
The trend toward hybrid work actually began before the Covid pandemic but accelerated after its arrival. Regardless of their work policies pertaining to remote or hybrid work, the debate has changed how businesses schedule their workload and structure employee roles.
Some research suggests that hybrid work can support better financial and operational outcomes. Gartner’s 2020 ReimagineHR Employee Survey of 5,000 employees revealed that in workplaces where a standard 40-hour-per-week schedule is mandated in person, only 36 percent of employees were high performers.
Yet with more than 50 percent of workplaces requiring in-person employees, and some industries like retail and hospitality requiring it out of necessity, in-person work schedules remain prevalent.
Rebel Nell Founder and CEO Amy Peterson recognizes the desire of employees to work a flexible or remote schedule, but it isn’t possible for most team members in her company, which manufactures sustainability jewelry items such as rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.
As a company that operates in the manufacturing sector, Rebel Nell requires most of its employees to work onsite. Its employees are largely involved in the manufacturing process or working at one of the company’s retail stores in and around Detroit.
Peterson has instituted some changes to Rebel Nell’s workforce policies in response to the desire for greater flexibility. Rebel Nell’s products are catered to women and single mothers, so Peterson has shifted work schedules to include a later start and later finish for some employees, who often mirror its target audience. There’s additional flexibility for unique family and personal circumstances as well.
“We’ll try to provide as much of a work/life balance as we can when it comes to scheduling and hours,” Peterson said. “(Our employees) understand we’re making the effort.”
Most employers are looking to establish an environment of continuity, collaboration and trust with its employees, whether they are working remotely on a hybrid schedule or onsite, says Dan West, president of the Livonia-Westland Chamber of Commerce in southeastern Michigan.
West believes more organizations are coming to the conclusion that many workers prefer something other than a 40-hour-per-week in-office or in-store position.
Nor do they want something fully remote that doesn’t offer regular personal interaction.
Employees had all the bargaining power in 2021 and 2022 when employers were having a difficult time not only filling open positions but getting qualified candidates for those positions, West added. That dynamic has changed as the job market has slowed.
The U.S. economy added only 12,000 jobs in October, according to a Nov. 1 jobs report, marking the slowest growth since 2020. This figure fell significantly short of the anticipated 100,000 increase and the 223,000 jobs added in September, although many believe the job additions will be revised upward because of heavy data distortions caused by heavy data distortions by Hurricanes Helene and Milton, and the national dockworkers’ strike, where an agreement was made to extend the contract until mid-January.
“We’ve talked about it a lot over the last three years,” West said, adding that the work arrangement discussion continues among businesses and non-profit organizations today. “It’s a topic that (executives) continue to debate.”
Many younger workforce members have given their employers mixed signals in their remote or hybrid roles as well, West said. “They want to work remotely but then at the same time (employees) want to feel connected to (their workplace). It can be hard to do that working fully remotely.”
There’s reason to believe remote and hybrid work may still be on the rise. A Pew Research Center study released earlier this year indicated that around 22 million employed adults (aged 18 and over) in the U.S. work from home all the time, equal to roughly 14% of all employed adults.
Additionally, just over one-third of workers in the U.S. who can work remotely do so all the time — while 41 percent are at least part-time remote on a hybrid setup.

Additionally, more than one-in-five Americans will work remotely by 2025, the Pew Research Center found.
Cherry product retailer, manufacturer and distributor Cherry Republic employs approximately 115 full-time team members and more than 400 in the busy summer months at its headquarters, retail locations and manufacturing facilities around Michigan.
Many of those jobs can be handled remotely, so in the months following the start of the pandemic, the company switched to a hybrid workforce schedule for employees who don’t need to be onsite, said Vice President of Marketing and Impact Sara Harding.
However, a sizeable percentage of Cherry Republic’s staff is in manufacturing or retail, which does require onsite work.
“We’re a big believer in the hybrid work model where we can, but it’s not possible for everyone,” Harding said. “Hybrid works well when most of your work is done at a keyboard. So, we’ve created a system and (made IT investments) that we hope will allow the flexibility that all employees want.”
That can be difficult to do because of the desire for flexibility. Cherry Republic still has difficulty attracting top-end talent, so the company is still making adjustments to its work schedule.
“I think we do a good job connecting with our employees and letting them know that if they need to go to a doctor’s appointment, or need time off, they can do that no matter what department they work in,” Harding said.
Cherry Republic’s locations offer another challenge, especially for positions that are typically lower-paying, such as retail and entry-level manufacturing jobs. Most of those jobs are located at the company’s manufacturing and distribution facilities in Empire, Michigan, and its large retail locations and headquarters in Traverse City and Glen Arbor, Michigan in the northwestern part of the state’s Lower Peninsula.
Those regions have experienced significant increases in cost of living, especially in housing, that makes affordability difficult for employees earning lower salaries or an hourly rate.

Cherry Republic has also adjusted by increasing wages and investing in local housing that is then rented out to employees at affordable rates. The company may invest in even more housing options as needed in the future, Harding said. It hopes to keep up with attractive benefits packages and healthcare options, which is one of the biggest expenses the company has.
“We’ve definitely had to get more competitive with the lower end of our wage (scale),” Harding said. “More candidates now want to dig into the healthcare package before accepting a job offer as well, because those costs keep going up for everyone. It’s very competitive to find (qualified) employees,” she added.
Plus, the work environment of a company matters not just to new job candidates but existing employees as well. Retention is important, especially in markets where the availability of labor is difficult. Cherry Republic employs many workers who are semi-retired or work other jobs to help pay the bills.
“We’re investing in ways to create a culture where our employees want to come to work,” Harding said. “You want your values (as a company) to align with the values of the people we hire.”
Regina Gaines has a unique view of the impact of remote and hybrid workers. As the owner of House of Pure Vin in downtown Detroit, Gaines and her staff provide customers with a customized wine tasting experience along one of the Motor City’s most notable thoroughfares, Woodward Avenue. Gaines and her team market it as a signature experiential retail and tasting room destination for wine lovers.
A retail store with a bar license, House of Pure Vin is now open five days a week after being open seven days a week before the pandemic.
There’s a reason for these altered hours. Following the initial wave of Covid cases in Michigan in early 2020, most in the workforce were required to work remotely. But as people started venturing outside of their homes, workers increasingly came to the winery armed with their laptops, allowing them to manage remote tasks over a glass of wine.
That trend slowed as in-person work returned over the last two years. Plus, many hybrid workers tend to stay at home Mondays and Fridays, limiting the walk-in traffic anytime Monday and before late afternoon on Fridays, Gaines said.
“We see significantly less foot traffic at certain times of the week,” Gaines said. “It happened when (in-person) work schedules became more rigid again as Covid (became less prominent).”
Gaines calls Tuesday the “new” Monday; Wednesday the “new” Tuesday and Thursday the “new” Wednesday. With fewer guests early in the week, she reduced her workweek to five days starting Wednesday, which limits revenue slightly but also reduces expenses, especially with labor. Many of Gaines’ employees work part-time and hold full-time positions elsewhere.
Cutting those labor costs is “significant” and can offset some of the fixed overhead costs that exist no matter how many days House of Pure Vin is open, Gaines said.
One of the operational adjustments that Gaines has made is to let her employees choose their own work hours in conjunction with their store manager. That allows them to have a level of flexibility that might otherwise be difficult, especially for employees who work in the tasting room as a second job.
“I think many people are still trying to figure out their routine after Covid,” Gaines said. “That includes their work schedule and especially (for people working hybrid). We’ll probably have to make more adjustments in the future to our hours and how we do things.”
There seems to be a desire among many workers to have at least a hybrid, if not a remote, opportunity. A 2023 study by online freelance platform Upwork found that 65 percent of workers want to be remote all the time, and only 32 percent said they preferred the hybrid schedule. Additionally, the study estimates that 32.6 million Americans will be working remotely by 2025.
Rebel Nell’s small sales team does have more opportunities to work remotely just by the nature of their business. Those team members can work a hybrid schedule, but Peterson still wants them to interact with their colleagues throughout the week.

“I think there’s value in having us be together and get to know each other while in the workplace,” Peterson said. “It’s part of our culture. We like to hire people who want to have a positive impact for (the company) and with each other.”
That need for in-person and a handful of hybrid workers has made it more difficult for Peterson to find qualified candidates on the retail side. While she has been able to fill her staff of sales professionals and production team members, Peterson feels that fewer people want to work retail today, so filling those jobs can be more difficult.
“(Retail) has been harder. I don’t think there’s a big desire to be in those roles in general,” Peterson said.
One of the ways she combats such opinions is by creating a career path that invites personal continued and upward mobility for new employees. Many of Peterson’s former retail associates have advanced into such areas as content creation and business development.
“There’s lot of room for growth here for (high achievers) and (employees) appreciate that,” Peterson said. “It makes us more mobile and attractive.”
West believes that the sweet spot for employees is to offer a level of flexibility while making in-person and remote working requirements clear. Employees enjoy having the flexibility of going to a doctor’s appointment or helping a family member for a few hours during the workday if they can, and most employers are finding ways to addresses these demands. This is particularly true in sectors outside of retail, manufacturing, education and others that require most, or all hours worked be done in person.
“The reality is with the technology we all have access today to email and (work) resources after hours and some employees will do work at home after hours, perhaps after dinner or once their kids go to bed.
If they do that, there’s a hope that they will be able to have some flex hours,” West said.