For years, many employers have worried that work-from-home arrangements leave employees isolated, disconnected from coworkers and more likely to leave their jobs.

But according to a new study, remote workers are doing better than many employers realize.

Researchers analyzed survey data from 7,704 employees at a large healthcare organization. One pattern stood out: Employees who worked fully remotely reported the highest levels of well-being, while those who worked entirely onsite reported the lowest. The study also found little evidence that remote workers felt less connected to colleagues or workplace culture.

"This suggests you let people work remotely if they want to work remotely," said Stefanie Johnson, professor of organizational leadership and information analytics at the Leeds School of Business and co-author of the study, published in July 2026 in the journal Frontiers in Psychology. "Taking away people's choice of how they work is probably not going to help them in terms of their well-being."

As companies continue to debate remote work, many leaders worry that employees need to be in the office to stay connected, work well together and remain committed to their organization. Johnson said the research doesn't always support those concerns.

"The data from our study and others suggest remote and hybrid work result in better outcomes than return-to-office mandates," she said. "Leaders are not making decisions based on data. I think they are just returning to what they are used to."

Rethinking remote work

Johnson, who co-authored the study with Alyssa Lezcano, Stephanie Zajac and Courtney Holladay of the MD Anderson Leadership Institute in Houston, said the results surprised her. She thought employees who split their time between home and the office might have the best of both worlds.

"I actually thought you would be happiest if you were part time out of the office," she said. "Then every once in a while you get to see people, get that human connection."

Instead, the data pointed in a different direction.

Among employees in the study, well-being was highest for fully remote workers, followed by hybrid employees and then onsite workers. 

The findings also cast doubt on one of the main arguments for bringing employees back to the office: that people need to be together in person to feel connected.

Employees in the study were asked to describe their organization's culture in a handful of words. Remote workers were slightly more likely than their hybrid and onsite peers to use words associated with teamwork, inclusion and support.

"People who are remote actually said more things that indicated they had more positive connections, even though they were remote," Johnson said.

Still, Johnson said face-to-face interaction can play an important role in helping coworkers build relationships, especially if they are just starting out in their careers.

"Remote works better after you know people," she said. "So there is still a benefit of having some face time."

Staying power

The researchers also examined employee turnover one year after the survey was completed.

They found that employees with higher well-being were less likely to leave the organization. Work location itself was not a strong direct predictor of turnover. Instead, remote work was associated with higher well-being, which in turn was associated with lower turnover.

"It makes sense. If you have higher well-being, you're less likely to leave your job," Johnson said.

Participants completed the workplace survey in 2023, and researchers compared those responses with actual turnover records one year later. Of the employees surveyed, roughly half worked onsite, with the remainder split between hybrid and fully remote arrangements.

Flexibility matters

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 think flexibility is here to stay," she said.