The “Grow Remote – Future of Work Pulse” looks at what’s shaping the future of work across Ireland and beyond. We round up the latest stories, share insights, opinions and spotlight how distributed work is empowering people, employers and communities to thrive, while not shying away from the challenges of remote!
1) Remote Work Hits New High as Indeed Data Shows Hybrid is Now an Expectation, Not a Perk
Indeed’s 2026 Ireland Jobs & Hiring Trends Report delivered a powerful signal: remote and hybrid work mentions in Irish job postings on their platform have reached a new high of 19.4% by the end of December 2025, more than four times higher than pre-pandemic levels.
This isn’t a temporary spike. It’s a structural change. The report confirms what we’ve been seeing on the ground: flexible work has moved from crisis response to a permanent operating model. Software development leads the pack with 47% of roles offering remote or hybrid options, followed by media & communications (44%) and data & analytics (43%).
Alongside this shift, the report reveals that one in ten (11%) job postings in Ireland now mention AI. Ireland leads the US, UK, France and Germany on this metric. While AI references are concentrated in tech roles – data & analytics (56%), software development (48%) and IT systems (37%) – they’re increasingly appearing in non-tech categories like arts & entertainment (24%), HR (20%) and sales (19%).
Jack Kennedy, senior economist at Indeed, captured the moment well: “From an employer perspective, hybrid and flexible working have moved from a perk to an expectation in 2026, and they will need to keep this in mind when recruiting. The organisations that will stand out will be those offering not just competitive salaries, but transparency, flexibility and support for employees navigating a rapidly changing work environment.”
Grow Remote Opinion:
The evidence is clear: hybrid and remote work are no longer negotiable for competitive employers. Indeed’s 19.4% figure represents a fundamental recalibration of traditional and well used Irish labour market jobs boards.
To give an alternative but complimentary narrative, the LinkedIn data we track says the actual figure is even higher, with around 15% of roles fully remote and 40% offering some level of flexibility.
We tracked it every month last year, made that data public and wrote an article about it here that suggested if you look beyond traditional spaces and places you will find global employers like Canonical and Binance who hire remotely across EMEA and thus have remote jobs available in Ireland.
Currently, Canonical has 150+ remote roles open across multiple departments. Binance employs 5,000+ people in 100+ locations and is hiring for 10+ remote roles across Europe. Jobs like these are not included in Indeed’s new high of 19.4% so it perhaps represents more of a domestic and national shift and that’s more systemic change.
But here’s the critical part. Offering flexibility isn’t enough. Kennedy is right when he says organisations must provide transparency, flexibility and support. That final word – support – is where most employers still fall short. Hybrid work done badly creates confusion, inconsistency and burnout. Hybrid work done well requires intentional design, manager capability and a shift from measuring presence to measuring outcomes.
This is precisely why we built our new Lead From Anywhere training programme. As AI reshapes roles and hybrid becomes the default, the leaders who thrive will be those who can manage distributed teams with clarity, trust and performance at the core. The future of work isn’t about where. It’s about how. And how requires skill!
Lead From Anywhere is an 8-week programme with weekly live sessions and eLearning, fully funded for Irish professionals in employment, led by industry experts, and includes digital certification. The next group starts on February 24th.
Sources: Indeed 2026 Ireland Jobs & Hiring Trends Report
2) Dublin Chamber Data Shows 78% of Businesses Operate Hybrid Models, But Culture and Productivity Measurement Remain Key Challenges
New findings from Dublin Chamber’s Q4 2025 Business Outlook Survey provide one of the clearest snapshots of how hybrid work is actually functioning inside Irish organisations. Nearly four-in-five businesses (78%) now operate a hybrid working model, with fully on-site and fully remote models accounting for just 13% and 8% respectively.
The data gets more interesting when you look at structure. While hybrid is widespread, businesses are moving away from full flexibility toward more predictable arrangements. 35% now mandate specific set days in the office, while 24% require a minimum number of days but let employees choose which ones. Together, these structured approaches account for nearly 60% of all hybrid models.
Office capacity patterns have also stabilised. Tuesday to Thursday now operate at 91-100% capacity across most firms, establishing them as core in-office days. Monday remains split, with firms divided between very low (0-10%) and very high (91-100%) attendance. Friday remains the clear remote day, with the majority of firms reporting 0-10% office occupancy.
On productivity, it feels like a true milestone has been reached (in terms of feelings at least). Almost half of businesses (49%) report no difference in productivity between remote and office-based work. Among firms that do see a difference, 24% say productivity is higher in the office, while 16% report higher productivity remotely.
That’s almost 65% of companies who say they feel remote or hybrid work has no negative effects or it has a positive effect on productivity and a further 10% that say they don’t know!
However, 60% of respondents said they do not have a formal method for measuring remote productivity, underscoring that much of this debate remains qualitative rather than data-driven.
Wellbeing outcomes, however, are overwhelmingly positive. Nearly three-quarters of firms (72%) report improvements in employee wellbeing and morale under hybrid arrangements. Only 9% report declines.
The challenge lies in culture. 40% of respondents feel that hybrid work has weakened their ability to build organisational culture, compared to 32% who report improvements. This split highlights a real tension: flexibility supports wellbeing, but without intentional design, it can erode the social fabric that holds teams together.
Looking ahead, 82% of firms expect no change to their hybrid policies in 2026, signalling that current models are seen as stable and sustainable.
Mia Finnegan, Public Affairs Manager at Dublin Chamber, summed it up well:
“For Dublin businesses, hybrid working is no longer a temporary adjustment but a settled feature of the modern workplace. The focus has now shifted from whether to offer flexibility, to how best to manage it in a way that supports productivity, culture, and long-term competitiveness.”
Grow Remote Opinion:
This data is essential because it moves the conversation beyond headlines and into the operational reality of hybrid work. The findings confirm what we’ve heard from employers in our training programmes: hybrid is here to stay, but success depends on how it’s managed.
Three things stand out. First, the shift toward structured hybrid arrangements (specific days or minimum requirements) shows that businesses are finding their rhythm. Flexibility doesn’t mean chaos. It means clarity within boundaries.
Second, the productivity debate is still stuck in perception, not measurement. The fact that 60% of firms lack formal systems to assess remote productivity is a gap worth closing. You can’t manage what you don’t measure. But equally, measuring the wrong things – like time in office – won’t help either. The best organisations are shifting to outcome-based performance management, where results matter more than location.
Third, the culture challenge is real, and it won’t fix itself. 40% reporting weakened culture is a warning sign. But culture isn’t built by proximity alone. It’s built by shared purpose, consistent communication and intentional connection – whether that happens in person, on Zoom, or asynchronously. The organisations that solve this will be the ones that invest in manager capability and deliberately design cultural rituals that work in a distributed context.
The Dublin Chamber data doesn’t suggest hybrid is failing. It suggests hybrid is evolving. And the winners will be the organisations that evolve with it.
Sources: RTE News | Dublin Chamber Business Outlook Survey Q4 2025
3) Return-to-Office Mandates Risk Harming a Quarter of the Workforce: New Research on Neurodivergent Employees
As return-to-office mandates accelerate across corporate Ireland and beyond, new research from DCU highlights a critical blind spot: the impact on neurodivergent employees, who make up approximately one in four workers in corporate environments.
The study, led by Dr. Laura Gormley and Dr. Aoife Brennan from DCU’s School of Inclusive and Special Education, surveyed 1,500 employees across three corporate workforces. The findings are stark: 25% of corporate employees self-identify or have been diagnosed as neurodivergent, encompassing conditions such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, anxiety and depression.
For this cohort, flexible work is not a perk. It’s a fundamental enabler of performance. The research shows that neurodivergent employees consistently rank collegial awareness, supportive management and flexible working arrangements as essential requirements for a safe and productive workplace. When asked to name the most important accommodations, they identified hybrid working conditions, flexible start and end times, and access to quiet spaces for regulation.
The authors argue that authentic flexibility allows neurodivergent employees to align their peak focus hours with their tasks. For example, enabling an ADHDer to harness a late-night burst of hyperfocus, or allowing an autistic professional to process complex data without the constant interruption of office drop-ins. In a hybrid model, the office becomes a choice for collaboration, while home becomes a sanctuary for deep work.
The research also challenges common objections to flexible work. Critics often cite fairness concerns, fearing that tailoring work conditions will create resentment among other employees. But as the authors note: “When we design for the one-in-five who are neurodivergent, we inadvertently build a more dynamic and supportive environment for the rest of the workforce. For example, a quiet space for sensory regulation is as vital to a neurotypical, sleep-deprived parent as it is to an autistic engineer.”
The study also highlights the business case. Research consistently shows that companies embracing neurodivergent talent outperform their peers, delivering higher revenues and better returns for stakeholders. Beyond the bottom line, these organisations drive innovation and problem-solving capacity that traditional office structures cannot replicate.
Dr. Gormley and Dr. Brennan conclude with a clear call to action: “Companies can continue to treat flexibility as a burden, or they can embrace the idea that by designing for the neurodivergent brain, they can engineer more resilient, efficient, creative and productive workplaces for all.”
Grow Remote Opinion:
This research should be required reading for every HR director and business leader considering a return-to-office mandate. The finding that one in four corporate employees are neurodivergent is significant, and it directly challenges the narrative that flexible work is a fringe concern.
The research makes clear that flexible work is not about special accommodations for a minority. It’s about designing systems that work for human beings as they actually are, not as outdated management theory assumes they should be. When organisations design for neurodivergence, they create better conditions for everyone.
The business case is also compelling. Companies that embrace neurodivergent talent and build inclusive, flexible systems consistently outperform their peers. That’s not ideology. That’s a competitive advantage.
But here’s the uncomfortable truth: many return-to-office mandates are being driven by gut instinct, not data. Leaders want to see people in the office because it feels productive, not because evidence shows it is. The DCU research exposes the cost of that instinct. By forcing everyone back into rigid, one-size-fits-all arrangements, organisations risk burning out their highest-performing neurodivergent employees – the very people who often drive innovation and creative problem-solving.
The shift required isn’t complicated. It’s about moving from compliance-based thinking to outcomes-based thinking. It’s about trusting people to manage their own energy and focus. And it’s about recognising that flexibility, when designed well, isn’t a concession. It’s a performance lever.
If your organisation is serious about inclusion, productivity and competitiveness, the DCU research and guidance from Dr. Gormley and Dr. Brennan should be a part of your operating strategy decision making.
Source: The Journal.ie, Dublin City University
About Grow Remote
Our mission is to solve the challenges of remote work in order to unlock social, economic and environmental change for individuals, employers and local communities.
One of the ways we deliver this is through fully funded training courses for leaders and aspiring managers in Ireland. Lead From Anywhere is now open for 2026 registrations. The next group starts February 24th and the deadline to register your interest is Feb 19th.
www.growremote.ie
Featured Image Photo by Corinne Kutz on Unsplash
