Dec 24, 2025 23:00:00

'Remote work is officially over, and the new standard is three days a week in the office,' declares CEO of staffing agency

Regarding remote work, which has become widespread since the pandemic of 2020, Sander van 't Noordende, CEO of staffing agency

Randstad , has declared that it is 'completely over' and that it will become the preserve of a select few.

Only 'very special' workers will keep remote working, says world's biggest talent company CEO | Fortune
https://fortune.com/2025/12/23/remote-work-dead-3-days-office-new-norm-ceo-worlds-biggest-talent-company/

Randstad, which employs 500,000 people a week, CEO Nordende told business magazine Fortune that only star players with special technical skills or expertise will be able to work fully remotely, while regular employees will be sent back to their desks in the office.

In fact, companies such as Amazon are moving away from remote work. In Amazon's case, they are even running out of office space if they return to working in the office five days a week.

Amazon, which abolishes remote work and switches to mandatory five-day work week, postpones the start of work due to 'lack of office space' - GIGAZINE

However, Nordende believes that we will not return to the pre-pandemic '5 days a week, 9am to 5pm' schedule that Amazon claims, and that the new standard will be a 'hybrid model' that combines working in the office 3-4 days a week with remote work, which banks and other organizations are adopting.

Consulting firm Korn Ferry also predicted the same thing as Noordende in early 2025.

Korn Ferry points out that hybrid work arrangements have historically been reserved for top executives, and while preferential treatment can create friction in the workplace, it is essentially the same as offering a higher salary to a new hire over a long-time, lower-paid employee.

With hiring slowing and wage increases stagnating in the US, flexible work arrangements are one of the few ways employers can retain the talent they really don't want to lose.