One Policy, Unequal Experience: The Quiet Divide in Hybrid Work

Hybrid work may not be suitable as an experimental model in current time. It is a trend that has become a new reality in many organisations. The hybrid work model was introduced to provide flexibility and adaptability. 

In this case, employees can divide their time between working remotely and in the office. Thus, companies often create guidelines to maintain fairness, support collaboration, and preserve team identity.

The intention behind these policies is usually clear: balance structure with autonomy. Yet, in practice, hybrid work can differ significantly from one team to another. What was meant to unify often ends up dividing.

A Policy, Many Interpretations

Most organisations communicate a standardised hybrid policy, such as a certain number of in-office days per week. They also offer flexibility in selecting which days can be worked remotely. Yet, its interpretation and execution can vary between a team and another team. 

Some organizations implement the policy in a structured and rigid way, adhering to set weekly routines. Other teams take a more flexible approach, letting individuals adjust their schedules according to project demands or personal priorities.

Both approaches technically follow the same company policy. However, the employee experience between those two realities can feel entirely different.

According to a 2023 Gartner study, when flexibility guidelines are not consistently applied across a company, the sense of fairness among employees diminishes. 

Over time, this leads to disengagement, reduced morale, and even a decline in performance. This situation may rise from the inequitable implementation.

An Emotional Experience

Hybrid work is a profoundly human experience. It touches how people manage their days, how team members feel, and how much trust they believe their employer places in them.

When one team enjoys more flexibility than another under the same rules, employees start to compare. Employees may not find any fewer responsibilities. Nevertheless, they may seek equal dignity in how they’re treated by the company.

As a result, a flexible culture that feels inconsistent can quietly lead to resentment, even among high-performing, loyal employees. These feelings are less voiced out loud.

Instead, they show less enthusiasm in meetings, engagement reduction, and silence on policy matters. What starts as a structural issue becomes an emotional one.

Culture Consistency to Feel Safe

Beyond managing emotional matters, a shared policy has to communicate what the company stands for. When those values are implemented inconsistently, it becomes harder for employees to trust the system.

Employees may begin to believe that internal equity is negotiable. The environment where the same policy is perceived differently depending on the team. That kind of belief will weaken the organisation culture.

In addition, consistency does not mean every team needs to function identically. It reflects the spirit behind the policy, which includes fairness, autonomy, and balance. These principles should be upheld across all roles and teams.

If one group feels that it is under stricter conditions than others, it sends a subtle message. That message is that fairness depends on where you sit. That may not become a message of any values-driven organisation wanted.

In short, a hybrid work model only works at its best when people feel it’s equally accessible to everyone. For that to happen, the policy requires more than just structure. It also requires shared accountability in its application.

One approach is to include routine check-ins with HR or organisation-wide reviews to identify differences in the policy experiences. We need to highlight that feedback loops matter. It includes leadership transparency. 

Most importantly, there must be a readiness to adjust to make all teams feel equally supported. The goal isn’t to remove flexibility. It’s to ensure it’s delivered consistently, so that every employee feels seen, supported, and respected in the same way.

Hybrid work is a gift of our time. It opens the door for employees to work smarter, live better, and contribute meaningfully. But that gift loses its meaning when it feels unevenly distributed.

Fairness doesn’t require perfection. It requires honesty, clarity, and alignment. When companies focus not only on the policy itself but also on how it’s implemented, they create something more meaningful than just operational efficiency.

They build trust. That trust becomes the foundation for a resilient, connected workplace, where flexibility is more than a framework—a shared human value.