Find Your Rhythm: FXBO’s Remote and Hybrid Work Culture

The office has been accused of killing focus and remote work has been accused of killing collaboration. Plot twist: both have an alibi. 

Some people can finish a full morning’s work at home before remembering they are still wearing slippers. Others sit down at the same kitchen table and suddenly discover an urgent need to reorganise the spice drawer. 

People have different working rhythms. That is why the debate over remote work, hybrid work and office work does not need one universal winner. 

Where do people work best, can the workplace leave room for more than one answer, and what kind of work culture does FXBO support? 

Remote Work Gives Employees Their Commute Back 

Remote work is often reduced to comfortable clothes and a  short journey from bed to desk. Its real impact, however, is on time. 

What Could You Do With 72 Extra Minutes? 

Research covering 27 countries found that working from home saved employees an average of 72 minutes per day. 

Across a five-day week, that is six hours rescued from traffic, train platforms and staring at the back of the same car every morning. 

Employees used the time in different ways: 

• 40% went back into work  

• 34% went towards leisure  

• 11% went towards caregiving  

• The remainder went to activities such as household tasks  

Remote work does not simply move the laptop but also redistributes part of the day. 

Those extra minutes could mean: 

• Starting work with more energy  

• Spending more time with family  

• Preparing dinner before it becomes a 9 p.m. emergency  

• Finding uninterrupted time for focused work  

For others, however, home is the interruption. 

Remote work is harder when employees lack: 

• A dedicated workspace  

• A quiet household  

• Clear boundaries between work and personal life  

• Regular communication with the team  

Remote work offers independence, but it also demands self-management and connection. Freedom from the office should never become disconnection from the team. 

Hybrid Work Puts Flexibility to the Test 

Hybrid work offers a middle ground: focused time at home and face-to-face time in the office. 

That sounds good in theory. Fortunately, someone tested it on more than a handful of employees. 

The 1,612-Person Hybrid Work Experiment 

During a six-month randomized experiment, Trip.com divided 1,612 employees into two groups. One continued working in the office five days a week. The other worked from home on Wednesdays and Fridays. 

The results were difficult to dismiss. 

According to the study published in Nature, hybrid employees experienced: 

• Higher job satisfaction  

• A one-third reduction in resignation rates  

• No measurable decline in performance evaluations  

• No disadvantage in promotions over the following two years  

The experiment also delivered a small plot twist. 

Before it began, managers predicted that hybrid work would reduce productivity by 2.6%. Afterwards, they believed it had improved productivity by 1%. 

The employees did more than prove they could work from home two days a week. They performed well enough to prove their managers’ predictions wrong. 

Hybrid Work Still Needs a Plan 

The experiment does not prove that every company should immediately adopt the same schedule. It tested one particular arrangement in one company. 

What it does show is that workplace flexibility does not automatically come at the cost of performance. 

Hybrid work can give employees room to manage a difficult commute or temporary personal circumstances while remaining connected to the office. But it works best when the arrangement is clear: 

• When will the employee work remotely?  

• How will the team communicate?  

• What does the work require?  

• Is the arrangement temporary or longer-term?  

Without that clarity, hybrid work becomes several people joining the same meeting from different places while nobody knows who was supposed to be in the office. 

The Office Is Not the Villain 

Workplace flexibility should not turn office work into the bad ending. 

Some people genuinely thrive on-site. They enjoy the routine, gain energy from their colleagues, and prefer leaving work behind when they walk out of the building. 

The office can also make certain things easier: spontaneous conversations, onboarding, collaborative problem-solving and asking a quick question without first sending a calendar invitation. 

Others concentrate better away from the activity. Some may only need remote work temporarily. The right environment can change by person, task or circumstance. 

That is why healthy workplace flexibility is not about forcing everyone out of the office. It is about recognising that one working style will never fit every employee. 

How Remote and Hybrid Work at FXBO 

At FXBO, employees work Monday to Friday and can choose a schedule that fits their rhythm: 8:00 to 17:00, 9:00 to 18:00 or 10:00 to 19:00, including a one-hour break. This flexibility allows employees to adjust their working day while maintaining a consistent schedule and staying connected with their teams. 

Today, 17.5% of FXBO employees work remotely. Office-based employees across all roles can also discuss a hybrid arrangement when their circumstances call for greater flexibility. Then, depending on the situation, this could last a couple of weeks or be agreed on a longer-term basis.  

At FXBO, structure keeps us moving in the same direction, while flexibility gives people room to find their own rhythm. Because a healthy work environment is not one where everyone works the same way. It is one where everyone has what they need to do their best work. 

Think your working rhythm could fit ours? Explore our current opportunities on the FXBO Careers page.