New Study Finds Remote Workers Are Happier and More Productive

Conducted by researchers at the Leeds School of Business, the survey also found no significant evidence that remote workers felt less connected to their colleagues or workplace culture, challenging a common criticism of flexible work.

"This suggests you let people work remotely if they want to work remotely," said Stefanie Johnson, professor of organizational leadership and information analytics at the Leeds School of Business and co-author of the study. "Taking away people's choice of how they work is probably not going to help them in terms of their well-being."

The researchers also examined employee turnover one year after the survey and found that employees with higher well-being were less likely to leave the organization. Remote work was associated with higher well-being, which in turn was associated with lower turnover, showing that work location cannot be a strong direct predictor of turnover.

"The data from our study and others suggest remote and hybrid work result in better outcomes than return-to-office mandates," Johnson added. "Leaders are not making decisions based on data. I think they are just returning to what they are used to."

The findings add to a long-running debate over remote work that has intensified since the COVID-19 pandemic. While office-based work has some benefits, employees have increasingly expressed a preference for flexible arrangements. Some major companies, including Amazon, Dell, and Tesla, have adopted five-day office mandates, while others have imposed four- or three-day requirements.