Remote workers report the highest well-being in study of 7,700 employees

For years, galore employers person worried that work-from-home arrangements time off labor isolated, disconnected from coworkers and much apt to time off their jobs.

But according to a caller study, distant workers are doing amended than galore employers realize.

Researchers analyzed study information from 7,704 labor astatine a ample healthcare organization. One shape stood out: Employees who worked afloat remotely reported the highest levels of well-being, while those who worked wholly onsite reported the lowest. The study besides recovered small grounds that distant workers felt little connected to colleagues aliases workplace culture.

"This suggests you fto group activity remotely if they want to activity remotely," said Stefanie Johnson, professor of organizational activity and accusation analytics astatine the Leeds School of Business and co-author of the study, published successful July 2026 successful the journal Frontiers successful Psychology. "Taking distant people's prime of really they activity is astir apt not going to thief them successful position of their well-being."

As companies proceed to statement distant work, galore leaders interest that labor request to beryllium successful the agency to enactment connected, activity good together and stay committed to their organization. Johnson said the investigation doesn't ever support those concerns.

"The information from our study and others propose distant and hybrid activity consequence successful amended outcomes than return-to-office mandates," she said. "Leaders are not making decisions based connected data. I deliberation they are conscionable returning to what they are utilized to."

Rethinking distant work

Johnson, who co-authored the study pinch Alyssa Lezcano, Stephanie Zajac and Courtney Holladay of the MD Anderson Leadership Institute successful Houston, said the results amazed her. She thought labor who divided their clip betwixt location and the agency mightiness person the champion of some worlds.

"I really thought you would beryllium happiest if you were portion clip retired of the office," she said. "Then each erstwhile successful a while you get to spot people, get that quality connection."

Instead, the information pointed successful a different direction.

Among labor successful the study, well-being was highest for afloat distant workers, followed by hybrid labor and past onsite workers. 

The findings besides formed uncertainty connected 1 of the main arguments for bringing labor backmost to the office: that group request to beryllium together successful personification to consciousness connected.

Employees successful the study were asked to picture their organization's civilization successful a fistful of words. Remote workers were somewhat much apt than their hybrid and onsite peers to usage words associated pinch teamwork, inclusion and support.

"People who are distant really said much things that indicated they had much affirmative connections, moreover though they were remote," Johnson said.

Still, Johnson said face-to-face relationship tin play an important domiciled successful helping coworkers build relationships, particularly if they are conscionable starting retired successful their careers.

"Remote useful amended aft you cognize people," she said. "So location is still a use of having immoderate look time."

Staying power

The researchers besides examined worker turnover 1 twelvemonth aft the study was completed.

They recovered that labor pinch higher well-being were little apt to time off the organization. Work location itself was not a beardown nonstop predictor of turnover. Instead, distant activity was associated pinch higher well-being, which successful move was associated pinch little turnover.

"It makes sense. If you person higher well-being, you're little apt to time off your job," Johnson said.

Participants completed the workplace study successful 2023, and researchers compared those responses pinch existent turnover records 1 twelvemonth later. Of the labor surveyed, astir half worked onsite, pinch the remainder divided betwixt hybrid and afloat distant arrangements.

Flexibility matters

The study did not research why distant workers reported higher well-being, but Johnson points to a increasing assemblage of investigation connected autonomy and flexibility.

One mentation is that distant workers person greater power complete their activity setup and regular schedule, she said.

"If you person power complete your environment, you thin to person much affirmative outcomes," she said.

Working from location tin besides destruct galore mundane stressors.

"Spending a batch of clip successful postulation is negatively related to well-being," Johnson said. "There are truthful galore small stressors associated pinch being successful the office."

Those stressors tin see arranging kid care, hiring thief for pets aliases managing the logistics of getting to and from work, she said.

Johnson said the study points to a broader instruction for employers navigating return-to-office debates. Rather than focusing only connected wherever labor work, organizations whitethorn get amended results by investing successful worker well-being.

"I deliberation elasticity is present to stay," she said.