The study simply analyzed the self-reported data without any judgments on why exactly this is the case, but one of the authors points out that:
The study did not explore why remote workers reported higher well-being, but Johnson points to a growing body of research on autonomy and flexibility.
One explanation is that remote workers have greater control over their work setup and daily schedule, she said.
"If you have control over your environment, you tend to have more positive outcomes," she said.
Working from home can also eliminate many everyday stressors.
"Spending a lot of time in traffic is negatively related to well-being," Johnson said. "There are so many little stressors associated with being in the office."
Those stressors can include arranging child care, hiring help for pets or managing the logistics of getting to and from work, she said.
Johnson said the study points to a broader lesson for employers navigating return-to-office debates. Rather than focusing only on where employees work, organizations may get better results by investing in employee well-being.
I know that this has nothing to do with the immediate topic of systems / platform / reliability engineering, but I still find this article amusing, since we all are doing our jobs in one way or another: in an office or remotely.
Now, you also have a study to point to, if anyone brings up the topic of the remote work and well-being. However, it's important to keep in mind that the employee well-being is not necessary the metric that is being optimized when the RTO directives are issued.
#culture
