The biggest risk is cultural integration failure — new hires not absorbing the informal norms, values, and relational patterns that determine whether they will succeed long-term, because these are transmitted primarily through ambient in-person observation and informal social exchange. In hybrid environments, new hires receive this ambient cultural exposure only on office days. Without deliberate programme design to compensate — daily manager touch-points, peer buddy connection, and structured in-person social opportunities — hybrid new hires take significantly longer to integrate and are at higher risk of early departure.