Stop Calling HYBRID Jobs REMOTE in the U.S.!

This post is for recruiters, hiring teams, and anyone that cares about candidate experience and employer brand. If you care about complying with state laws, this is for you too.

The Importance of Accurate Job Descriptions

Far too many companies are advertising roles as remote when they’re actually hybrid—and it’s not just misleading; it’s a red flag.

What in the world are they thinking? If your “remote” role includes “required office collaboration 1–4 days a week,” guess what? That is hybrid. If your "remote" roles require in-office hours at all—they are not remote.

Understanding Job Types

Here’s a quick breakdown, because WORDS MATTER:

• Onsite = Employees work at the office when they work.

• Remote = Employees work from anywhere, with no regular requirement to be onsite. Could be contained to specific geographical area(s).

• Hybrid = Employees split their working time between onsite-office and home-office. Often on a set schedule or as-needed depending on employer.

  
  

This kind of mislabeling isn’t just frustrating for job seekers—it usually comes with an additional pattern: a lack of transparency. And most often, where it matters most—outside of job duties and expectations. Namely, compensation information.

The Transparency Issue

Companies that blur the line between HYBRID and REMOTE are often the same companies that “forget” to include pay ranges in job postings—even in states like California, Colorado, New York, and Washington, where salary transparency is the law.

Many companies that actually are REMOTE are also forgetting that in the U.S., more than a dozen states have pay transparency laws in place today. Massachusetts is the next U.S. state that's passed pay transparency laws that go into effect on October 29, 2025.

• Honesty in job ads = respect for candidates' time

• Clarity on work location = informed decisions

• Pay transparency = basic compliance + trust

  
  

Let’s normalize calling this out amongst our peers. Job seekers are having a tough enough time as it is finding and landing work. As recruiters and leaders, we must push back on this type of bait-n-switch behavior.

Let’s push for better.

The Ripple Effect of Misleading Job Ads

Have you seen this trend snowballing?

If you're a recruiter, hiring manager, or someone responsible for making the decision(s) on how jobs are posted, and you or your team is actively posting HYBRID jobs as REMOTE jobs, WHY?

What is the strategy on this from your point of view?

I'd truly love to talk to you.

What am I missing on this?

Make it make sense for me and the 1.6 million white-collar professionals experiencing long-term unemployment. Most people are just trying to navigate the job search landscape of 2025.

Crafting Effective Job Postings

Next time you post a job vacancy or new role, make sure to be strategic about it from an impact perspective—how it impacts your hiring team's efficiencies and how it attracts the right candidates.

Need an independent audit of a portion or all of your recruitment programming and processes? I am currently taking on long-term, short-term, and project-based clients in the U.S. and Canada.

Conclusion: A Call to Action

Let’s be clear about what we mean when we say “remote.” It’s time to stop the confusion. By being transparent, we respect candidates’ time and help them make informed decisions.

So, what will you do differently in your next job posting? Let’s create a better job search experience together.