Of all points of contention about the workplace, hybrid working divides opinion like no other.
Indeed, according to recent data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), 28% of working adults in Great Britain combined in-office and remote work between January and March 2025 – with this number having steadily risen since March 2022.
However, following a survey of more than 500 businesses, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) found this trend is ‘by no means a uniform picture.’
The BCC policy director, Jane Gratton, added:
“[While] around two-thirds of business-to-business service firms continue to operate hybrid models, they do not suit everyone and, for some firms, a full on-site model may be the best solution for the business.”
Why portability vs performance is now a strategic choice
When it comes to selecting the most suitable technology, it’s not quite as simple as choosing the most powerful option.
For many businesses and individuals, this decision must be made strategically – weighing up device performance and portability with how their teams work.
That trade-off becomes particularly clear for employees with long commutes – something we’ve seen first-hand when Lease Loop has worked with organisations where team members split their time between home and offices hundreds of miles apart.
In one case, an employee living in Brighton and commuting to an office in Liverpool found their existing 2.3kg laptop difficult to carry due to a shoulder injury.
We helped them to switch to a lighter device weighing 1.3kg which transformed their ability to work comfortably while travelling.
Not only was the lighter laptop physically easier to transport from their home to the office, but the employee could also utilise the train’s fold-down tray table, boosting productivity when travelling between locations.
This is the same for many other hybrid working businesses when it comes to deciding between the devices available through our Apple leasing solutions, such as the 16” MacBook Pro vs the 14” MacBook Pro.
The 16” device with its larger chassis provides greater internal cooling meaning that if you you’re your Mac to its extreme it will perform better than its 14” counterpart. The 14” is designed to thermal throttle itself help to reduce the risk of overheating during intensive tasks. However, the 14” alternative, on the other hand, offers excellent portability and is lighter and more compact for frequent travel.
In many cases, deciding between the two comes down to just how much time the individual spends travelling.
For hybrid workers who spend most of their week at home, the larger MacBook Pro is often a more suitable device, while the 14” comes in handy for those who end up in the office most days.
However, there’s no single ‘best’ option.
What really makes the difference is understanding how each employee works, their tech performance requirements, and providing them with a solution that complements their specific working patterns.
One company that has successfully implemented this approach is FANZO – a digital platform that brings fans together to create unforgettable sporting memories in the best physical locations around the world.
Commenting on their hybrid model, FANZO’s CFO, Robert Stewart said:
“We are a global business, operating in multiple countries (Australia, France, Ireland, USA), but we are headquartered in London. Our UK team is a blend of fully remote staff (from Manchester to Cornwall), hybrid workers (on a weekly or monthly basis), and those based in the office full time.
“Pre-COVID, we were in the office full-time but this hybrid approach works for us because it means we can have a central hub of operations, getting the team together when needed, and still support those who are in the office more regularly – helping to maintain our valuable company culture.
Robert believes that leasing their tech makes sense for the business, citing both operational efficiency and a better tech experience, adding:
“As a Mac company, we lease our computers from Lease Loop, and first started leasing computers back in 2017. The beauty of the relationship is that it allows us to avoid large upfront expenses, better manage cash flow, and tailor the approach depending on the team.
“Our sales, marketing and operational staff need less advanced machines and generally have a three-year life cycle, whereas our engineering teams have more advanced machines that we cycle every two years.”
What technology do hybrid workers want?
Pre-COVID, the majority of workers were spending most of their time at the office – focusing on reliability and practical capability of the tech they were using to get the job done.
Now, with hybrid working rising in Great Britain, employee expectations are changing too.
Instead of focusing purely on device capability and reliability, employees are increasingly looking for efficiency, security, user comfort, and high-quality hardware that reduces frustration when working away from the office.
At Lease Loop, we’ve seen this shift in employee expectations reflected in Apple’s evolving product line and changing demand from our customers.
Coinciding with the lifting of many COVID-19 travel restrictions, this started with the discontinuation of the all-in-one 27” desktop iMac in March 2022 in favour of more compact 24” iMac models and modular setups featuring the Mac Studio and Mac Mini.
While the Mac Mini and Studio are desktop computers, they’re far more compact and lightweight (0.67kg and 2.74kg, respectively) compared to the traditional towers, making them far easier to transport when users are dividing their time between the home and office.
Unlike the portable MacBooks, however, they lack the built-in display, keyboard, and mouse – meaning they can’t be used on-the-go and setups are required at both ends.
Driven by convenience and the ability to work while commuting, we’ve seen the demand for MacBooks – both the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro – soar.
Not ready to give up your desktop setup?
Yes, MacBooks offer brilliant performance, portability, and convenience, but if your hybrid working employees aren’t willing to part with their desktop setup, what are your options?
Whether you run a video editing company or high-end graphic design agency, your staff is likely to require more screen real estate, higher-quality performance, and a comfortable working environment that closely mirrors a traditional desktop setup.
Increasingly, Lease Loop is receiving more enquiries from businesses interested in equipping their employees with a hybrid desktop-style setup built around a portable device, like the 16” MacBook Pro.
With a single Thunderbolt cable, this device can be paired with an external display (either from Apple or a third-party alternative), wireless keyboard, and wireless mouse at both locations.
As a result, employees can spend hours comfortably working at their desk but still have the freedom to move effortlessly between spaces when required.
While MacBook Pro users still need an external display, keyboard, and mouse to replicate their setup elsewhere, a laptop-centric configuration makes mobility simpler and has the added benefit of supporting on-the-go working.
Is hybrid working here to stay?
While ONS data shows that hybrid working is rising and the default arrangement for many organisations in Great Britain, many other businesses have doubled down on encouraging staff to return to the office.
Whether this push is driven by cultural beliefs or practical reasons, such as the cost of renting and running an office, the future of hybrid working is being shaped more by individual company needs, budgets, and culture – rather than a passing trend.
A real-world example that illustrates this point perfectly is the purpose-driven creative agency, NOSY.
Their eight-year journey has seen it go from exclusively office-based to fully remote during the pandemic to finally settle on a hybrid model that feels “just right”.
Looking back on this journey, Founder of NOSY, Matt Greg, explains:
“We found that while fully remote work offered freedom, our culture and creative collaboration began to suffer... spontaneity is hard to schedule on a video call.
Conversely, when we tried co-working spaces, we missed having a space that felt distinctly 'ours'.
“We realised we needed a central base that carried our DNA, but without the rigid requirement of being there 9-to-5 every day.”
Now, NOSY fully embraces and feels the benefits of hybrid working.
“For us, the office has become a hub for energy, meetings and creative collaboration. Which is all stuff that drives creative work. Home is where the ‘deep work’ happens. Hybrid allows our team to oscillate between these two modes.
“If a colleague needs to put their head down and focus, they stay home; if they need to brainstorm or absorb the team energy, they come in.”
When asked whether he thinks hybrid working is here to stay, Matt responded:
“I believe hybrid is here to stay because it has evolved from a perk into an inclusion strategy. Our team has diverse needs regarding parenting, personal commitments and working patterns.
“Hybrid allows us to honour those life requirements without sacrificing professional ambition. Adults should be treated like adults. Which means giving them the autonomy to choose the environment where they will be most effective that day.”
Lease Loop’s view
Pre-COVID, delivering a bundle of Macs to a city centre office address was typical for Lease Loop, but those days have long gone.
Now, we have many clients who work either fully remote or on a hybrid basis, and we’ve adjusted our approach accordingly.
With regards to hybrid working and the tech experience, it’s worth noting that there are continued rumours of an iMac Pro return in late 2026 (an updated version of the permanent, high-performance device that was discontinued in March 2021).
This move may be in response to the growing number of companies, especially larger firms, mandating employees return to the office full-time.
With the promise of this new, powerful device at their desk, more professionals may be incentivised to accept an office-based role.
Far from signalling the end of hybrid working, what we’re really seeing is a more nuanced future, with some businesses resorting to office-based models and permanent desktop setups, and others embracing the flexibility of hybrid working and either fully portable or hybrid setups.
In short, what matters most is not which model is chosen or how long you stick to that arrangement, but how well technology supports the way your team really works.
For example, if somebody works in the office three days of the week and they place an order for one of our leased devices on a Wednesday, we’ll ensure a smooth delivery to the location where they’ll be working on that specific day.
Working alongside our funders (as delivery to home addresses requires proof of address), we’ve supplied high-quality tech to teams of more than 50 individuals who are fully remote, delivering to 50 different home addresses.
Likewise, if a device requires repairs, we’re able to collect the faulty machine from any employee address and exchange it for a temporary loan machine, minimising downtime and disruption to your operations.
Flexible and affordable leasing for all working arrangements
At Lease Loop, our leasing solutions include a wide range of powerful and reliable Apple products well-suited to all kinds of work models – regardless of whether your team is fully remote, hybrid, or always at their office desks.
We’ll take the time to learn more about how your team works and your budget, allowing us to suggest the most suitable Apple devices and setups.
To learn more about our leasing solutions (and the many benefits that come with them – including 24/7 AppleCare and a three-year hardware warranty), simply give us a call today on 01952876928.
We also welcome enquiries submitted via:
Email: sales@leaseloop.co
Online: contact form