Watch Out for Hybrid Creep!

Has anyone else noticed that "hybrid" seems to mean something different than it did a year ago? 👀

One day in the office becomes two, becomes three... And suddenly, the schedule you accepted isn't quite the schedule you're following.

For a lot of companies, return-to-office isn't happening with one big announcement anymore—it's happening one small change at a time. 🤫

So let's talk about what to watch for, when to speak up, and how to advocate for yourself before flexibility quietly becomes expectation.

• Read the video transcript

  I was talking to a client recently who said, "I don't know what happened, but I signed up for hybrid, and now I'm basically in the office all of the time." And my response, "Yeah, that's happening everywhere."

  What starts as one required day suddenly turns into two, and then it's three, and all of that flexibility that you thought you had starts to feel a lot smaller.

  And unlike the past few years, companies aren't announcing these big return to office policies. They're easing into it and quietly shifting requirements over time.

  And of course, part of it is intentional. We've all heard the belief that more time in office means better collaboration, more visibility, and even easier workflows between cross-functional partners.

  But herein lies the tension: Employees still deeply value flexibility, so much so that they're willing to trade salary for it.

  So this puts you in a tricky spot because in this market, going with the flow may seem like the safest option. But that doesn't mean that you stop paying attention to what you agreed to or what you actually want.

  So if your role is starting to feel just a little bit different than what you signed up for, this isn't about overreacting. It's about getting clear. Where does flexibility end and expectation begin? Because the more things quietly shift, the more intentional you need to be about advocating for yourself.