Connection, Collaboration and Choice: What Employers Told Us at Our Latest HR Hub

At our November 2025 HR Hub, we were joined by Stephanie Merrifield, Chief People Officer at APFN, who shared her organisation’s approach to hybrid working, connection, and culture — and how they're navigating the evolving world of work with clarity and intent.

Stephanie gave a transparent overview of APFN’s journey, including the results of their internal workplace survey, the challenges of distributed teams, and the leadership strategies being developed to support better collaboration, engagement and trust.

We also ran three live polls with our attendees to capture their views. Here's what we learned.

What Are the Most Common Working Patterns?

We asked: “Do you currently work:”

• 76% said Hybrid
• 13% said Remote First
• 11% said On-site

These results mirror national trends and reinforce that hybrid is the dominant model among HR professionals and decision-makers. For many organisations, the challenge now lies not in choosing a model — but in making it work well for all involved.

Are Working Patterns Likely to Change?

We asked: “Are there currently discussions in your organisation about changing the current working pattern?”

• 67% said No – Remain as is
• 29% said Yes – keep hybrid but push for more office days (e.g. 3 days/week)
• 4% said Yes – drive to get full on-site presence
  
  

The vast majority of organisations plan to maintain the status quo — but nearly one-third are exploring changes that lean toward greater in-office presence. This suggests a growing desire to recalibrate hybrid models, particularly to strengthen collaboration and rebuild culture post-COVID.

What’s Driving the Change?

We asked: “What is driving the change to the current working arrangements?”

• 40% said Combination of the above
• 35% said Better collaboration
• 13% said To improve productivity
• 3% said Office space costs
• 9% said Not sure
  
  

While productivity and cost are part of the conversation, collaboration emerged as the key motivator — with many leaders focused on making hybrid work “work better”. This closely reflects what Stephanie shared about APFN’s own strategic priorities: enabling meaningful interaction, rebuilding cross-functional connection, and aligning hybrid behaviours with business needs.

Inside APFN’s Hybrid Strategy: What the Data Shows

Stephanie shared the results of APFN’s internal workplace survey (63% participation rate), which revealed some key insights:

• 47% of employees rated their sense of connection to the organisation at the high end of the scale
• 71% rated cross-team collaboration positively — but 25% felt there was room for improvement
• The biggest motivators for coming into the office were:
  
  • Team collaboration
  • Executive engagement
  • Meaningful meetings
  • A sense of energy and culture
  • Flexibility on in-office expectations

This echoes the poll feedback we heard live from HR professionals across Oxfordshire — that connection and collaboration are the two areas where hybrid models still need intentional design and investment.

Final Thoughts

This month’s HR Hub confirmed what many employers are already sensing: hybrid is here to stay, but it’s evolving.

Leaders are now asking:

• How do we create stronger reasons for people to come in?
• How do we measure success beyond office presence?
• How do we support managers to lead well in this new context?

Stephanie’s advice was clear: focus on clarity, communication and co-creation. Build hybrid strategies that are anchored in your culture — and invite your people into the process.

At Allen Associates, we're here to help.

Whether you’re navigating hybrid hiring, rethinking culture, or looking for your next HR professional, we’re proud to support forward-thinking organisations across Oxfordshire with practical recruitment advice and people-first partnerships.