Hybrid work sounded like the happiest medium. It isn’t

Why remote workers report feeling better

Dr. Stefanie Johnson, professor of organizational leadership at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Leeds School of Business and co-author of the study, said the well-being differences weren’t something the researchers measured directly, but she pointed to autonomy as the likely driver, based on other research in the field.

“Having control over when, where, how you do things tends to be positively related to well-being,” Johnson said. “It’s flexibility over your ability to manage your home life and your work life.”

“There’s a lot of hassles that come with going into the office, fighting traffic, finding parking, buying lunch, all those little things I think might wear people down,” she said.

Johnson also pointed to something less tangible than logistics.

“There’s a feeling of trust when your organization lets you work remotely, like you feel they must trust me,” she said.