Updated September 2026: the original February 2023 post talked in general terms about balancing remote and office work after the pandemic. Hybrid work is now the norm in Indian IT, so I have rewritten it around what a fair hybrid or return-to-office policy should actually contain.
In early 2023, companies were deciding how much office time to ask for, and my post argued for a balance between remote and in-person work. That balance has largely been set. Many large IT employers now ask for a fixed number of office days a week. The question has shifted from whether to come in to whether the policy is designed well.
What makes a hybrid policy fair?
Clarity, consistency and a reason for the days in office. A fair policy states the number of days, how attendance is measured, whether it affects ratings or bonuses, and how exceptions work. It applies the same rules to people doing similar work. And it ties office days to something that benefits from people being together, rather than attendance for its own sake.
Why do the office days matter more than the number?
Three days a week where the whole team is present is worth more than three days where everyone comes in on different days and joins the same video calls from different desks. Team-aligned days, set by the team rather than chosen individually, are the single design choice that most often decides whether office time feels productive or pointless.
What should a good policy include?
- Anchor days per team: agreed days when the team is in together.
- A clear measure: days per week or per month, stated plainly, with how badge data is used.
- Documented exceptions: caregiving, health and long commutes handled through a written process, not informal favours.
- Space that works: enough desks and meeting rooms on anchor days, and quiet areas for focused work.
- A review date: a commitment to revisit the policy with data after six or twelve months.
How should employees handle a policy they disagree with?
Engage with the design, not the principle. Feedback such as "our team's anchor days clash with client calls" or "there are not enough desks on Tuesdays" gets acted on far more often than a general objection to coming in. If the policy genuinely does not work for your circumstances, use the formal exception route and keep it in writing.
What about people who were hired as remote?
Some staff joined during 2020 and 2021 on explicitly remote terms, sometimes in a different city from any office. A fair policy treats them separately: either honouring the original arrangement, or giving a long notice period and relocation support. Applying a new attendance rule overnight to people hired remote is where many policies lose goodwill fastest.
What should companies measure?
Output and attrition, not just attendance. If a policy fills desks but raises resignations among experienced staff, it is costing more than it saves. Measuring both is the only honest way to know whether the balance I wrote about in 2023 has actually been struck.