Remote work in the United States has expanded sharply since the pandemic began. In 2019, home working accounted for 7% of all workdays; by 2023, it had reached 28%. That broader shift has left employers, researchers, and workers divided over whether remote work is mainly a benefit or a burden.
A new paper in Science analysed five surveys covering 2011 to 2024, excluding the peak pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, and drew on more than half a million U.S. workers. The researchers compared occupations that can be done remotely with jobs that must be done in person. On average, workers in remote-capable jobs reported greater social isolation and mental distress, with the strongest distress among people living alone. They were also 4.6 percentage points more likely to see a mental health professional.
The findings add to a literature that experts describe as divided. Some economists note that remote work can reduce stress, save commuting time, and improve family life. Others argue that the costs of isolation are real. One limitation, as critics point out, is that the study does not separate fully remote workers from hybrid workers, even though hybrid work is now the dominant form of remote work.
The emerging message, however, is less about ordering staff back and more about job design. Researchers say employers should build social connection into work, coordinate office days for hybrid staff, and give extra support to fully remote workers where needed.
