Over the past few weeks, I have been having the same conversation again and again. Many of the professionals I speak to live in North County Dublin, but commute into the city centre or further a field for work. Some are already office based five days a week and yet, hybrid keeps coming up as a requirement. So I wanted to test something. I ran a poll asking:
If your role was closer to home, would you be happy to go into the office more often?
161 people voted.
69% said hybrid is essential 31% said they would go into the office five days a week if the role was local
At first glance, this looks like a clear preference for hybrid, however the more interesting insight sits within that 31%.
For a long time, the conversation has focused on flexibility. Hybrid versus office based. Remote versus on site but what I am hearing from candidates tells a more nuanced story.
It is not the office days that are the issue. It is the commute. When candidates say they want hybrid, what they are often really saying is:
I do not want to spend hours travelling every day. Time matters, my energy matters and the cost matters.Remove the commute, and the idea of being in the office five days a week feels very different.
Two years ago, I do not think we would have seen 31% choose five days in the office, even with the condition of being local. Hybrid would have dominated almost entirely. What we are seeing now is a shift. Hybrid is still the preference for most but there is a meaningful group of candidates who are open to office based roles when they align with their lifestyle. That is important.
Most hiring strategies still centre around hybrid working which makes sense however what I am seeing and hearing is that location is becoming just as important. If your role is based close to where your talent lives, you may attract candidates who would not consider a similar role with a long commute, even if it is 5 days in the office. If your role requires significant travel, even hybrid may not solve the problem.
This is particularly relevant for businesses in North County Dublin and surrounding areas. There is strong local talent available and many are more open to office based roles than we might assume, if the role fits their day to day life.
Instead of asking, should we offer hybrid?
It may be more useful to ask, where is our talent based, and how far are they travelling? This really is a driver for many candidates.
Hybrid is still important of course but it is not the main driver anymore.The commute is playing a much bigger role in candidate decisions than we sometimes acknowledge which will give local employers an advantage once they position their vacancies correctly.
About the author
Hi! I’m Vanessa. I am the founder of Talent Choice, your local commercial office recruitment partner.
My approach is personal, consultative and always grounded in what the market is actually doing. I speak to candidates and hiring managers every day, so my insights reflect real conversations, not just trends.
I work closely with SME businesses in North County Dublin and surrounding areas helping them hire the right talent across finance & accounting, HR, marketing and administration in a competitive space.
I can be contacted directly through my linkedin DM's or vanessa@talentchoice.ie
