2025 in Review: The Year India's C-Suite Changed Its Mind About Remote Work

Three years after the pandemic forced a large-scale experiment in remote and hybrid work, India's C-suite has reached a tentative consensus — and it leans toward in-person collaboration more strongly than many predicted. CXO India's year-end survey of 200 senior executives found that 67% believe their organisations function better with mandatory in-office attendance of at least three days per week, up from 48% who held the same view in 2023. The shift in CEO and CHRO sentiment is driven by several factors that are specific to the Indian corporate context. First, the talent development argument: India's corporate culture has historically relied heavily on informal mentorship and on-the-job learning through proximity. Senior executives observe that early-career professionals who joined during the fully remote period have developed more slowly than their predecessors — acquiring technical skills but lacking the judgement and contextual awareness that comes from watching experienced leaders navigate complex situations in real time. Second, the collaboration quality argument: the most senior leaders we surveyed consistently report that remote environments work well for individual execution but poorly for the creative, high-stakes, ambiguous conversations that drive strategy. However, the picture is not monolithic. Functional area matters significantly. Technology leaders are considerably more supportive of flexible work than their peers in operations, finance, or sales. Company stage matters too: growth-stage companies where culture is still forming tend toward more in-person norms than established organisations where culture is already embedded. And geography matters: executives based outside Mumbai and Bengaluru are more supportive of flexibility because commute infrastructure in many Indian cities makes daily office attendance genuinely burdensome.