In Kazakhstan, more and more IT companies are reconsidering their work format: hybrid and remote work are becoming the standard, and the office an option rather than a requirement.

According to market representatives, several factors are at play: competition for talent, the growing number of projects with international clients, and changing expectations of employees who have become used to a more flexible schedule and lower commuting costs.

Companies note that the hybrid format is most often chosen as a compromise model: the team gathers in the office for planning, meetings, joint work on complex tasks and communication, and works remotely most of the time. This approach helps maintain engagement and team “cohesion”, while keeping the ability to hire specialists from other cities and regions without being limited to one location.

The fully remote format also continues to expand — especially in studios and teams that work for export and are used to building processes through online tools: task trackers, calls, regulations, documentation and metrics. For them, the office often turns into an “optional” space: for client meetings, internal events, training and rare offline sessions.

The changes are also noticeable in the hiring market. Companies increasingly list hybrid/remote as one of their competitive advantages, since the work format directly affects a candidate’s choice. On the specialists’ side, demand for flexibility is growing: the ability to work from another city, combine work and personal matters, and plan the day without constant commuting. At the same time, employers are tightening requirements for discipline, transparency and communication: in distributed teams it is easier to “drop off the radar”, so regular reporting, clear task statuses and a culture of written communication come to the fore.

Along with this, the approach to management is also changing. In hybrid and remote teams, processes are more often formalized: internal guides, checklists, unified development standards, code review, automated testing and quality control appear. This is done so that the quality of the result does not depend on whether people sit next to each other or are in different cities.

A separate effect is the expansion of team geography. IT companies in Kazakhstan increasingly assemble distributed teams: some specialists are in Almaty and Astana, some in the regions, and some outside the country. This format makes it possible to fill vacancies faster and reduce dependence on the local market, but it requires more mature management processes and a strong role for project management.

As a result, hybrid and remote work are becoming the norm for Kazakhstan’s IT market. Companies continue to keep offices, but increasingly use them as a tool for team communication and culture rather than as a mandatory “workplace on schedule”.