Measuring the impact of hybrid work with WhatPulse
Facing pressure from executives to bring teams back to the office, a Swedish software company used WhatPulse Professional to measure performance differences between on-site and hybrid work. The data revealed hybrid employees were not only as productive, but more focused — reshaping the company's workplace strategy.
The challenge
At this 300-person B2B software company, leadership began pushing for a full return to the office. HR and department heads were concerned: What if our teams were actually more productive with hybrid flexibility?
Tomás Lundqvist, Chief People Officer, had seen positive employee satisfaction scores tied to remote work, but he needed more than sentiment to convince the executive team. The company needed solid data to assess productivity across different work modes.
"We didn't want to base policy on gut feelings or trends. We wanted to see if the numbers supported remote flexibility — or didn't." — Tomás Lundqvist
The solution: On-Site vs Hybrid, Measured by WhatPulse
Tomás led a pilot study using WhatPulse Professional to compare:
- Input activity (keyboard and mouse usage as a proxy for engagement)
- App usage patterns across team roles (e.g. engineers, support, product)
- Time spent in project-specific work, tracked using the WhatPulse Profiles feature
Two employee groups were monitored over a six-week period:
- Group A: On-site full-time (Mon–Fri)
- Group B: Hybrid (2 days in office, 3 days remote)
Engineers were asked to use the Profiles feature to switch between project-based profiles during their workday, giving the company clear visibility into how long they could focus on specific tasks.
All data was anonymized and collected with employee consent.
The analysis
WhatPulse revealed meaningful patterns:
- Hybrid employees averaged 19% more time in primary work apps (IDEs, terminals, documentation tools)
- Input activity levels were consistent between on-site and hybrid teams, showing stable engagement across both modes
- Engineers using Profiles showed longer blocks of uninterrupted project work when remote, compared to shorter, fragmented sessions in-office
- App usage data showed remote days had more time in actual development tools, while in-office days included more use of calendar and communication apps
The outcome
With the support of WhatPulse data, Tomás presented evidence to the executive team. As a result:
- The return-to-office mandate was paused
- A formal hybrid policy (2 office days/week) was adopted
- Teams were allowed to define their own collaboration rhythms
Three months later:
- Attrition dropped among senior technical staff
- Average project time per day (via Profiles) increased by 12%
- Employees reported better work-life balance and focus during remote days
"We didn't just defend hybrid work with opinions. WhatPulse gave us the numbers to make the right call for the business and our people." — Tomás Lundqvist
The takeaway
Workplace strategy decisions should be based on real-world data, not assumptions. WhatPulse Professional gave this organization a reliable, non-intrusive way to:
- ✅ Compare app engagement and input activity between work modes
- ✅ Track time spent on key projects using Profiles
- ✅ Support flexible work policies with real evidence
Ready to measure the impact of your workplace strategy?