How Remote Work Affects Employee Survey Results

All is not well in fully-remote OR fully in-office work. While new Gallup research reveals that fully remote workers are more engaged than even hybrid workers (and fully on-site workers are the least engaged - a slap in the face of RTO), they aren't thriving the most - hybrid workers are. It's perhaps no surprise (to all but some CEO's and managers) that fully on-site workers are thriving the least. Interestingly, hybrid workers experience the most stress (just a hair more than fully remote), and disturbingly, fully remote workers are more likely to experience anger, sadness, and loneliness - by a decent margin. Gallup believes that physical distance can create mental distance and that work becomes "just work" without deeper connections with coworkers that can be more easily formed from spending time together in person. They also think that it's the autonomy that comes with remote work which can create stress and lead to the negative emotions mentioned above. I think these are very interesting findings, and I would like to believe that most companies would take the time to reflect on them and take appropriate action. Here's what I think companies can do: 1. Address the emotional well-being of remote workers with regular check-ins, mental health resources, and virtual social activities to combat isolation. 2. Optimize hybrid work environments by creating create clear boundaries between work and home life, help their workers manage workloads effectively, and ensure hybrid workers aren't overcompensating with longer hours. 3. Explore the advantages of remote work, seek to understand what drives the higher engagement and apply these lessons across all work arrangements. 4. Given that each work arrangement faces different challenges, develop tailored well-being strategies for each work type. A one-size-fits-all approach isn't the way to go. 5. Ensure that remote workers have career development opportunities, opportunities to develop meaningful social connections, and achieve work-life balance to close the thriving gap. 6. For companies that are (or are considering moving to) fully in-office work, reconsider hybrid and/or remote work for the clear benefits. I know - wishful thinking, especially for #6. Here's the full Gallup report: https://lnkd.in/ezQB4K5q #WellBeing #EmployeeEngagement #WorkLifeBalance #FutureOfWork #RTO

Gallup’s new State of the Global Workplace: 2024 Report finds that globally, one in five employees say they felt lonely a lot of the previous day. Social isolation and chronic loneliness have devastating effects on physical and mental health. The risk of mortality among people who lack community and social ties is two times greater than that of people who have many social contacts. These differences are independent of physical health, socioeconomic status and health practices. In general, loneliness levels are lower among working adults than the global average, indicating that being part of a work community is beneficial to people’s social wellbeing.   Notably, fully remote employees report significantly higher levels of loneliness (25%) than those who work fully on-site (16%), showing that time together working in-person helps people feel more connected. Learn more about employees’ experiences in 2023 by downloading the report.  https://lnkd.in/eaUkK8YZ

A new study finds that although fully remote workers report higher engagement, they are less likely to be thriving in their lives overall (36%) than hybrid workers (42%) and on-site remote-capable workers (42%). This finding suggests that while fully remote workers may feel more engaged with their day-to-day tasks, the lack of in-person interaction and separation between work and personal life could be negatively impacting their overall well-being. The lower percentage of fully remote workers who report “thriving” compared to their hybrid and on-site counterparts implies that engagement alone isn't enough to support holistic life satisfaction. It underscores the importance of social connection, routine, and perhaps physical boundaries between work and home, factors more naturally integrated into hybrid and on-site models. For HR, this highlights the need to address not just productivity and engagement but also the broader well-being of remote employees through intentional support structures, community-building efforts, and mental health resources. https://lnkd.in/e--M5riJ