NAIROBI, Kenya – For many workers, working from home has become one of the biggest perks of modern employment.
There is no morning commute, more control over the workday and, for many, a better balance between professional and personal life.
But spending most of the working day alone could come with a hidden cost.
A recent study published in the journal Science found that people who live alone and work in jobs that can be performed remotely report greater psychological distress and social isolation than workers whose jobs require them to be physically present.
The researchers analysed more than a decade of data from national surveys, comparing people in remote-friendly occupations such as marketing with workers in jobs requiring physical presence, including surgery.
The study did not establish how many individual participants actually worked remotely.
Remote-friendly workers face more social isolation
Researchers found that workers in remote-friendly jobs who lived alone spent about 25pc of their days without social contact.
That was more than twice the proportion recorded among people working in jobs that were not remote-friendly.
The researchers also found that changes in psychological distress since the pandemic were twice as large among people living alone in remote-friendly occupations compared with those who lived with other people.
For Matthew Juhren, who works remotely from a home office near Portland, Oregon, the experience has meant spending long stretches by himself.
Since April, he has sometimes worked as many as 75 hours a week from home.
“The solitude of it all is new and different,” Juhren said. “And for an extroverted person, it can be difficult at times.”
Working from home is not automatically bad for mental health
Experts caution against interpreting the findings as proof that remote work itself causes poor mental health.
Remote work remains highly popular among American employees who have jobs that can be done from home.
According to Gallup, 61pc of remote-capable US employees surveyed in November preferred a hybrid arrangement, while 33pc preferred to work exclusively remotely. Only 6pc preferred working entirely on-site.
Work-life balance remains one of the biggest reasons employees favour flexible arrangements.
Other research has also found benefits associated with remote work, including productivity gains.
A July study published in Frontiers in Psychology, for example, found that fully remote workers reported the highest levels of positive well-being among about 7,700 healthcare employees surveyed across remote, hybrid and on-site roles.
Going back to the office is not a guaranteed solution
As companies increase return-to-office requirements, some employers may see greater physical presence as a way to rebuild workplace connections.
But experts say simply putting employees in the same building does not necessarily eliminate loneliness.
Dr Constance Noonan Hadley, an organisational psychologist and founder of the Institute for Life at Work, said employers should not assume that office attendance automatically creates meaningful relationships.
“It assumes that when you go to the office you have a meaningful, socially fulfilling environment,” Hadley said.
Tammy Allen, a Tampa-based psychologist who studies remote work and occupational health, similarly warned that being physically present in an office does not guarantee that employees are interacting with others or forming positive relationships.
A toxic workplace can make things worse
Hadley said the most beneficial environments are those where people feel seen, valued and understood.
That means forcing employees back into the office could sometimes have the opposite effect if they feel the decision ignores their preferences or creates an unpleasant working environment.
“When leaders impose something that people clearly and vocally do not want, there’s a way that can increase a sense of loneliness,” she said.
Instead, employers could consider mentorship programmes, social groups and voluntary events that workers genuinely want to participate in.
Employees who are already chronically lonely or lack confidence in social situations may need additional support.
Hadley said personal invitations to workplace events can help reduce fears of rejection and encourage isolated employees to participate.
The importance of having a social life outside work
For remote workers who spend much of their day alone, experts say meaningful interaction does not have to happen at work.
Even brief encounters can help create a sense of connection.
A 2013 study found that small interactions, including chatting with a barista or smiling at a stranger, can contribute to a feeling of belonging.
Hadley’s research also found that people sometimes preferred a “third space” between home and the traditional office.
These included places such as coffee shops and coworking spaces, where people could interact with others without the competition or tensions that can exist in a workplace.
Remote workers can build connection deliberately
For people who enjoy working from home, the answer may not necessarily be returning to the office.
Instead, experts recommend deliberately creating opportunities for social interaction throughout the day.
That could mean working occasionally from a coworking space or café, taking a walk where you can interact with people, meeting friends during lunch or simply making time for conversations outside working hours.
The key, Hadley said, is finding environments where people feel comfortable being themselves.
“It doesn’t have to be necessarily in your office,” she said.
For remote workers, flexibility may remain one of the greatest benefits of working from home. But maintaining meaningful human connection may require just as much planning as maintaining a productive work schedule.
