In September, a shift occurred: the hybrid model triggered a backlash as some teams grew to prefer office life again. The aim was simple—let every team personalize their workspace, decorate their corners, display flags, and have their screens and measurements in view. Yet, this was not the reality today because seats were lacking for everyone. The plan involved moving between regions daily, which kept teams apart from the field they work with and reduced the chance for real face-to-face interaction.
Glovo’s chief executive Óscar Pierre described this policy in a talk hosted on YouTube three weeks earlier by Itnig, a Barcelona startup incubator. The white-collar side of the workforce—technology, operations, marketing, and a few others—shifted to a new facility in Barcelona’s 22@ technology district at the end of the previous year. Now, a little over six months later, the building is under construction again, because the original vision of an office-first future did not hold up under real-world usage.
The new complex, designed for 1,700 people, features quiet rooms and surprisingly sparse rest areas, with the expectation that teams would come to the office two days per week. The leadership decided that everyone would converge on three fixed days—Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday—so the company could grow its operations accordingly.
Pierre acknowledged that 5-10 percent of employees were dissatisfied with the changes, and a portion of talent had departed. Still, he framed this as a shift in philosophy, one the company wanted to steer and shape. He suggested that among two competing approaches, a team in a collaborative, energetic environment might win more often than a fully remote setup, even if it feels like being in a garage with brutal energy.
Glovo was not alone in adjusting its approach. At the end of March, TravelPerk CEO Avi Meir, a Barcelona-based travel-management firm with about 1,200 employees globally, stated that all staff should attend at least three days per week. Since the pandemic, the company had operated without a formal remote policy, allowing work from anywhere.
Several voices in the industry weighed in on the change. A member of the engineering team at a different company voiced some resistance to the shift, and TravelPerk reported about 100 employee requests for exemptions, with roughly 75 percent approved. Over time, however, the CEO wrote that human interaction should happen in person rather than in virtual spaces, because real-life encounters matter most.
Another example was Factorial, a human resources app maker that recently laid off about twenty people. After jokes about the layoffs on a podcast, the company’s leadership signaled a return to more in-person collaboration and a push to recruit nearby.
Less distance delivers 100 percent
The trend of Spanish tech firms tightening remote-work policies mirrors what has been seen in the United States. Giants such as Google, Amazon, Apple, and Salesforce encouraged employees to return to the office after several pandemic-era remote days. Open bars and other perks faded as companies sought greater in-person collaboration.
Pedro Torrecillas, founder and chief executive of a technology employment platform called Circular, tracked how these policies translated into job offers. He noted a decline in the share of postings that permit full remote work. The platform aggregates about 12,000 current offers, most of them for product or development roles at tech firms, with the majority concentrated in Spain. While 100 percent remote roles peaked at around 69 percent in May 2022, they have since fallen to about 57 percent, excluding hybrid options like Glovo or Travelperk that require a face-to-face day.
Torrecillas commented that the trend mirrors US patterns, with productivity often believed to suffer from remote work. Some firms allow hybrid models, others are more lenient, while others view remote work as a move to trim staff by letting divisions drift apart. With tighter financing and rising interest rates, many tech firms looked to reduce costs, and staff adjustments became a common tactic.
In his view, efficiency hinges on how policies are set up, but the gains from closer collaboration can be substantial. He also noted that many companies prefer employees who live relatively close to the office, making commute times a practical consideration for leadership decisions.
Office demand is changing but not disappearing
The pandemic and the sudden shift to remote work disrupted the real estate market, turning some empty offices into potential homes for teams. Savills, a real estate advisory, reported that while activity slowed in Madrid and Barcelona, the overall demand for offices did not vanish. The hybrid shift has brought concerns about lower hiring for office spaces, yet remote work does not replace offices; it supports better work-life balance. The slowdown in activity is tied more to oversupply than to a lack of interest.
Anna Gener, chief executive of Savills in Barcelona, argued that offices remain essential. They help build emotional bonds, convey company culture, support training for younger staff, and contribute to team well-being. In Madrid, the firm notes a preference for flexible spaces and tech-sector growth, while many smaller businesses have shifted toward more flexible arrangements rather than traditional office footprints.