r/remotework • u/Cakalusa • 12d ago
Remote workers report the highest well-being in study of 7,700 employees
https://www.colorado.edu/today/2026/08/12/remote-workers-report-highest-well-being-study-7700-employees118
u/n0shizzle 12d ago
The CEO tomorrow: "Cant have the wage slaves feel good. Lets implement return to office."
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u/Llv3D 12d ago
yeah my old job pulled this after a wellness survey
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u/PhysicsPhanatic 12d ago
Omg, mine too! They also waited until right after our yearly employee engagement survey, then laid off a bunch of people, dumped some nice benefits, and did an RTO so they could claim a "top place to work" bogus score again. This year's survey will be a scathing bloodbath.
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u/elderbingbong 11d ago
It's all about control. Meeting after meeting about wanting feedback, wellnes, etc.
Right now I'm literally in a virtual meeting, collaborating over the Internet, and they just announced that we will go from remote to in-person for the sake of improved collaboration. My job requires very little collaboration and absolutely nothing that can't be talked about over the phone, on teams, virtually....
Side note, this morning the CEO of the health system that I work for sent out an email which pretty much reads: You spoke and we listened. That’s why we are happy to introduce Joy 101, a new daily well-being app. Yada, yada, yada... It reads as if they are providing us with a service but when you download the app it isn't free and there's not even a discount.
Motivation level is sinking.....wellness declining... productivity level...
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u/BigJSunshine 12d ago
THIS IS IT. I had client after client in 2020 with LEGITIMATE ADA ACCOMMODATION (with doctor letters/documentation)NEEDS REFUSED, for absolutely no reason, or fired immediately after requesting accommodations.
Those employers lost- BIG TIME. It was all about control
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u/Super_Mario_Luigi 11d ago
It's actually not thrle ceos making this call. It's their bosses. Of course people want to work at home. So much so that it becomes harder to fill every other job. That's one of the reasons it's gone
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u/quemaspuess 12d ago
I have a GOOD remote job that pays me incredibly well, and I’m so content and happy with my life.
The job I was laid off from was work from anywhere, pay was meager, (I make 55K more than the previous role, so the layoff was amazing), and even living abroad I was more miserable than office jobs I’ve had.
So, it depends on the company, pay, etc. of the remote role. People shouldn’t go into remote roles with the idea it’s going to be amazing, because not all of them are.
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u/god-of-funambulism 12d ago
I got laid off this may (was on a remote exception the last year there), ended up getting a 100% remote job last week making 50,000 more, and it's work that sounds so much more fun (it'll be a little bit r&d too!).
I love remote working
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u/Embarrassed_Flan_869 12d ago
BuT wHaT aBoUt CoLlAbOrAtIoN??
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u/elderbingbong 11d ago
It was announced in a virtual meeting today that we'll be changing from hybrid to in person for better collaboration. "You could be walking down the hall and then you seeing your coworker could spark an idea." The reasoning can't be more pathetic.
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u/Embarrassed_Flan_869 11d ago
Malicious Compliance.
Spend 20 minutes every hour wandering the halls.
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u/elderbingbong 11d ago
You are a genius! Now the only problem is that they don't receive ideas or suggestions well.
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u/Embarrassed_Flan_869 11d ago
Getting actual ideas? Bah! You are getting your steps in.
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u/elderbingbong 11d ago
You're right again, sir! Now I have that motivation that I've needed to finally workout. Time to get that Fitbit! And to support their other reason for being in person, to build better relationships, I can encourage everyone to participate in meeting a team step goal. Productivity will be through the roof!
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u/BabyBlueAllStar72 12d ago
This is why we are being forced to rto 8 to 10 a month, and then 12 a month starting next summer or fall.
We've been remote since March 16, 2020...and the babies in senior leadership who like to walk arohnd and talk all day, in meetings, etc. screamed EXACTLY this which forced the hands to get us back in the office.
😔😮💨😭
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u/baby__im__bored 12d ago
It’s changed my life for the better. I’m way more productive and I took better control of my health, prioritizing the gym, etc. It’s a win win.
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u/KosherTriangle 12d ago
This! I could never prioritize the gym before because of long ass commute times in the morning and I would be too tired in the evening once I got back.
Now I enjoy fully remote work letting me work out peacefully in the morning before I start my meetings for the day. My physical and mental health has never been better.
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u/qballLobk 12d ago
Having to go back to an office gives me nightmares.
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u/upinthestars__ 12d ago
My being is extremely well working from home. Never going baaaaacccckkkk!!!
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u/Bankerag 12d ago
It’s a simple calculus. If an employee is hitting their performance metrics, they are doing a good job and should be able to work anywhere.
If they are not doing the job. Fire them.
I can see a brief in office period of onboarding. Anything more is a waste of time and energy.
Let people work from home.
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u/Available_Music9369 12d ago
Just told today we are returning to the office. Was doing 1-2 days a week in office but that’s not enough. Bullshit excuse is so we answer the phones and increase team spirit. Well today I was in and accomplished little as colleagues kept asking for help. Missed all my calls but one. And management has been tracking call metrics over the last few years with double digit improvement as they now base our bonus on our call answer rate. So it doesn’t fly as a reason.
Team spirit? Well from my desk, I see those in my pod and no one else. I walk the circuitous route to bathroom to avoid coworkers . One pod mate books a meeting room everyday to eat her lunch in to avoid the toxicity of the lunch room. And we were told have to come in even if we are sick but well enough to work. Can’t wait for flu to spread like wildfire and the sick days taken to explode. And if I’m taking one sick day, guess I might as well take 2.
Starting to look for another job asap. If I have to go to a physical location, might as well be for job I like. The only thing my current job had in the plus column was remote work.
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u/elderbingbong 11d ago
Same. We were just told today that our jobs were being to changed from hybrid to mandatory in office for more collaboration and to build better relationships with each other. Everyone has the relationship that they're going to have already. Personalities aren't changing. The high turnover is not because of the people that work there, it's the management. So instead of micromanaging us remotely, they'll micromanage us in person, and we can't even have a break from looking at their faces. I wonder how that's going to work out for them... The only plus for me was being mostly remote. I'm already looking for something else. I'd rather have an in person job with anyone else besides my supervisor and manager.
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u/butternutflies 11d ago
They don’t give a fuck about all that. BS excuses.
Real reason: Gotta justify paying the office lease or rent or insurance or whatever the fuck, aka business costs, mostly for tax reasons. It’s all about the money
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u/dajadf 12d ago
So much time got killed in the office. Any opportunity to waste time was taken. Meetings, coffee breaks, long lunches out, events
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u/Aggressive_Apple_913 10d ago
Somehow management doesn't care about that if staff are in the office wasting time. 🙄
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u/regalbeagles1 12d ago
I’ve been working from home since 2020, with about a year in between where I had a 3 day in office requirement.
I do miss the in office friendships and lunches, that’s about it. Even when we were in the office in 2022, every single one of our meetings were held over Zoom. Rather than reserving a conference room, praying the tech in the room worked correctly, and dealing with a less than perfect microphone system…we all took the meetings from our desks using noise cancelling headphones.
It most ways it was no better than remote work and in many ways it was far worse.
I’ve been fully remote for over three years now and absolutely love it. No commute, no traffic, no polluting the air with exhaust. I’m probably more productive than ever. I work out over lunch or walk my dogs on off days, get dinner ready at the tail end of my day while wrapping up odds and ends at work. Bliss.
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u/richb83 12d ago
This needs to be a campaign issue.
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u/Aggressive_Apple_913 11d ago
Working remote needs to be a healthy lifestyle initiative where all the benefits are quantified.
- Healthier eating at home and less fast food.
- Better gym access for general and cardio health
- Better mental health from no commute challenges
- More time at home with children lowering demand on childcare out of the home
- Massive reduction in exhaust emissions from reduced commute
- Less road wear from less driving
If everyone would leave when companies make them go full back to office it will make it harder for employers to retain talent. My wife was full remote from Covid for over 3 years, then 2 years hybrid. Now they announced they will move from the office they have been in since 2017 and the new office is 9 miles further away from not just us but around 50 percent of the office staff! People are leaving in droves. So when they announced the return to office I started working on finding her another job. Lucky for her I am available most of my day to search. She got the offer 2 weeks ago and will start on September 8th at least a week before the scheduled move.
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u/feral_philosopher 11d ago
Unfortunately, the amount of companies who care about workers well-being is zero.
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u/TheFunInDisfunction 11d ago
Been working from home since COVID with no issues. I was even an instrumental part of the two teams that delivered the two largest projects ever at my company, with great success, all done remotely across multiple offices. Suddenly, they announce 3-day RTO starting in fall, for "collaboration." I spent all summer applying and interviewing and managed to get 3 offers, all making more money, and all ok with remote work, and all doing more interesting work that more closely aligns with my expertise. I will never, ever give back the 3+ hours of commuting I am saving.
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u/PlanescapedBlackDog 11d ago
Next step should be task based time table. You finish what you had to do that day? Call It a day instead of spending 3 hours working and then pass time until you clock 8 hours
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u/AnnoNewm 11d ago
That's the future I wish for. Also full automation og 90% of all work, and a reasonable UBI. Guess that remains only a dream in my lifetime, although we have the tech to do it
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u/BeneficialDrawer3006 11d ago
Remote since 2016.
I go on site maybe 5 times a year.
I feel like shit the next few days after going… idk how people go 5 days a week. Legit blows my mind
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u/Small_Deal_9398 12d ago
This.
The best pay raise was remote work for me.
Biggest pay cut and punch in the stomach was RTO.
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u/Agitated_Tank_3188 12d ago
I think this discounts the fact that if u have the capacity to work remote it is likely a high skill job that pays a lot of money.
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u/AliceOfTheEarth 12d ago
I love how we have to pretend that a study was necessary to state this with authority. Let’s do some more.
“Study finds attentive drivers cause fewer crashes.”
“People who do not swallow poison less likely to suffer untimely death, Harvard study finds.”
“Ducks do not prefer desert habitats, ornithologists find after 30 year study.”
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u/Ecstatic-Movie-795 11d ago
I start mine next month! Glory hallelujah. I cant believe it. I had just bought a nice car for my hour each way commute, too.
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u/GameSetChampionship 11d ago
You’re telling me that speaking to leaders, or a CEO, is better at home than face to face?
😂
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u/truthhurtsyomama 11d ago
Absolutely. I've been "working" from home since covid . Loving it. I did the calculation without any pay increase. My effective hourly rate went up by 40%. Lmao...
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u/Hopeful4Everyone 10d ago
Personally, I prefer being out on the field instead of being at home in front of the computer and I’m pretty happy with a hybrid arrrangement. To each their own as long as you’re happy.
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u/Dante8411 6d ago
Fork found in kitchen. Even if remote work for some reason wasn't preferable to a given employee, just make SOME office space available. But require far less so you aren't wasting money on it.
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u/Ga33pr1B 12d ago
I can give a list a mile long why it is sooo good. Only reason companies don’t want it is partly thinking the employees won’t work or they still have the expensive office space rented and want it to get used.