An internal email sent last week by Wix President Nir Zohar, announcing a return to five-day office work, has ignited a firestorm in Israel’s high-tech industry—rivaled perhaps only by the backlash over Intel’s decision to cancel free coffee at the end of 2024 (for the record, the coffee made a swift return after online uproar). LinkedIn quickly filled with posts both supporting and opposing the move, while hybrid-friendly companies rushed to advertise their flexible policies to attract talent seeking even one or two work-from-home days a week.
Wix’s directive, set to bring its 3,000 employees back to the office full-time starting in February, aligns with a global trend led by tech giants like Amazon and Dell. In Wix’s case, the return had been delayed due to the war in Israel. Zohar explained the shift as a response to the rapid changes driven by artificial intelligence: “We need to move fast and keep growing—and the best way to do that is together,” he wrote.
Hybrid still pays off
While many companies, including Wix, justify the return as a move to boost productivity, recent studies suggest hybrid work may actually be more effective. A 2024 study from the University of Pittsburgh analyzing S&P 500 firms found that returning employees to the office had no positive impact on financial performance or company value. Researchers Mark Ma and Yuye Ding concluded that such mandates often lead to a drop in employee satisfaction and trust in leadership—suggesting that the real motivation may be executives seeking control or scapegoats for underperformance.
Supporting this, a major study by Microsoft, published in Nature Human Behaviour, tracked 60,000 employees and found that remote work led to a 10% increase in weekly working hours, partly due to the elimination of commuting time.
The costs of rigid office mandates go beyond morale, disproportionately affecting women. Data shows that in workplaces requiring five-day office attendance, female turnover is three times higher than among men—especially among mothers of young children, who are often forced to leave the workforce or settle for lower-paying, more flexible jobs. The University of Pittsburgh study quantified this, finding a 14% rise in resignations following a return-to-office announcement, with women and senior staff most affected.
AI as an opportunity for flexibility
Wix’s move doesn’t signal the end of hybrid work. On the contrary, AI may be accelerating flexibility. “Public discourse tends to frame these organizational shifts as a ‘return to the office,’ but most companies are not canceling flexibility—they’re formalizing hybrid models,” says Inbal Namir, managing director at Deloitte and head of its Future of Work practice.
Today’s common model includes one to two remote workdays a week alongside regular office presence, with clearer guidelines on eligible roles, remote days and fair implementation. Namir emphasizes that flexibility is not merely a perk but a management tool enabling stability, coordination and clear expectations.
“At the same time, the entry of artificial intelligence into organizations is beginning to generate a deep shift in the nature of job roles themselves—automating tasks, increasing productivity, and reducing workloads. These efficiency processes allow organizations not only financial savings, but also space to improve employment conditions," she also notes.
Back to the office, but not all the way
Despite the push, there’s no sweeping trend of companies enforcing full-time office work. “This is a continuation of a trend we’ve been observing for about a year—companies encouraging more days in the office,” says Sarit Itzhakov, CEO of Colliers Israel and an expert on the office market. She estimates that around 70% of Israeli companies are nudging employees toward increased in-office presence. The high-tech and defense sectors are leading, she adds, with a shift toward 3–4 days in the office, followed by major banks and insurance firms.
Globally, many companies have adopted structured hybrid models that preserve flexibility. According to JLL’s Workforce Preference Barometer 2025—based on responses from 8,700 workers in 31 countries—66% of organizations have adopted hybrid setups with clear expectations, often specifying which days are remote. Flexibility, defined as control over time (not just location), was ranked even more important than salary. A full 65% of employees prioritized work-life balance over pay (56%) as the most important factor in workplace satisfaction.
Finance sector remains rigid; Telecom and tech more flexible
While workers increasingly seek flexibility, Israel’s financial sector has largely retained its pre-2020 stance. The country’s major banks—Hapoalim, Leumi and Discount—allow just one remote workday per week, while Mizrahi Tefahot and Bank of Jerusalem require full office attendance. Insurance companies Clal, Migdal, and Harel offer one day from home. Credit card companies Isracard and Cal allow one remote day, while Max permits two—but not on Sundays or Thursdays.
Most telecom companies now allow at least one remote day. At Bezeq, HQ staff coordinate one remote day weekly; IT workers get two; call center staff have flexible arrangements, with some working remotely more often. Pelephone and Yes allow two remote days per week. Cellcom recently formalized its policy: most HQ teams work remotely on Wednesdays, while the IT department works from home on Mondays and Wednesdays—except during major holidays and company breaks. HOT employees work from home one day a week.
Wix isn’t the norm—yet
Wix’s announcement triggered widespread concern that other companies might follow. So far, most remain committed to hybrid models in varying formats.
Intel, with 10,000 employees in Israel, allows one remote day per week, with broader flexibility for some roles. Microsoft, with 3,000 employees, hasn’t changed its flexible, hybrid model since 2020. Amdocs (4,000 employees) and Monday.com (1,300 employees) both require three office days.
At Gong, which employs 500 people in Israel, employees come in three days a week. “Coming into the office is essential for preserving our company culture, encouraging spontaneous brainstorming, and strengthening relationships,” says Moran Perelman, Israel GM at Gong. “At the same time, our model offers employees flexibility and autonomy to better balance work and personal life.”
First published: 08:58, 01.13.26