For a few years, many office workers could stay home part of the week. Now that is changing. Some big employers want people back in the office every day. Amazon said workers should return five days a week from January 2, 2025. JPMorgan Chase told hybrid workers to come back five days a week from March 2025. In April 2026, Bloomberg also reported that Fidelity Investments would require thousands of U.S. employees to work in the office five days a week. (aboutamazon.com)
Why do companies want this? Amazon says it is easier to learn, share ideas, and build company culture when people are together. Many top leaders think the same way. KPMG’s 2024 Global CEO Outlook said 83% of CEOs expected a full return to the office within three years. In the U.S. government, official guidance in January 2025 also told agencies to end remote work and bring workers back in person full time as soon as possible, with some exceptions. (aboutamazon.com)
Still, not everyone wants a five-day office week. Gallup reported in March 2025 that work patterns for U.S. jobs that can be done from home had stayed mostly steady since 2022. Among these workers, 55% were hybrid, 26% were fully remote, and 19% were fully on-site. A Stanford study also found good news for hybrid work: people who worked from home two days a week were just as productive as office workers, and fewer of them left their jobs. In that study, quitting fell by 33%. (gallup.com)
So, is the old office week back? At some famous companies, yes. But across the wider job market, hybrid work is still very common. The fight between “five days in the office” and “some days at home” is not finished yet. (bloomberg.com)










