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Author: Jeannie Assimos
It’s an ongoing debate that plays out every week on LinkedIn. As companies call employees back to the office, a percentage of employees quit or express dissatisfaction after thriving remotely for a long period of time. Then there’s the hybrid debate: is hybrid once a week or twice a week? Four times a week could be called hybrid, but in most people’s eyes it’s clearly not. One thing is certain: the COVID-19 pandemic has permanently changed the landscape for working professionals.
Many companies have fully adopted remote models and have been very successful (Shopify, Airbnb, Microsoft), while others are slowly reverting to pre-COVID policies (Disney, Google, Amazon). Mark Zuckerberg, leader of Meta, who is calling for employees to return to the office, previously weighed in on the debate, saying, “Working from home has been more productive than we expected. Some people thought everything would fall apart, but that didn’t happen.”
But which environments are best for mental health? The folks at Statista wanted to find out, so they surveyed over 5,000 people who work from home, offices, and factories.
Interestingly, Way.com found that remote workers had slightly higher rates of mental health issues (46%) than office workers (39%) and factory workers (42%). When it came to catching a cold, the rates were essentially the same across the three environments.
Gastrointestinal problems were most prevalent among home workers, at 40%, compared to 34% of office and factory workers.
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Health issues aren’t the only thing affecting workers
While these results give a slight edge to in-office work, other studies looking at the happiness of remote and hybrid workers have found that 88% of those surveyed reported being most satisfied with flexible work schedules. An Ergotron survey of 1,000 people found that 56% of hybrid or remote workers reported improved mental health and better work-life balance. Remote workers’ physical health improved by 75% due to a more active work style.
The debate over working from home is not absolute: some people believe it saves them commute time and helps them focus better, while others believe being in the office with others is best for their overall well-being.
Across several studies, the key seems to be summed up in one word: flexibility. Perhaps Virgin Group founder and chairman Richard Branson sums it up best: “We want to give our people the freedom to work wherever they want, with the security of knowing that they have the drive and expertise to perform well, whether that be at their desk or in the kitchen.”
This story It was produced by Way.com Reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media.
