Nearly one in three hybrid workers is quietly looking for a new job, even as retention rates hold steady. The latest workforce data exposes a growing gap between physical presence and psychological engagement that most managers never see.
The data that got my attention
Owl Labs published its ninth annual State of Hybrid Work report in late 2025, and one number jumped off the page. Despite 92% of workers staying at their current employer, 27% are actively looking for a new job. That gap is the story. People have not left yet, but they have already checked out.
The same report found that 44% of workers say their employer’s or colleague’s political opinions have made them not want to go to the office. Add a 39% increase in self-reported stress levels since last year, and you have a workforce that is physically present but psychologically withdrawing. Hybrid work was supposed to fix the flexibility problem. Instead, it has exposed a deeper engagement crisis that most managers cannot see through a screen.
Why this matters now
The hybrid model has stabilized. Seventy-three percent of employers have not changed their remote or hybrid policy in the past year, according to Owl Labs. The dust has settled on the return-to-office debate, and what remains is a permanent split: 66% of U.S. workers are now hybrid, 26% fully remote, and just 7% fully on-site, according to Gallup’s 2026 State of the Global Workplace report.
But stabilization is not the same as health. The same Owl Labs data shows that if flexibility were taken away, 40% of workers would start job hunting, 22% would expect a raise, and 5% would quit immediately. That is two-thirds of your workforce with one foot out the door if the policy shifts. Meanwhile, 37% of workers admit they have posted about their job or employer negatively on social media. The withdrawal is happening in plain sight, but most managers are too busy running hybrid meetings to notice.
What the research actually shows
The Owl Labs 2025 data, combined with Gallup’s 2026 workplace report, paints a picture of three overlapping withdrawal patterns in hybrid teams. Each one is invisible if managers only track attendance and output.
First, office avoidance. Forty-four percent of workers say political tension at work makes them avoid the office. This is not about policy preferences. It is about the social environment leaders have let fester by ignoring interpersonal friction in mixed-format teams. Remote workers skip the office. Hybrid workers coffee-badge. The result is an office that is technically open but socially empty.
Second, quiet job hunting. The 27% who are actively looking cite better pay (49%), improved work-life balance (48%), and stronger career growth (44%) as their top reasons. Notably, only 4% of remote workers switched jobs in 2025 compared to 10% of office workers. Remote workers are staying but searching, which means retention numbers look stable while engagement is eroding underneath.
Third, stress creep. Thirty-nine percent of workers report increased stress since last year. Sixty-eight percent of working parents worry that caregiving responsibilities could hurt their job performance. Stress is the fuel for both avoidance and job hunting.
| Withdrawal signal | Percentage of workers | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Actively job hunting despite staying | 27% | Owl Labs 2025 |
| Avoid office due to political tension | 44% | Owl Labs 2025 |
| Increased stress since last year | 39% | Owl Labs 2025 |
| Posted negatively about employer | 37% | Owl Labs 2025 |
| Would job-hunt if flexibility removed | 40% | Owl Labs 2025 |
| Parents worried about caregiving impact | 68% | Owl Labs 2025 |
A practical framework for leaders
The hybrid model is not the problem. The absence of deliberate team management is. Here is a four-step framework leaders can use this quarter to detect and reverse quiet withdrawal before it becomes actual turnover.
Audit for withdrawal signals. Stop relying on attendance and output metrics. Track voluntary office attendance rates, meeting participation patterns, PTO usage, and internal mobility inquiries. If 27% of your team is job hunting, your engagement survey should be asking why, not just whether people are satisfied.
Address the social environment. Forty-four percent of workers avoid the office because of political or interpersonal tension. Leaders must set clear norms for office behavior, facilitate structured team interactions that are not just meetings, and address conflict directly instead of hoping hybrid distance will make it disappear.
Rebuild career pathways. Forty-four percent of job hunters want better career growth. In hybrid teams, promotions often go to those who are visible, not those who are capable. Create formal sponsorship programs, transparent promotion criteria, and quarterly career conversations that do not depend on physical proximity.
Measure stress, not just engagement. Thirty-nine percent of workers report rising stress. Engagement scores can look fine while stress is climbing. Add stress and burnout indicators to your quarterly pulse. If working parents are 68% worried about caregiving impact, that is a retention risk you can address with policy, not pep talks.
The bottom line
The 92% retention rate is hiding a 27% flight risk. Hybrid work did not cause the withdrawal, but it makes it easier to miss. Managers who only see their team through a video screen are watching a performance, not the person behind it. The companies that retain their hybrid workforce over the next two years will be the ones that learn to read the signals their screens are blocking.
Where to go from here
If 27% of your team is quietly looking for the exit, you need to find out before they find it. A structured hybrid team assessment can surface the withdrawal signals hiding behind stable attendance and steady output, then give you a targeted action plan before job hunting becomes resigning. hybrid team assessment
