Managers Face Triple Pressure from AI, Hybrid Work and New Regulations

Hybrid work has changed the manager’s job from coordinating people in one place to maintaining communication, cohesion and performance across offices and homes. A new Eurofound report describes that shift as a growing management challenge.

Eurostat data show that regular remote work declined after the COVID-19 pandemic, but occasional home working has continued to expand. It reached 14.4% across the European Union last year and 10.2% in Poland. Eurofound estimates that roughly one in four workers in EU countries uses a hybrid model, although the level of autonomy varies by industry and role.

The change is especially visible in occupations requiring higher skills. In Poland, more than half of specialists and managers work in a hybrid model, according to research by recruitment firm Hays Poland. Eurofound says direct managers, particularly line managers, are increasingly expected to act as coaches and facilitators while also setting goals, coordinating work and managing results.

Managers also report practical problems with the model. In a Colliers survey, 62% said remote work made it harder to maintain employees’ sense of belonging to the team, while 52% saw a negative effect on internal cooperation. Half cited difficulties with operational information flows, and 47% pointed to problems with day-to-day team management. More than one-third identified challenges in onboarding new employees.

Colliers experts said hybrid work has exposed organizational weaknesses, including unclear communication channels and a lack of rules for asynchronous communication and hybrid meetings. At the same time, the expanding use of artificial intelligence and the European Union’s equal-pay directive are adding further demands to managers’ daily responsibilities.

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The shift by many companies to hybrid work means a new management challenge linked to organizing, coordinating and managing this work model.