Did experts get work from home wrong?
Fresh doubts are casting a shadow over return-to-office mandates. A research team in the United States believes it’s time to overturn assumptions about remote jobs. According to findings published in ‘Frontiers of Psychology’(opens in new window), fully remote workers reported the highest happiness, whereas fully onsite workers reported the lowest. They also showed no strong sign that remote arrangements weakened colleague ties or workplace culture.
Unpacking new remote work evidence
“This suggests you let people work remotely if they want to work remotely,” commented co-author Stefanie Johnson, professor of organisational leadership and information analytics at the University of Colorado Boulder, in a news item(opens in new window). “Taking away people’s choice of how they work is probably not going to help them in terms of their well-being.” Analysing over 7 700 workers at a large healthcare organisation, the researchers compared remote (1 869), hybrid (2 099) and onsite (3 736) personnel. They measured five dimensions of well-being – physical, mental, emotional, social and financial – and compared them with subsequent employee turnover rates. The respondents were asked to describe their workplace culture in just a few words. Remote staff were slightly more inclined than their hybrid and onsite counterparts to use terms linked to teamwork, inclusion and support. Well-being was highest among fully remote workers and lowest among traditional onsite staff. A year after the survey, workers with greater well-being showed a lower chance of leaving the organisation. “The data from our study and others suggest remote and hybrid work result in better outcomes than return-to-office mandates,” explained Johnson. “Leaders are not making decisions based on data. I think they are just returning to what they are used to.”
The changing science of working from home
The results surprised her. “I actually thought you would be happiest if you were part time out of the office. Then every once in a while you get to see people, get that human connection.” However, Johnson noted that in-person contact remains vital for fostering co-worker relationships, particularly for professionals early in their careers. “Remote works better after you know people. So there is still a benefit of having some face time.” The researchers didn’t examine the reasons behind the higher well-being reported by remote workers, but they noted that broader research highlights the impact of autonomy and flexibility. Greater autonomy regarding daily schedules and work settings for remote employees is one explanation. “If you have control over your environment, you tend to have more positive outcomes,” stated Johnson. She added that operating remotely also helps to remove many daily pressures. “Spending a lot of time in traffic is negatively related to well-being. There are so many little stressors associated with being in the office.” Examples include setting up childcare, arranging pet assistance, and navigating travel to and from the workplace. According to Johnson, the findings deliver a broader takeaway for employers grappling with return-to-office mandates. Focusing on employee well-being rather than just where work gets done can help companies achieve better results. “I think flexibility is here to stay,” she concluded.
