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Model 04 of 74 · Leadership & People

Remote / Hybrid Work Maturity Assessment

Assess how well your organisation designs, supports, and sustains remote and hybrid work.

Pillars & areas

Structure

Set the foundations

  1. 01Strategy & Policy
  2. 02Technology & Tools

Connect

Keep people together

  1. 03Communication & Collaboration
  2. 04Management & Trust

Thrive

Make it work for all

  1. 05Culture & Connection
  2. 06Equity & Inclusion

Levels

  1. 1ImprovisedOffice habits persist
  2. 2DesignedDeliberate & consistent
  3. 3ThrivingA genuine capability

01 Strategy & Policy

Has the organisation made clear, intentional decisions about how distributed work operates?

0/4 answered

SP-1How clearly has your organisation defined its remote/hybrid work model?

Think about whether everyone understands the rules — who can work remotely, how often, and what's expected.

SP-2How does your organisation decide what work happens in-person versus remotely?

Consider whether in-office days have a clear purpose, or whether people come in just to sit on video calls.

SP-3How does your organisation handle requests for exceptions to the standard work model?

Think about whether flexibility is genuinely available, or whether requesting a different arrangement feels risky.

SP-4How does your organisation measure whether its remote/hybrid model is working?

Consider whether you have actual data on productivity, engagement, and satisfaction by work location, or whether opinions drive the debate.

02 Technology & Tools

Do people have the right tools, infrastructure, and support to work effectively from anywhere?

0/4 answered

TT-1How well does your technology stack support remote and hybrid work?

Think about whether people can do everything they need to from home as easily as from the office.

TT-2How does your organisation support the physical workspace of remote workers?

Consider whether remote workers have a proper setup (desk, chair, monitor), or whether they're working from a kitchen table with no support.

TT-3How effective are your meeting room and hybrid meeting setups?

Think about whether remote participants in hybrid meetings can see, hear, and contribute equally, or whether they're a tiny face on a screen while the room talks among themselves.

TT-4How well does your organisation handle IT support for remote workers?

Consider whether a remote worker with a broken laptop gets the same speed of support as someone in the office.

03 Communication & Collaboration

Is communication designed for a distributed workforce, or are remote workers bolted onto office-era habits?

0/4 answered

CC-1How well does your organisation balance synchronous (real-time) and asynchronous communication?

Think about whether everything requires a meeting or instant response, or whether people can contribute on their own schedule.

CC-2How well does information flow across the organisation in a distributed setting?

Consider whether important information reaches everyone, or whether remote workers miss out on corridor conversations and informal updates.

CC-3How does your organisation manage meeting overload in a distributed environment?

Remote work often leads to more meetings, not fewer — think about whether your organisation has addressed this.

CC-4How effectively do distributed teams collaborate on shared work?

Think about whether collaboration tools and practices enable genuine co-working, or whether it's just file-sharing and meetings.

04 Management & Trust

Are managers equipped to lead distributed teams with trust rather than surveillance?

0/4 answered

MT-1How do managers assess remote workers' performance?

Think about whether performance is judged on outcomes and output, or on visibility and hours online.

MT-2How does your organisation approach monitoring of remote workers?

Consider whether employees are tracked through keystroke logging, screenshot capture or always-on cameras, and how any monitoring affects trust.

MT-3How well are managers trained to lead distributed teams?

Leading a remote team requires different skills — think about whether managers have been given the tools and training to do it well.

MT-4How does your organisation handle boundaries between work and personal time for remote workers?

Think about whether people feel they can switch off, or whether remote work has blurred boundaries to the point of always being 'on'.

05 Culture & Connection

Does the organisation actively build belonging and connection across locations?

0/4 answered

CX-1How does your organisation maintain team cohesion and social connection in a distributed setting?

Think about whether people know and trust their colleagues, or whether relationships are shallow because they never interact beyond task-based work.

CX-2How well does your organisational culture translate to a distributed environment?

Consider whether the culture feels the same for someone working from home as it does for someone in the office.

CX-3How does your organisation onboard new hires into a distributed team?

Think about whether remote onboarding feels as warm and thorough as in-person onboarding.

CX-4How does your organisation support the mental health and wellbeing of remote workers?

Consider whether remote workers have access to the same wellbeing support as office workers, and whether isolation is actively addressed.

06 Equity & Inclusion

Are remote and in-office workers treated equitably in terms of visibility, opportunity, and career progression?

0/4 answered

EQ-1Do remote workers have the same career progression opportunities as in-office workers?

Think about whether proximity to leadership affects who gets promoted, or whether location is genuinely irrelevant to career growth.

EQ-2How equitable is the day-to-day experience for remote versus in-office workers?

Consider whether remote workers get the same quality of communication, inclusion in decisions, and access to information.

EQ-3How does your organisation ensure remote workers are not disproportionately expected to be flexible?

Think about whether remote workers get asked to accommodate office schedules, time zones, or last-minute in-person requests more than the reverse.

EQ-4How does your organisation ensure its remote/hybrid model doesn't create or reinforce inequity across demographic groups?

Consider whether certain groups (e.g. parents, carers, people with disabilities) are disproportionately remote, and whether this affects their experience or progression.

Self-assessment report

Remote / Hybrid Work

Answer the questions above and your report builds here: an overall score, a score and target for each area, and the three changes that matter most.

About this model

About the Remote / Hybrid Work maturity model

Remote and hybrid work is no longer an experiment — it's how a large proportion of the global workforce operates. But many organisations are still figuring out how to do it well. The difference between remote work that drains people and remote work that empowers them comes down to deliberate design — of communication, culture, tools, and trust.

This model assesses whether your organisation has moved beyond simply allowing remote work to actually designing for it. It covers the infrastructure, culture, management practices, and employee experience that determine whether distributed work is productive, equitable, and sustainable.

The goal is not to advocate for any particular model (fully remote, hybrid, or office-first) — it's to assess how mature your approach is, whatever model you've chosen.

24 questions across 6 key areas, assessing how well your organisation designs, supports, and sustains remote and hybrid work. Takes approximately 10-15 minutes to complete.

Who this assessment is for

  • Senior leaders setting workplace strategy
  • HR and people teams designing policies
  • IT leaders responsible for collaboration tools and security
  • Managers leading distributed or hybrid teams
  • Facilities and workplace experience teams

The three maturity levels

  • Level 1 — Improvised: Remote or hybrid work is permitted but not designed. People work from home with office-era tools and habits. Communication is chaotic, meetings dominate, and the experience depends entirely on your manager. There is no consistent approach, and remote workers often feel like second-class citizens compared to those in the office.
  • Level 2 — Designed: The organisation has made deliberate choices about how remote and hybrid work operates. Policies are clear, tools are fit for purpose, and managers have guidance on leading distributed teams. The experience is reasonably consistent, though old office habits still surface and some equity gaps persist between remote and in-office staff.
  • Level 3 — Thriving: Remote and hybrid work is a genuine capability, not just a policy. The organisation has redesigned communication, collaboration, culture, and career development for a distributed world. People are productive, connected, and equitably supported regardless of where they work. The model is regularly reviewed and improved based on data and feedback.

The 6 areas assessed

  1. Strategy & Policy — Has the organisation made clear, intentional decisions about how distributed work operates?
  2. Technology & Tools — Do people have the right tools, infrastructure, and support to work effectively from anywhere?
  3. Communication & Collaboration — Is communication designed for a distributed workforce, or are remote workers bolted onto office-era habits?
  4. Management & Trust — Are managers equipped to lead distributed teams with trust rather than surveillance?
  5. Culture & Connection — Does the organisation actively build belonging and connection across locations?
  6. Equity & Inclusion — Are remote and in-office workers treated equitably in terms of visibility, opportunity, and career progression?

How this model relates to other frameworks

  • GitLab Remote Work Playbook
  • Dropbox Virtual First framework
  • Gallup research on hybrid work engagement
  • Microsoft Work Trend Index
  • CIPD Flexible and Hybrid Working guidance

Frequently asked questions

What is the Remote / Hybrid Work maturity model?

Assess how well your organisation designs, supports, and sustains remote and hybrid work. It is an original, simplified model with three maturity levels (Improvised, Designed and Thriving), assessed through 24 questions across 6 areas: Strategy & Policy, Technology & Tools, Communication & Collaboration, Management & Trust, Culture & Connection and Equity & Inclusion.

How long does the Remote / Hybrid Work assessment take?

Most people finish in 10–14 minutes. Each of the 24 questions has three concrete answer options. Your progress is saved in the page URL, so you can bookmark it and come back later.

How is the score calculated?

Each answer scores 1 (Improvised), 2 (Designed) or 3 (Thriving). An area's score is the average of its answered questions, and the overall score is the average of the area scores, so every area counts equally. Scores run from 1.0 to 3.0.

Is my data stored or shared?

No. Your answers are never sent to a server. They are stored only in the page URL, which you control. Copy the link to share results with colleagues, or export a PDF or CSV report.

How should I use the results?

Start with "Where to focus" in your report. It lists the questions with the biggest gap to the target you set for each area, and shows what the next level looks like in practice. For a fuller picture, ask several people from different teams to complete the assessment and compare their links. Differences in perception are often as revealing as the scores themselves.