Blog Work

Your Hybrid Policy Isn’t Going to Work. Instead, Try This.

Cody Fisher
Cody Fisher

Braintrust Talent, Writer

Today’s business leaders are scrambling to come up with their company’s new hybrid work policy but they’re in for a rude awakening.


Because this past year and a half didn’t just change the way we worked–it changed what talent want. To find out just how much has changed and what business leaders need to do to adapt, Braintrust surveyed more than 800 knowledge workers.


Here’s what they had to say.

Braintrust Knowledge Work Figure - What talent want


1. “We’re done working in the office.”

6 in 10 knowledge workers today want to work from anywhere. Here’s why they’re looking beyond today’s current work systems to get what they want.

  • HR wants talent back in the office: The message coming from the most influential voices in the corporate world is clear: they want workers back in the office–now.
  • Companies are acting like the pandemic never happened: Most employers are refusing to acknowledge all the ways the pandemic changed work for the better.
  • Talent want to be treated like adults: Despite studies showing that remote work boosts productivity, employers are hung up on old stereotypes about working from home.

Braintrust solves this by:

  • Giving talent the freedom to work from anywhere: Braintrust allows workers to set up shop anywhere while getting access to the world’s leading enterprises.
  • Creating a future that benefits both talent and enterprises: Braintrust matches talent in 48-hours, eliminates high markups, and allows talent to keep 100% of what they earn.
  • Matching talent with employers who trust them: The world’s most forward-thinking enterprises like NASA, Nike, Porsche, and Taskrabbit use Braintrust to build faster.

2. “We want to be our own boss.”

61% of knowledge workers don’t just want to leave the office behind–they want to leave their boss behind. Here’s why today’s current work systems can’t give them what they want.

  • Their boss isn’t going anywhere: Most businesses are built around a century-old system of hierarchy and top-down leadership that isn’t going anywhere.
  • Today’s workplace isn’t flexible enough: Today’s old school business practices and hierarchies don’t allow for flexibility, creativity, and growth.
  • Most jobs are a dead-end. Employees want to grow and be challenged but less and less full-time roles include room for growth.

Braintrust solves this by:

  • Empowering talent to be owners: Braintrust is the world’s first user-owned Talent network–giving talent control over how the network is grown and operated.
  • Giving talent (and enterprises) more flexibility: Braintrust lets talent choose the projects they want, adjust their hours of availability, and set their own rates.
  • Letting talent take control of their career: Braintrust makes it easy for workers to accelerate their career by giving them access to the world’s best job opportunities.

3. “We want more job choices.”

54% of today’s knowledge workers want access to more job opportunities. Here’s why the work systems of today won’t deliver more choices anytime soon.

  • Talent is limited to what’s close: When most companies rely on a physical office location, today’s talent will always be limited to whatever’s within driving distance.
  • Relocating is a pain: The costs and risks associated with relocating often outweigh the potential benefits–especially for those with children.
  • It’s hard to get access to in-demand employers: Getting your foot in the door at top companies is extremely challenging unless you know someone who is already there.

Braintrust solves this by:

  • Giving talent access to hundreds of remote job opportunities: Braintrust gets rid of the commute and gives talent access to the world’s leading remote job opportunities.
  • Freeing up talent to live and work from anywhere: Braintrust puts talent back in control of where they get to live and raise their family.
  • Connecting talent with top enterprises: Braintrust introduces talent to top employers and job opportunities that they wouldn’t have been able access any other way.

4. “We want to choose our own hours.”

47% of knowledge workers want to choose their own hours. Here’s why today’s work systems aren’t going to let them.

  • Most companies don’t want to let go of the 9-5: Few workforces are built to operate outside of the traditional 9-5 even if it means losing quality employees.
  • Employers don’t trust their employees: Most of today’s bosses still believe outdated stereotypes about employees that work from home.
  • Bosses think employees aren’t productive outside of 9-5: Despite study after study showing the opposite, today’s bosses think flex hours results in less output.

Braintrust solves this by:

  • Letting talent set their own hours: Braintrust allows talent to set their own availability so that they only get matched with job opportunities that match their schedule.
  • Connecting talent with enterprises that treat them like adults: Braintrust holds talent to the highest standards which means enterprises can trust them to get the job done.
  • Giving talent more flexibility: Braintrust allows talent and enterprises to work asynchronously so that they can be productive at all hours.

5. “We want more variety.”

36% of knowledge workers want more variety in their jobs. Here’s why they’re not going to find it in the current work systems.

  • One company can only offer so much: Working full-time for a single company limits talent to a smaller pool of opportunities and challenges.
  • Talent can only switch roles so many times: Today’s workers can hope for a promotion or try to switch departments but that can only take them so far.
  • Today’s bosses like specialists: Most companies are built to reward specialists, not intrapreneurs who innovate across departments.

Braintrust solves this by:

  • Letting talent choose new opportunities: Braintrust gives talent access to new job opportunities and unique challenges each week.
  • Connecting talent with new and exciting industries: Braintrust connects talent to exciting new industries that will allow them to learn new skills and mindsets.
  • Creating space for the generalists: Braintrust matches talent with enterprises that are looking for “outside-of-the-box” thinkers who can bring a fresh perspective.

6. “We want to get paid fairly.”

36% of knowledge workers want the ability to set their own salary. Here’s why that won’t happen anytime soon in today’s current work systems.

  • The companies call all the shots: In most workplaces, salary negotiations are controlled by the employer, leaving little room for input from the talent.
  • FTE salaries can only go so high: Because most companies factor in other traditional benefits that they offer, talent salaries always have a ceiling.
  • Other talent platforms overcharge the talent and enterprises that use them: The traditional middlemen of hiring cut into earnings by charging outrageous fees.

Braintrust solves this by:

  • Allowing talent to set their own rates: Braintrust makes pricing 100% transparent so talent can always call the shots and adjust their rates.
  • Empowering talent to make as much as they want: Braintrust allows talent to make as much money as they want.
  • Putting more money in the pockets of talent and enterprises: Braintrust eliminates the middleman completely and allows talent to keep 100% of what they make.

Whether you want to reach your business goals, accelerate innovation, or build faster– Braintrust can help you revolutionize your hiring process and connect you with top talent in 48 hours or less.

Schedule your talent match call today or learn more about what talent want in the Knowledge Work Demand Index.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Hire Top Talent

iOS Developer UI/UX Designer Web Developer Software Developer React Native Developer React JS Developer Ruby on Rails Developer Node JS Developer Android Developer Mobile App Developer Java Developer PHP Developer Laravel Developer .NET Developer Full Stack Developer Python Developer Angular Developer AngularJS Developer Front End Developer Data Scientist App Developer iPhone App Developer Shopify Developer Drupal Developer Unity Developer Vue.js Developer Django Developer JavaScript Developer Backend Developer C++ Developer Web Designer eCommerce Developer SEO Xamarin Developer Magento Developer Blockchain Developer AWS Developer Solana Developer Crypto Developer AI Engineer Graphic Designer WordPress Developer Flutter Developer Dedicated Developer Game Developer Project Manager Salesforce Developer Programmer UI Designer WooCommerce Developer ASP.NET Developer WordPress Designer Freelance Developer Ruby Developer Golang Developer Swift Developer DevOps Engineer Web App Developer HTML5 Developer IoT Developer Kotlin Developer CodeIgniter Developer Brand Designer Product Designer API Developer Mobile App Designer SQL Developer QA Tester Database Developer Product Manager Data Analyst 3D Animator Power BI Developer Webflow Designer HubSpot Developer Data Engineer Technical Writer Chrome Extension Developer Cloud Engineer Network Engineer QA Engineer Video Game Developer Tableau Developer Discord Bot Developer GUI Designer Business Analyst UX Researcher Embedded Software Engineer Roku Developer Rust Developer Docker Developer Apple Developer Program Manager Creative Director IT Project Manager Go Engineer Sys Admin Growth Marketing Manager Growth Product Manager Algorithm Developer User Researcher Agile Product Manager Windows Developer Excel Developer Big Data Architect Scrum Product Manager Kubernetes Expert Usability Testing Expert Security Researcher Ethereum Developer Umbraco Developer Symfony Developer OpenCart Developer VR Developer PrestaShop Developer CSS Developer TypeScript Developer WordPress Theme Developer Shopify Web Designer Volusion Developer HTML Developer Yii Developer Chatbot Developer C Developer AI Artist AI Chatbot Developer AI Chatbot Specialist AI Content Creator AI Content Editor AI Designer AI Developer AI Researcher AI Specialist AI Writer Artificial Intelligence Engineer ChatGPT Specialist DALL-E Artist Data Annotator Data Modeler Deep Learning Engineer Generative AI Engineer Generative AI Specialist Google BERT Specialist GPT-3 Specialist Machine Learning Engineer Microsoft Azure AI Engineer Midjourney Artist ML Engineer Ontologist OpenAI Codex Specialist Prompt Engineer Stable Diffusion Artist 3D Artist 3D Modeler Animator Affiliate Marketing Manager Community Manager Content Marketer Content Strategist Copywriter Demand Generation Manager Digital Storyteller Email Marketer Event Marketing Manager Influencer Marketer Marketing Analyst Marketing Campaign Manager Marketing Researcher Marketing Strategist Performance Marketing Manager Product Marketer Social Media Marketer Art Director Blockchain Architect Blockchain Security Auditor DeFi Engineer Designer Digital Project Manager Engineering Manager Full Stack Engineer Illustrator Marketing Coordinator Motion Graphic Designer Product Marketing Manager Product Owner Software Engineer Solidity Developer Content Designer Technical Project Manager UX Writer Videographer Visual Designer Web3 Developer Website Designer