Jerusalem Post

ByWALLA! HEALTH

Many people work in a hybrid position – meaning they work a few days from home and a few from the office. Does this affect the mental well-being of employees, and who benefits the most?

Working from home has become a central part of work culture around the world, but the question of how it affects mental health is still controversial. Does working from home strengthen the sense of well-being? And if so, how many days a week? Who enjoys the benefits more? And is it all actually connected to saving time in traffic?
A new study answers these questions based on longitudinal data from more than 16,000 Australian workers, and the results are surprising.
How did the study work?
The data was taken from the national HILDA survey – a study that has lasted over 20 years and tracks work, income, and health among thousands of households. The COVID years (2020–2021) were removed from the sample, in order to avoid the influence of external stress factors related to the pandemic.

Through the long-term tracking, the researchers were able to examine how a person’s mental state changed, their commute time, and how many days they worked from home – while neutralizing influences such as job changes or childbirth.

The study examined two central factors:
Commute time to work

Working from home (full or partial)
And the effect was examined among people with good mental health versus weaker mental health – a new and unique component in the study.
Hybrid work: Best for women
The most positive effect was found among women who worked mainly from home, but still came to the office one or two days a week.
Among women with poor mental health to begin with, this pattern significantly improved mood and stress levels. The finding aligns with previous studies that showed that hybrid work increases satisfaction and productivity.
This advantage did not stem only from saving on commuting (a longer commute was linked to a decline in mental indicators), but it remained even after commute time was neutralized. According to the researchers, it may be related to reduced work stress and greater flexibility in managing family life.
Working from home only occasionally had almost no effect.
Working from home full-time is less clear, partly because few women work this way over time.
Among men – no significant link was found between working from home and mental health, neither positive nor negative.
The researchers say the possible reason lies in traditional household roles, and in the fact that many men have social networks based more on the workplace.