Remote and Hybrid Work are Best for Mental Health According to New Workplace Insights Survey

By Heather Nezich, courtesy of SBAM-approved partner ASE

According to FlexJobs’ 2023 Work Insights Survey of over 5,600 people, 96% of workers believe a remote or hybrid work arrangement is best for their mental health. Only 4% of workers thought being in an office full-time is best for their mental health. A decreased stress level was the top reported health benefit of remote work.

“Whether it’s due to reduced commuting stress, improved sleep, healthier eating, or decreased anxiety, workers clearly believe that remote work has an overall positive impact on their mental health,” said Sara Sutton, Founder and CEO of FlexJobs.

About the Survey
FlexJobs’ survey, which ran between May 3 and May 21, 2023, explored professionals’ perspectives on pressing workplace topics they’re currently facing in the shifting job landscape, including:

• Mental health
  • Work arrangements
  • Commuting stress
  • Top health benefits
• Pay transparency
• Remote work
  • Career outlook and optimism
  • Career progression
  • Collaboration
  • Challenges

Mental Health

When it comes to mental health, participating employees report the following:

Working arrangements:

• 96% of workers think that remote or hybrid work would be the best working arrangement for their mental health
• 56% said having a job with remote work options has improved or would “definitely” improve their mental health

More specifically:

• 47% said remote-only, completely working from home would be best for their mental health
• 24% said hybrid, mostly remote, with occasional in-office work would be best
• 17% said hybrid, remote with 2-3 days in the office would be best
• 8% said hybrid, mostly in-office, with occasional remote work time would be best
• 4% said in the office full-time, not working remotely at all would be best

Commuting Stress:

• 87% of workers say commuting impacts their stress levels to some degree, with over half (58%) specifying that commuting has either an enormous impact or it impacts them a lot.

Specifically:

• 29% said it has an enormous impact on their stress levels
• 29% said it impacts stress levels a lot
• 29% said it impacts stress levels a little bit
• 13% said it has no impact

Top Health Benefits:

• 48% of respondents said “decreased stress level” is the top health benefit from remote work.

Additional incites include:

• Less burnout (36%)
• Healthier food choices (35%)
• Reduced anxiety and depression (34%)
• Improved overall mental health (33%)
• Improved sleep (32%)
• Increased exercise (30%)
• Improved overall physical health (28%)
• Improved personal relationships (23%)

Pay Transparency

When it comes to pay transparency, participating employees report the following:

• 79% of people think that employers should be required by law to include salary in job postings. 11 percent said no, and 10% weren’t sure.
• 1 in 5 (20%) said they refuse to apply to jobs when the salary isn’t listed.
• 52% would only apply to a job without the salary listed if it was a “really great” job.

Career Outlook and Optimism

When it comes to career outlook and optimism, participating employees report the following:

• 44% say they are more optimistic about their career prospects today compared to this time last year.
• 33% are more pessimistic about their career prospects compared to last year.
• The remaining 23% said there was no change.

Remote Work

When it comes to remote work, participating employees report the following:

Ideal Work Arrangement:

• 95% of workers want some form of remote or hybrid work.
• 54% want to work from home full-time.
• 41% say hybrid is ideal.
• 5% would prefer full-time office work.

Career Progression:

• Nearly one-third think a remote or hybrid job positively impacts career growth.
• 30% say that having a remote or hybrid job has a positive impact on their career progression.
• 28% say it has no impact.
• 20% say it has a negative impact.
• 22% weren’t sure.

Collaboration:

• 36% think collaboration suffers in a remote environment.
• 33% don’t think it has an impact.
• 19% think collaboration improves in a remote environment.
• 12% weren’t sure. Men are more likely to think collaboration suffers in a remote environment, with 41% claiming the negative impact vs 34% of women who say the same.

Challenges:

The top challenges for remote workers are not related to productivity, but rather overworking and not leaving the house enough. The biggest struggles as a remote or hybrid worker cited by respondents include:

• Not getting out of the house often enough (28%)
• Overworking or working more (28%)
• Working across different time zones (19%)
• Developing strong relationships with co-workers (19%)
• Troubleshooting technology problems (18%)
• Dealing with non-work distractions (17%)
• Being “invisible” to their boss (16%)

Source: CCH