A new study analyzing survey data from 7,704 employees at a large healthcare organization found that fully remote workers reported the highest levels of well-being, while onsite workers reported the lowest. The research, published in July 2026 in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, challenges common employer concerns about remote work leading to isolation or disconnection.

Stefanie Johnson, professor of organizational leadership and information analytics at the Leeds School of Business and co-author of the study, stated, "This suggests you let people work remotely if they want to work remotely. Taking away people's choice of how they work is probably not going to help them in terms of their well-being."

The findings showed little evidence that remote workers felt less connected to colleagues or workplace culture. In fact, remote employees were slightly more likely than their hybrid and onsite peers to use words associated with teamwork, inclusion, and support when describing their organization's culture.

The study also revealed that employees with higher well-being were less likely to leave the organization one year later. While work location itself was not a strong predictor of turnover, remote work was associated with increased well-being, which in turn correlated with lower turnover rates.