US study finds remote workers report higher wellbeing than on-site staff

A new study conducted in the southwestern United States challenges common assumptions that remote work leads to isolation and weakened professional bonds. Analyzing 7,704 employees from a large healthcare organization, researchers found that fully remote workers reported the highest levels of wellbeing, followed by hybrid workers, while those working entirely on-site reported the lowest.

On a scale where 5 is the highest, fully remote employees scored 4.22, hybrid employees scored 4.12, and on-site employees scored 3.89. These differences were found to be statistically significant. The study measured wellbeing through four workplace-related metrics: organizational concern for health, energy derived from work, administrative support for wellbeing, and work-life balance.

While the study does not prove that remote work directly causes better mental health or prevents turnover, it suggests that flexible work models can support employee happiness by increasing autonomy. Regarding retention, the study noted that after one year, 7.8% of remote workers had left the organization, compared to 8.3% of hybrid workers and 8.8% of on-site workers, though these specific differences in turnover were not statistically significant.