Two years after the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ripple effects on workplace norms, hiring strategies, and employee expectations continue to evolve—particularly for mid-sized companies in North America. While large corporations made headlines for massive layoffs, sweeping return-to-office mandates, or sprawling global hiring campaigns, mid-sized companies (generally defined as those with 100 to 999 employees) have had to adopt a more measured, often more nuanced, approach.

Straddling the line between the agility of startups and the resources of enterprises, mid-sized firms have become a bellwether for broader labor market trends. In 2025, how are these organizations attracting and retaining talent? Are they continuing with remote or hybrid work? What has changed about how they hire, and what are candidates now demanding?

Let’s take a deeper look.

Hybrid Work: The New Default

Before 2020, remote work was a niche benefit, largely restricted to certain tech-forward companies or senior roles. Today, it’s a foundational element of the workplace, especially for mid-sized companies in the U.S. and Canada. But as the dust from the pandemic settles, hybrid work has emerged as the most sustainable and widely adopted model.

Hybrid is Here to Stay

According to data from Robert Half Canada, nearly three in ten job postings in Q1 2025 offer hybrid arrangements. Fully remote jobs account for an additional 12%, while the remainder reflect a return to predominantly in-office work. This represents a significant shift from pre-pandemic norms, when in-office jobs comprised more than 80% of all openings.

In the U.S., Pew Research Center reports that 41% of workers with remote-capable jobs are now on hybrid schedules. Another 35% work remotely full-time, suggesting that the demand for flexibility hasn’t waned since the height of the pandemic.

Mid-sized firms often view hybrid work as a way to meet talent expectations without sacrificing in-person collaboration. It also gives them a recruiting edge over larger firms with stricter in-office mandates.

“We’ve landed engineers from big firms simply because we offer flexibility,” said a hiring manager at a Toronto-based software company. “People want to work where their time and trust are respected.”

Hiring in a Distributed World

The way companies conduct interviews and onboard talent has also transformed. Remote interviewing—once a makeshift solution during lockdowns—is now a permanent part of most companies’ hiring toolkit.

Virtual Interviewing as the New Norm

From initial screenings to final-round interviews, video calls have replaced in-person visits for many roles, especially technical and administrative positions. Not only does this reduce the time-to-hire, but it also expands access to talent outside the company’s immediate geography.

“Interviewing over Zoom is standard now,” said Stephanie Reilly, HR lead at a mid-sized digital agency in Chicago. “In fact, most of our top candidates in the last year weren’t even in the same time zone.”

The pivot to remote interviews has also introduced a new challenge: building culture and connection through a screen. To address this, companies are extending virtual hiring processes with remote onboarding kits, video intros from team members, and early virtual mentorship sessions.

The Rise of Contract Work and Worker Preferences

Perhaps one of the most profound labor shifts post-COVID is the rise in contract work, and mid-sized companies are both adapting to and benefiting from it.

Candidates Are Choosing Flexibility

More workers, especially those with in-demand tech and digital skills, are opting for freelance, contract, or project-based roles over traditional employment. In a 2024 survey by A.Team, 66% of knowledge workers said they feel less secure committing to one employer post-layoffs, and 62% prefer contract roles that offer flexibility and project variety.

Mid-sized companies have taken note. While they may not be able to compete with enterprise-level salaries or stock options, they can offer autonomy, meaningful work, and shorter contract cycles—often exactly what top candidates are seeking.

“We’re seeing more people, especially Gen Z and Millennial professionals, prioritize flexible contracts over job titles,” noted a hiring executive at a Vancouver fintech startup.

EORs and Staffing Partners Fill the Gaps

To streamline compliance and manage contract workers—especially international ones—many mid-sized companies are partnering with Employers of Record (EORs). These firms handle payroll, tax compliance, and legal risk on behalf of the hiring company, enabling fast access to a global talent pool without the administrative overhead.

Pre-COVID vs. Post-COVID Hiring: What’s Changed?

To understand how deeply the hiring landscape has shifted, it helps to contrast today’s practices with those of just five years ago:

Statements from Companies on Workplace Models

Many companies have publicly shared their evolving workplace strategies:

• Shopify (Canada): CEO Tobi Lütke declared in 2022 that the company was becoming “digital by default,” signaling a long-term commitment to remote-first work. The company has since downsized office space and invested in asynchronous collaboration tools.
  
• Atlassian (U.S.): Maintains a remote-first approach, with co-founder Scott Farquhar stating that employees “can work from wherever they do their best thinking.”
  
• Corpay (U.S.): Has reintroduced a part-time office requirement, asking employees near Atlanta headquarters to work in person at least three days per week. This marks a shift from its earlier work-from-anywhere model, signaling a growing emphasis on hybrid presence.
  

Final Thoughts: Building Forward, Not Backward

For mid-sized companies in North America, the lessons of the pandemic aren’t being discarded—they’re being institutionalized. Remote interviews, hybrid schedules, and flexible work models are no longer temporary fixes. They’re the infrastructure of modern hiring.

At the same time, the balance of power between employer and employee is in flux. Workers are demanding autonomy, and companies are learning to meet them halfway—through hybrid work, contract flexibility, and more human-centric hiring practices.

In this environment, the companies that succeed won’t just be the ones with the best tools or highest offers. They’ll be the ones that can evolve—balancing structure with flexibility, trust with accountability, and tradition with transformation.