New research published in the journal Science has found that people who live alone and work in remote-friendly occupations report higher levels of social isolation and mental distress than workers in roles that require in-person attendance.
The study examined how the flexibility that remote and hybrid work offers interacts with living arrangements, finding that the benefits of flexibility do not extend equally to everyone. Workers who live alone and have the option to work remotely reported higher isolation and distress than counterparts in similar solo-living situations whose jobs require them to be physically present, according to the research.
The findings suggest that for a specific and growing segment of the workforce, remote-friendly roles remove a structural source of daily social contact that in-person jobs still provide, even when that contact isn’t the primary purpose of the role.
The research adds to a broader body of evidence complicating the simple narrative that remote work uniformly improves employee wellbeing. While flexible work arrangements have consistently been linked to gains in autonomy and work-life balance for many employees, this study points to living situation as a significant variable that current wellbeing policies rarely account for.
