 days).
Meanwhile, some large employers, including Amazon, now require staff to attend the office for the full five-day working week.
At a time when employers are mandating more time in the office, some are trying to attract new staff by offering other types of flexibility.
Indeed found job adverts which referred to a casual office dress code were 10 times higher as of July 2025 than before 2020, although they remained at a low level of 3.3% of UK postings.
