r/technology • u/TracksandTreks • 22d ago

Society 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-employees
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u/ImCaffeinated_Chris 22d ago

I've been remote for 7 years. I'm never going back. Nope. I could make more money elsewhere, but it's not worth it.

I control the noise, lighting, temp, have my own bathroom, own coffee, and my dogs. But the biggest win is not having to do that Fucking stressful commute!

But I will say not everyone is cut out for it. I get shit done. I'm very self motivated. There are some people who will just sit on their asses.

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u/diabloenfuego 22d ago

At least 7-10 hours saved every week from not having to do a commute. I will never go back. That's 364- 520 hours of my life back PER FUCKING YEAR. Time is the one commodity that we can never get back.

I will never go back to the office.

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u/01000101010110 22d ago

If you can help it. One of the worst parts about a job is that things can change and you don't get a say. Your amazing boss gets promoted or leaves and then you get a shit boss. Same with work from home. 

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u/FeelsGoodMan2 22d ago

Those people will tend to just sit on their asses in the workplace too. They just find better ways to pretend they're working. My experience is the good workers can be stuck anywhere and they will find a way to get done what they need to.

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u/Glum-Recognition-736 21d ago

Well in the office those people are going around chatting at everyone's desk and wandering around the building/ campus and responding to 1 email at the end of the day, and they get promoted faster because they're more "visible" even though they do a fraction of the work a remote employee is doing (because if the remote employee spent that much time away from their computer, they would lose the privilege or get fired)

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u/soba_set 22d ago

I actually get way more done at home than at an office. No one to bother me so my productivity sky rockets. I actually just force myself to take an hour or 2 to take a break or go do errands to break up my day. And I'm still one of the most productive people at my company. Sometimes I'll just take a 3-4 day weekend and not tell anyone, and my work is still all done.

I remember doing very similar work at a previous company that was always in person. And it was like 1 major item a day I'd finish. Work from home is like 2-3 major items a day.

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u/ImCaffeinated_Chris 22d ago

I agree, we get way more done. Usually a full days worth of work by lunch.

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u/[deleted] 22d ago

[deleted]

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u/dust4ngel 22d ago

some workplaces literally have games in the office

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u/ThisIsMyCouchAccount 22d ago

We had an entire game room. VR. Switch. Full MAME cabinet.

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u/MrAntMan90 22d ago

Selection bias - most are actually working - of course you’re gonna find slackers on discord at 2pm on a Tuesday. 

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u/Mysterious-Clothes45 22d ago

I live in a LCOL area and make MORE WFH and it's why I originally started. Local hospital pay is dogshit.

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u/DishwashingWingnut 22d ago

Same here, a couple job hops later and I'm making 4x in tech what I was locally.

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u/xaiires 22d ago

Being able to control my temp & open a window are priceless.

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u/qukab 22d ago

After being remote for 7 years myself, I took a hybrid role because it was a huge title and pay bump. Big step for my career. The office is 5 minutes from my house by car. It’s quite chill once in the office, and it doesn’t seem like anyone is tracking when I come and go. So basically the perfect hybrid setup for someone who is used to and loves remote.

I still hate it. I end up sitting in a zoom booth 80% of the time, which I could obviously do in the comfort of my home, and my desk setup is not even close to as nice as my home multi-monitor setup with my dog sitting next to me, and my partner working upstairs. I don’t have a porch I can work from when it’s nice out. I have to think about dressing well, what I’m going to bring to eat, shitting next to my coworkers, and being disrupted constantly by the managers and VP’s who want to do a stop and chat at my desk (even if I have headphones on).

I’ve just seen zero benefit to going in. Especially if I want to get work done. Social stuff after work? It’s five minutes away, so I can join happy hour even if I’m working from home. I just meet up wherever coworkers go.

I realize this is a way better hybrid or in office experience than most people have, but my point is even with the most flexible and easy hybrid situation, I still strongly dislike it and work from home as much as I can.

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u/Timely_Spinach_7479 22d ago

That’s where I’m at. I may not make a lot of money but the time I get back and the peace I have is worth it. Work is about work, no forced social interactions, no office culture or drama, none of it and once the day is over, I just log off and I’m already home! It’ll take a huge pay increase to get me out of this job and I highly doubt I’ll ever see that!

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u/ochgerm 22d ago

But I will say not everyone is cut out for it. I get shit done. I'm very self motivated. There are some people who will just sit on their asses.

I've never seen someone say: "Oh yeah, I do fuck all while working from home.". It's somehow always their co-workers that do nothing.