AI Weekly Malaysia

A study of 7,704 employees at a large healthcare organization found fully remote workers reported the highest well-being, followed by hybrid, then fully onsite workers. Published in Frontiers in Psychology (July 2026), the study found little evidence that remote workers felt less connected to colleagues or culture. Co-author Stefanie Johnson noted the results surprised her, as she expected hybrid workers to report the best outcomes.

Why: Founders and team leads deciding on return-to-office policies should treat fully remote as a legitimate default, not a compromise. The data here directly undercuts the common argument that in-person presence is needed for connection or culture, so if you're mandating office time for well-being reasons, this study says you're likely doing the opposite.