MIT Sloan Management Review Article on How Shifts in Remote Behavior Affect Employee Well-Being

In March 2020, a large share of businesses had to make remote work a norm, five days a week. The learning curve was steep, but in the short run, it seemed to boost productivity, especially by cutting commute times. Soon, however, a subtle shift in work practices — the way we collaborate, communicate, and manage — was observed.

Those almost imperceptible changes had direct consequences for employee well-being, but there has been a dearth of data and analysis to truly understand the effects of remote and hybrid work. Particularly in times of transition, the ability to collect relevant data and run experiments is crucial to identify potential issues posed by these new modes of working — and it can also show us the way forward.

About the Author

Shaun Subel is director and Martin Stepanek is lead researcher at the Vitality Research Institute, which is focused on advancing the science of behavior change by better understanding the relationship between behaviors and health, longevity, and productivity. Thomas Roulet (@thomroulet) is an associate professor in organization theory at the University of Cambridge. His work focuses on evaluations and social relationships at work.

Learn more about MIT SMR.