The office mandate debate has largely settled and for EAs managing hybrid schedules across multiple execs, that’s actually good news.
According to recent research by Robert Half, 74% of Australian employers plan to maintain their current workplace arrangements over the next 12 months.
Hybrid work has moved from temporary fix to strategic standard – and that shift has practical implications for anyone responsible for coordinating executive diaries, office resources and support structures.
The figures suggest the constant policy changes of the past few years are behind us. For EAs, that means more confident long-term planning. Expect clearer visibility over which days execs will be in the office, more stable meeting rhythms and less last-minute restructuring of support arrangements.
Of employers planning changes, 14% intend to increase office days while keeping some work-from-home flexibility and 9% plan to reduce mandated office time. Just 1% expect a full return to five days in the office.
What’s driving each model
The research reveals an interesting split in how organisations justify their approach.
Among the 71% maintaining hybrid arrangements, the top reasons are employee satisfaction (50%) and increased productivity (45%). Employers also cite attraction and retention (41%), inclusivity (34%) and reduced operational costs (30%).
The 29% requiring full office attendance point to productivity too (45%) but define it differently. They prioritise in-person collaboration, communication (39%), company culture (37%) and teamwork (35%).
For EAs, the practical takeaway is that neither model is going away. If you’re supporting leaders across organisations with different policies (or managing teams with varied arrangements) the diversity of approaches is now the baseline, not a sign of ongoing disruption.
“The period of intense uncertainty and constant change around office mandates has settled for the vast majority of businesses,” says Andrew Brushfield, director at Robert Half.
“The predominant choice is a hybrid model, which balances in-person collaboration with the demand for flexible work.”
The stabilisation of workplace policy won’t eliminate the complexity of hybrid coordination. But it does mean the rules of the game are clearer and that makes the job of planning around them considerably easier.
