Remote Work Now a Top-Performer Perk: Only 'Very Special' Workers Get to Stay Fully Remote

The New Reality of Remote Work

As Instagram employees join millions of workers facing return-to-office mandates in 2025, remote work is fast becoming a status symbol rather than a universal right.

Sander van ’t Noordende, global CEO of Randstad—the world's biggest talent company that places around half a million workers in jobs every week—says the great return-to-office war is effectively over. A new pecking order has emerged where only star performers can cling to fully remote roles.

"You have to be very special to be able to demand a 100% remote job," van ’t Noordende tells Fortune. "That's increasingly the story. You have to have very special technology skills or some expertise."

He adds that freelance work also requires special skills—"good commercial skills or networking skills, which not everybody has."

The Hybrid Middle Ground

For everyone else, there's no escaping at least some office time. But contrary to hardline mandates from companies like Amazon and JPMorgan, van ’t Noordende doesn't think we're returning to old-school 9-to-5, five days a week as the norm.

Instead, he says a happy medium is here to stay: "The pendulum is starting to slow down... The equilibrium seems to have been found." With the exception of some banks in big cities, "it's generally a hybrid model, around three to four days, plus some work from home."

Research Confirms the 'Hybrid Hierarchy'

What van ’t Noordende observes on the ground mirrors exactly what Korn Ferry predicted at the start of this year. As firms increasingly upped the dial on in-office working, the consulting firm forecasted a "new hybrid hierarchy" where flexibility becomes a perk reserved only for star performers.

"2025's Haves and Have-Nots will be divided not by economics, but by talent and how much the company wants them," the report outlined.

Essentially, at the top, workers with scarce skills can still negotiate for fully remote or ultra-flexible setups. But at the bottom, workers with the least leverage—often in more junior or commoditized roles—are more likely to be expected to show face.

Korn Ferry noted that unique hybrid arrangements have historically always been dished out "only to top brass" talent. While this special treatment could create friction within workplaces, it's no different from offering new talent higher wages than "longtime, lower-compensated employees."

The Current Workplace Reality

At some companies, high performers are already being offered flexible schedules as a bonus for their good work. Meanwhile, those performing in the mid-range don't get the privilege of remote work, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Now, with hiring slowing and pay increases stalling, flexibility is one of the few levers employers have left to attract and keep people they really don't want to lose.