Hybrid keeps you fit!

Under this slogan, AGV Banken presented the results of its new study, based on a representative survey of more than 900 employees in the financial sector.

According to the association's assessment, new hybrid forms of work make work more efficient, motivating and healthier.

Despite the high level of dynamism in recent years, the transformation of the world of work is by no means complete, with the development of hybrid work in particular moving forward.

The association has supplemented its initial study on hybrid forms of work from 2023 (The Really New Normal), based on representative survey data from the private banking sector.

Here are some highlights:

• Hybrid work has become firmly established in knowledge-based services and will have a lasting impact on the world of work.
• Even though the proportion of mobile work has declined slightly recently, hybrid work remains by far the most important form of work: in the private banking sector, more than half of employees work in a hybrid environment and more than three-quarters work outside the company at least occasionally.
• Hybrid is everywhere: while mobile-flexible forms of work were long the domain of certain activities, hybrid work is now found in all areas of private banking. Central functions dominate, including IT, back office, organisation and human resources, in which an above-average number of activities can be performed independently of location. However, 40% of those who frequently work in a hybrid manner now come from the areas of investment banking, corporate banking, private banking and retail banking (including branch office). At the same time, it’s clear that hybrid forms of work are not only available to managers, but have become widespread among the workforce.
• Mobile working is more than just working from home. The proportion of employees who can work from other European countries has also risen significantly recently.
• Hybrid keeps you fit: Hybrid forms of work have no negative impact on employee satisfaction and health. Both the overall satisfaction and subjective health perception of those who frequently work hybrid are at the very high level of all employees in the private banking sector. And complaints such as stress, exhaustion or depressive moods are significantly less pronounced in hybrid work than in the overall average.
• The already good work-life balance at private banks is given a further boost in quality by hybrid forms of work.
• Location and time flexibility go side by side: the more location-flexible employees in the private banking sector are, the more flexible their working time arrangements are. Almost half (48%) of hybrid workers can organise their working hours very flexibly (flexitime without core working hours or trust-based working hours), while this applies to only 38% of all employees on average. This high level of flexibility results in hybrid employees being exceptionally satisfied with their working time arrangements (90% positive ratings).
• Hybrid workers have shorter working hours than other employees, work significantly less overtime and also work significantly less frequently in the evenings and on weekends. However, they use their flexibility to devote more time to their work in the early morning without extending their overall working hours.
• High team and leadership quality: The positive assessment of hybrid work processes is based on consistently high team and leadership quality. In particular, the relationship of trust between managers and hybrid workers appears to be intact – an essential prerequisite for successful teamwork that takes place in different locations. The above-average rating for team organisation is also striking, which speaks for effective communication.

Click here for the detailed results of the study: Hybrid Work 2025: Progress at a High Level. (German language)