The trend of working remotely has been slowly increasing globally since 2015, with a one to three percent annual increase rate. However, the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 upended the world economy and global markets. Employment trends were no exception to this, with the share of employees working remotely increasing to some 27 percent in 2022 from just 13 percent two years prior. The industry with the highest share of remote workers globally in 2023 was by far the technology sector, with over 67 percent of tech employees worldwide working fully or mostly remotely. How are employers dealing with remote work? Many employers around the world have already adopted some remote work policies. According to IT industry leaders, reasons for remote work adoption ranged from a desire to broaden a company’s talent pool, increase productivity, and reduce costs from office equipment or real estate investments. Nonetheless, employers worldwide grappled with various concerns related to hybrid work. Among tech leaders, leading concerns included enabling effective collaboration and preserving organizational culture in hybrid work environments. Consequently, it’s unsurprising that maintaining organizational culture, fostering collaboration, and real estate investments emerged as key drivers for return-to-office mandates globally. However, these efforts were not without challenges. Notably, 21 percent of employers faced employee resistance to returning to the office, prompting a review of their remote work policies.

THE IMPACTS OF WORKING REMOTELY AND IN AN OFFICE

Abstract: Working from home nowadays, particularly after COVID-19 hit the world, became the preferable choice for many employees because it gives flexibility and saves more time, according to them. However, many studies revealed that working from home caused a negative effect on many employees’ mental and physical health, such as isolation and back pain. The careless and unplanned way of living while working remotely, such as lack of socialization and equipment for a healthy home office, is the cause for that negative effect. In this paper, we explore the reasons that lead to the negative impact of working remotely on mental and physical health and investigate whether employees are aware of the negative and the positive effects of working either from home or in an office. Our investigation involved a questionnaire handed to hundred employees and revealed that the majority of them were aware of the negative and the positive impacts of working remotely and in an office and suggest, therefore, a mixed-mode of working to obtain the best advantages of both modes.

Keywords: COVID-19; working from home; working in an office; questionnaire; advantages; disadvantages; negative impact; positive impact; mental health; physical health; work experience

1. Introduction

Who would not like to wake up late and avoid the traffic every morning? I always had dreamed of that, and I guess you too. Working from home, which provides these advantages, has become the preferred choice for many employees and employers for the sake of getting more flexibility, increasing productivity, and saving time and money (Ipsen et al., 2021). I have noticed, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, that many people switched willingly to work from home, expecting their life would totally improve. On the other hand, many people do not have the office work option. For instance, people work in the human resources, marketing, and customer service sectors (Iacurci, 2021). They work remotely until a hundred percent effective covid vaccine is developed. However, many studies, such as "Survey reveals the mental and physical health impacts of home working during Covid-19" by RSPH (2021), revealed that people who work from home are likely to suffer from mental and physical disorders.

In fact, the reason for the negative impact is not the work from home. Rather, it is the unmanaged lifestyle that comes with working from home. Of course, many other jobs still need people to be physically present, such as working in hospitals and beauty centers. However, Iacurci (2021) suggests that people will work remotely even after the pandemic finishes and the economy reopens. While many people are switching to work from home, and many others hoping so, it might be an opportunity for them to know the negative impact of working remotely, such as isolation and back pain, due to lack of socialization and equipment for a healthy home office. I am not willing to tell people what they should do in order to work healthily from home because this is not my study field. However, because I have experienced that negative impact, I will only give hints about the consequences, which could happen if they did not take care of themselves when working from home. Thus, this research investigated hundred people who have already worked before, regardless of gender identity, whether they are aware of the negative and the positive impacts of working from home in order to take care of themselves.

2. Literature review

Reviewing Worker's and Employees' Opinions in Working from Home

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, people could choose between working from home and in an office. However, many people are forced or got the opportunity to work from home to reduce the number of new daily infections during the pandemic. Thus, it was an opportunity for researchers to do research on a large number of people to figure out how working from home experience affected them. Also, after the pandemic is over, what would they prefer if they could choose between working remotely or being physically in an office.

In the study, "Six key advantages and disadvantages of working from home in Europe during COVID-19," Ipsen et al. (2021) investigated employees who have experience with working from home during the pandemic in 29 European countries. They used first the six key advantages and disadvantages approach, which involves the employees' opinions in working from home. Although the employees mentioned 16 disadvantages and 11 advantages, its results indicate that "the majority (55%) of employees were mostly positive about WFH" (p. 11). However, they assumed that maybe there are other circumstances that make the employees prefer working remotely over in an office. Hence, Ipsen et al. (2021) used the six factors approach, which involved the employees' lifestyle and characteristics. Its results also indicate that the majority of the employees preferred working remotely over in an office.

Another study, "The impact of working from home during COVID-19 on work and life domains: an exploratory study on Hong Kong" by Vyas and Butakhieo (2021), indicates other findings. Vyas and Butakhieo (2021) stated that the employees in Hong Kong desired to work from home. However, after the COVID-19 pandemic, their study showed that the employees' opinions varied. Because the employees need time for mental relaxation and reducing the work stress, 80% "are suggesting a preference for a mixed-mode of working" (p. 69). However, another survey indicates that "68% of the workers missed going to the office and missed human interaction" (p. 69). The researchers illustrate the varying of the findings of the surveys is because some other factors are involving, such as family issues, looking after children, and difficulties in dealing with the new working from home situation, which revealed why Ipsen et al. (2021) involved in their study the characteristics of the employees.

As a result, both research studies show various findings depending on the stages of the lookdown, the employees' circumstances, lifestyle, and job type. However, I should note that the research continues because the researchers found out that the opinions vary from time to time, and the future findings might vary from the findings at hand.

3. Methods and materials

This research paper required an investigation of people’s opinions regarding specific known impacts of working remotely and in an office. It also discussed the advantages and disadvantages of these work modes and, therefore, required people to respond to the questionnaire whether they were familiar with these impacts. In fact, I did not consider the participants’ gender identity because the effects of these work modes equally affect all genders. Also, I did not examine whether they experienced working from home because I needed to know whether the people who did not experience working from home were aware of the impacts and could take care of themselves when switching. Thus, quantitative is the ideal and most effective method for this research to collect the required data. It helps me measure their knowledge regarding the topic. Also, it helps me let the people who did not experience working from home participate in the questionnaire and express what they think about working from home and if they prefer to work remotely. Furthermore, it encourages the participants to participate in the questionnaire because it requires simple answers, which is easier for them.

The questionnaire contained ten specific questions handed to hundred people and required simple answers as follows:

First, yes and no questions: - Have you ever experienced working from home? - Do you think that working from home increases your work productivity? - Do you think that working from home prevents you from going out? - Do you think that working from home gives you more flexibility? - Do you think that working from home saves you more time? - Do you think that working from home prevents you from getting in contact with people?

Second, the preferred work type, working from home or in an office, questions: - Which work type has the potential to cause you physical problems, such as the neck, back, and leg pain? - Which work type has the potential to cause mental disorders, such as stress, anxiety, and depression?
- Which work type keeps you focused when working?

Finally, the most preferred work type question: - Which work type do you prefer the most? a. Working from home b. Working in an office c. A mixed-mode of working

4. Results

Questionnaire results are as follows: 60% of the people, who have already worked before, have experienced working from home, and 40% did not. Concerning work productivity, 70% think that working from home increases their work productivity, and 30% do not. On the other hand, 60% of them suppose that working in an office keeps them focused while working. Of course, no one can deny that working from home gives us more flexibility. Thus, 100% of them agree on that. However, 60% think that working from home does not save them more time. Also, when it comes to going out and getting in contact with people, 70% of the participants think that working from home prevents them from practicing these activities. Regarding the physical and mental health impacts, 80% of them see that working from home could cause physical problems. Also, 70% think that working from home could cause mental disorders. Finally, 50% prefer a mixed-mode of working, 30% working in an office, and 20% working from home.

You can find the results on BigQuery at the following link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1FJ-hxv6KfcFmR777DmVCJsMuenMufeWmDewo0Vzp3-0/edit?usp=sharing

5. Discussion

In fact, the results in certain respects are somewhat surprising. It revealed that most of them are familiar with the negative and positive impacts of working remotely

In 2022, around 21 percent of respondents stated that their biggest struggle when working remotely was staying at home too often because there they don't have reason to leave. Moreover many people who work from home do not necessarily have a designated workspace, they experience a conflation between their living area and workplace. Most notably, around 15 percent of respondents reported loneliness as their biggest struggle with working remotely.

As a result, remotely working employees emphasize the importance of finding strategies to balance their private lives with their professional routines. On the other hand, employees also state having less difficulties with collaboration and communication in 2021. This is likely due to the quick cultivation of skills during the 2020 pandemic that allow them to effectively communicate and collaborate with others when working from different locations.

Challenges inherent in new work set-ups
As employees work from different locations, companies are confronted with the urgency to ease some of the challenges inherent in novel hybrid work solutions. Strategies developed to support remote work include training for employees or expanding information technology infrastructure to ensure that employees can collaborate efficiently from different locations.

The future of work
Certainly, it is important to take the challenges experienced by employees seriously as the current telework trend is likely to continue and become a common way of working in the future. Addressing challenges head-on in the present will ensure better working conditions in the future.

A survey of 1,500 NSW workers during August and September 2020 (2020 Remote Working Survey) and March and April 2021 (2021 Remote Working Survey), commissioned to understand workers' experiences of and attitudes to remote and hybrid working. To be eligible, respondents had to be employed NSW residents with experience of remote working in their current job. After accounting for unemployed people and those whose jobs cannot be done remotely—for example, dentists, cashiers and cleaners—the sample represents around 59 per cent of NSW workers. Workers answered questions on: • their attitudes to remote working • the amount of time they spent working remotely • their employers’ policies, practices, and attitudes • how they spent their time when working remotely • how barriers to remote working have changed • the barriers they faced to hybrid working • their expectations for future remote working

Publicly available data and code for "Working Remotely? Selection, Treatment and the Market for Remote Work"How does remote work affect productivity and how productive are workers who choose remote jobs? We decompose these effects in a Fortune 500 firm. Before Covid-19, remote workers answered 12% fewer calls per hour than on-site workers. After the offices closed, the productivity gap narrowed by 4%, and formerly on-site workers’ call quality and promotion rates also declined. Even with everyone remote, an 8% productivity gap persisted, indicating negative selection into remote jobs. A cost-benefit analysis indicates that the savings from remote work in reducing turnover and office rents could outweigh remote work's negative productivity impact but not the costs of attracting less productive workers.

Explore a comprehensive dataset on remote work’s impact on mental health, stress, and job satisfaction across various industries.

Before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 17 percent of U.S. employees worked from home 5 days or more per week, a share that increased to 44 percent during the pandemic. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the remote working trend, as quarantines and lockdowns made commuting and working in an office close to impossible for millions around the world. Remote work, also called telework or working from home (WFH), provided a solution, with employees performing their roles away from the office supported by specialized technology, eliminating the commute to an office to remain connected with colleagues and clients. What enables working from home?

To enable remote work, employees rely on a remote work arrangements that enable hybrid work and make it safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Technology supporting remote work including laptops saw a surge in demand, video conferencing companies such as Zoom jumped in value, and employers had to consider new communication techniques and resources. Is remote work the future of work?

The response to COVID-19 has demonstrated that hybrid work models are not necessarily an impediment to productivity. For this reason, there is a general consensus that different remote work models will persist post-COVID-19. Many employers see benefits to flexible working arrangements, including positive results on employee wellness surveys, and potentially reducing office space. Many employees also plan on working from home more often, with 25 percent of respondents to a recent survey expecting remote work as a benefit of employment. As a result, it is of utmost importance to acknowledge any issues that may arise in this context to empower a hybrid workforce and ensure a smooth transition to more flexible work models.

When asked whether remote work has been a success, 83 of employers agree, while only 73 percent of employees agree. This illustrates that the majority of respondents agree that remote work has been a success. Remote work refers to the practice of employees working from many different locations, relying on modern technologies to connect them to their coworkers.

A 2022 survey found that 25 to 35 year old's were the mostly likely to be offered full-time remote work. In comparison, only 29 percent of 55 to 65 year old's reported that they had the opportunity to work remotely full-time. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many workers across the U.S. began working remotely for the first time. The popularity of remote work has continued as pandemic restrictions have relaxed.

The pandemic forced millions of people to change the way they work. Wherever possible, companies embraced remote work to keep their employees safe and their businesses open during shelter-in-place orders. Working remotely during a crisis is totally different, even for companies that were already distributed. Fear, stress, and distractions created a less-than-ideal work environment for the hundreds of thousands of people working from home for the first time.

Introduction

Remote Work Statistics: During the COVID pandemic, working from home became a requirement for many people. While some had already been working remotely, the pandemic made it more common for others to request it. Working from home has both positive and negative aspects. Some challenges include loneliness, spending more time indoors, and losing the chance to collaborate face-to-face. On the other hand, many people appreciate the extra time they gain from not having to commute and the money they save on travel.

To get a clearer picture of the current work-from-home trends, we surveyed 2,019 people in the UK, analyzed Google searches for remote jobs in the UK and the USA, and reviewed studies from around the world. The result is this 2024 summary of Remote Work Statistics.

In 2022, around 24 percent of respondents who were working remotely worldwide stated that they were working less compared to the previous year, while around 44 percent of respondents reported that they were working more.

As remote work becomes the new norm, it's essential to understand its impact on employees' mental well-being. This dataset dives into how working remotely affects stress levels, work-life balance, and mental health conditions across various industries and regions. With 5,000 records collected from employees worldwide, this dataset provides valuable insights into key areas like work location (remote, hybrid, onsite), stress levels, access to mental health resources, and job satisfaction. It’s designed to help researchers, HR professionals, and businesses assess the growing influence of remote work on productivity and well-being. 🌿📈 Column: Employee_ID: Unique identifier for each employee. Age: Age of the employee. Gender: Gender of the employee. Job_Role: Current role of the employee. Industry: Industry they work in. Work_Location: Whether they work remotely, hybrid, or onsite. Stress_Level: Their self-reported level of stress. Mental_Health_Condition: Any mental health condition reported (Anxiety, Depression, etc.). Social_Isolation_Rating: A self-reported rating (1-5) on how isolated they feel. Satisfaction_with_Remote_Work: How satisfied they are with remote work arrangements (Satisfied, Neutral, Unsatisfied).

Explore our detailed synthetic dataset on remote and in-office work productivity, work hours, and well-being indicators.

In 2022, around 71 percent of employees working remotely worldwide stated that they would like to have a fully remote work structure, while 20 percent of respondents preferred a work structure that was still hybrid but remote-first. Only six percent of respondents stated that they prefer a hybrid and office occasional work structure.

In this ongoing project, we examine the short-term consequences of COVID-19 on employment and wages in the United States. Guided by a pre-analysis plan, we document the impact of COVID-19 at the national-level using a simple difference and test whether states with relatively more confirmed cases/deaths were more affected. Our findings suggest that COVID-19 increased the unemployment rate, decreased hours of work and labor force participation and had no significant impacts on wages. The negative impacts on labor market outcomes are larger for men, younger workers, Hispanics and less-educated workers. This suggest that COVID-19 increases labor market inequalities. We also investigate whether the economic consequences of this pandemic were larger for certain occupations. We built three indexes using ACS and O*NET data: workers relatively more exposed to disease, workers that work with proximity to coworkers and workers who can easily work remotely. Our estimates suggest that individuals in occupations working in proximity to others are more affected while occupations able to work remotely are less affected. We also find that occupations classified as more exposed to disease are less affected, possibly due to the large number of essential workers in these occupations.

With 44 percent, most of respondents state that collaborating on new projects works better than pre-COVID-19. This indicates that maintaining a hybrid workplace post-COVID-19 is a possibility for both employers and employees. However, this does not mean that remote work is always an appropriate alternative to being in the office. Over 30 percent of employees state that coaching and onboarding new hires remotely is worse that pre-COVID.

The global remote workplace services market was valued at USD 16.56 billion in 2021 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 23.4% during the forecast period.

Remote Work Tools Market Outlook

The global remote work tools market size was valued at approximately USD 25 billion in 2023, and it is anticipated to reach nearly USD 75 billion by 2032, growing at a robust CAGR of 13% during the forecast period. The market growth is primarily driven by the increasing adoption of remote work practices across various industries, fueled by technological advancements and the need for flexible working environments.

The rapid shift towards remote work has led to a burgeoning demand for tools that facilitate seamless communication, collaboration, and project management. As organizations worldwide adapt to the new norm of hybrid work models, the need for efficient and reliable remote work tools has never been more critical. The rising trend of globalization and the need for companies to maintain a competitive edge in a digitally-driven market are also significant factors contributing to the market's growth. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has acted as a catalyst, accelerating the adoption of remote work tools as businesses strive to maintain continuity and productivity amidst unprecedented challenges.

Another crucial growth factor is the increasing reliance on cloud-based solutions. Cloud technology offers unmatched scalability, flexibility, and cost-efficiency, making it an ideal choice for remote work tools. Organizations are migrating to cloud platforms to leverage their advanced features, such as real-time collaboration, data security, and remote accessibility. The growing emphasis on digital transformation and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) into remote work tools are further propelling market expansion. These technologies enhance the functionality and user experience of remote work tools, enabling smarter workflows and improved decision-making processes.

The rising number of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) adopting remote work tools is another driving force behind the market's growth. SMEs are increasingly recognizing the benefits of remote work, such as cost savings on office spaces and the ability to tap into a global talent pool. As a result, there is a growing demand for affordable and scalable remote work tools tailored to the specific needs of SMEs. The market is also witnessing significant investments in research and development activities aimed at enhancing the capabilities of remote work tools, thereby creating new growth opportunities.

Regional outlook indicates that North America is set to dominate the remote work tools market, followed by Europe and the Asia Pacific. The high adoption rate of advanced technologies, robust IT infrastructure, and the presence of major market players in these regions contribute to their market leadership. The Asia Pacific region is expected to witness the highest growth rate, driven by the increasing penetration of the internet, the proliferation of smartphones, and the rising trend of remote working in developing economies.

Product Type Analysis

Communication tools are an integral segment within the remote work tools market. These tools, including video conferencing software, instant messaging platforms, and VoIP services, have become essential for maintaining effective communication in a remote working environment. The demand for communication tools has surged as they enable real-time interactions, collaboration, and information sharing, thereby enhancing productivity and teamwork. Major tech giants and startups alike are continuously innovating to offer more user-friendly interfaces, higher security standards, and advanced features like AI-driven transcription services and virtual meeting assistants.

Collaboration tools are another crucial segment, encompassing platforms that facilitate teamwork, document sharing, and collective project management. These tools, such as cloud storage solutions, shared workspaces, and collaborative editing software, are designed to streamline workflows and ensure that team members can work together efficiently, irrespective of their physical locations. The integration of AI and ML into collaboration tools is further enhancing their capabilities by offering predictive analytics, automated task assignments, and intelligent project tracking, thereby driving their adoption across various industries.

Project management tools are pivotal for organizations aiming to manage their projects effectively in a remote work setting. These tools offer functionalities such as task scheduling, resource allocation, time tracking, and progress monitoring. The growing complex