"The great remote work experiment brought on by the pandemic wasn't supposed to last this long. At first, it was a stopgap to keep things running while it wasn't safe to meet in person for work. But five years later, University of South Australia scientists studying the shift say the results are clear: remote workers flourish and thrive outside the office."
"The research team tracked workers starting before the COVID pandemic lockdowns and kept following them as remote setups became the norm. That timeline mattered because it enabled them to separate early chaos from what stuck later. What emerged wasn't burnout or laziness, but rather balance. On average, people slept about thirty minutes more per night. That small number hid a big effect. With commutes gone, mornings felt calmer and less mechanical."
"Before remote work, employees spent around 4.5 hours a week just traveling to and from their jobs. Once that disappeared, energy could be focused on better places, like family breakfasts, walks, or simply slower starts to the day. The scientists also saw that the early potentially negative habits, like some folks drinking a bit more at home, faded as people settled in."
Longitudinal tracking beginning before COVID lockdowns shows that flexible remote work produces lasting benefits rather than temporary gains or declines. Average nightly sleep increased by about thirty minutes and commuting time—around 4.5 hours weekly—was reclaimed for family time, exercise, or calmer mornings. Early negative habits such as increased at-home drinking tended to fade as workers settled into routines. Over time sleep quality improved, anxiety levels dropped, and job engagement remained steady. Performance did not decline, and many forms of teamwork survived or strengthened when no longer tied to desks and daily commutes.
Read at The Daily Dot
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