The study was based on a survey of a total sample of 7,300 people from 11 different countries (Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Morocco, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, the UK and the USA) between December 2023 and January 2024. The report examined attitudes towards flexibility in the world of work, balance with personal life and preferences for different working arrangements, making it a barometer for exploring feelings about workplace culture.

Hybrid Working Leads Preferences

The global results show a majority preference for hybrid work (44 percent), closely followed by traditional office work (40 percent), with fully remote work being the least favoured by respondents (16 percent).

Among the 11 countries which took part in the survey, Portugal led the way in terms of preference for hybrid work (53 percent), with 3 percent of Portuguese preferring in-office work and 17 percent preferring totally remote work. The United States, on the other hand, was the country where the least number of workers prefer the hybrid model (25 percent). As well as the only country whose workers prefer the fully face-to-face system (54 percent). With this exception, the growing global adoption of hybrid working means a growing demand for flexibility and balance in professional environments.


Work-Life Balance

With regard to the work-life balance increasingly desired by workers, 70 percent of those surveyed worldwide said the current work culture or labour laws in their country allowed them to achieve a good work-life balance.

In Portugal, 43 percent expressed dissatisfaction, suggesting potential areas for improvement in work culture and legislative frameworks. Nonetheless, 56 percent of the Portuguese indicate that the current work culture and labour laws allow them to achieve a good work-life balance. South Africa is the country with the highest level of satisfaction with its work culture, followed by France (76 percent) and Mexico (73 percent).

Does the current labour culture and legal framework promote work-life balance?

“Our approach to work culture has to evolve at the same pace as society in order to respond to people’s demands accordingly. The emergence of hybrid working models represents an opportunity for organisations to re-evaluate traditional norms and adopt more flexible and inclusive ways of working while strengthening internal communication strategies to keep employees engaged and fully motivated”, stated Diana Castilho, Head of MARCO Lisboa.

“At MARCO, we have unlocked new levels of efficiency and effectiveness, while at the same time fostering a healthier work-life balance for our colleagues, harnessing the power of technology and adopting remote collaboration as part of a global internal communication strategy that keeps us informed and strengthens engagement, regardless of where they are”, emphasises Carlos García, MARCO’s Director of Stakeholder Relations and Internal Communication.