Changes in working patterns were accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Remote and hybrid work arrangements have resulted in expectations on employers to reconsider their business continuity and operational strategies. The impacts of these new working patterns on employees’ physical and mental health are still being explored. In this article, Dr Afshan Iqbal assesses the challenges and opportunities of hybrid and remote working and suggests key policy and legislative initiatives that the UK government can lead on to facilitate best practice.

• Remote/hybrid working patterns are still relatively new and initial research points to both benefits and drawbacks.
• Advantages include greater autonomy for employees and increased recruitment and retention opportunities for employers.
• The disadvantages of remote and hybrid working are often rooted in the possible detrimental effects on physical and mental health. Ongoing research and data collection can help government develop best practice guidance and policy.

Remote working – the pros and cons for wellbeing

My research involved the collection of qualitative data from UK organisations in professional services and construction sectors during the transition to remote and hybrid work.

The findings revealed both positives and negatives. Overall, employees working more remotely stated that they enjoy a greater work-life balance, particularly in saving time that would typically be lost in daily commutes to and from work. Increased autonomy and control over work and personal schedules was also noted.

However, findings also highlighted challenges in demarcating clear lines between ‘work’ and ‘home’ domains when these coexist in one location. Easy access to work through devices such as laptops/mobiles/tablets can mean it becomes almost too easy to continue working late into the evening, resulting in ‘around the clock’ work behaviours. This is not so typical of traditional site-based work, where once an employee physically leaves the premises, they tend to leave work behind. This can create struggles to draw healthy boundaries which can ultimately result in burnout due to elongated work hours, difficulties in psychologically detaching from work and shorter recovery periods between each working day.

Detaching from work

Data from this research suggests that individuals recognise the need to detach from work and tend to take it upon themselves to develop coping strategies to do so. Strategies included switching off work devices during non-work hours to reduce the temptation to work late into the night or making plans to do something after work, which would force individuals to finish working by a certain time.

Some respondents were fortunate enough to have a separate office space in the home, which they could then leave and lock the door behind, creating a physical distance from work. However, not everyone has extra space in their homes to do this, nor do they always have appropriate ergonomic equipment at home to help their physical wellbeing. People also reported being more sedentary when working from home compared to when working on-site.

Both traditional and remote work environments have unique challenges as well as benefits. It is important for employers and policymakers to recognise these and implement policies that support the physical and mental health of employees, regardless of the work arrangement or location.

Recruitment and retention implications

Remote and hybrid working can provide employers with access to a much wider talent pool. They can attract diverse talent from broader geographical areas as relocation becomes less of a barrier to potential employees.

These models also have the potential to boost retention due to the flexibility offered, particularly with hybrid models that allow people to combine work from home with working on-site for interactions and engagement with colleagues. This flexibility is highly valued by employees and firms offering this stand to be perceived as attractive employers.

However, challenges for recruitment and retention include feelings of isolation and detachment among employees when remote working. This can have negative implications for engagement, job satisfaction and overall wellbeing, and can increase employee turnover.

Technology for remote collaboration and creativity – and the danger of technostress

Arguments against remote/hybrid work arrangements typically focus on potential challenges to workplace collaboration and creativity. There can be limited opportunities to interact and build relationships as team virtuality increases – it can be difficult to coordinate tasks and projects when team members are not physically present.

However, technology has evolved to enable greater real-time communications, allowing all parties to actively contribute and track the progress of projects they are collaborating on. These developments in technology are huge opportunities for employers to facilitate communication, collaboration and efficiently maximise productivity.

My research investigated the relationship between virtual meetings and technostress (a psychological effect of technology where people feel stressed, anxious and that they are constantly connected to work). A multi-wave study at 3 time-points over a 12-month period found that the higher the frequency of virtual meetings, the greater the resulting technostress.  The volume of meetings requires more sustained attention as it risks causing more fatigue, especially where meetings occur back-to-back without breaks and time to reset, refocus and recalibrate.

Remote control? The role of government

The UK government has a multifaceted role in addressing and researching both the challenges and opportunities of remote and hybrid work arrangements. Remote and hybrid working patterns are still in their infancy and so their long-terms impacts remain unknown. Emergent research is addressing some of the issues related to employee wellbeing, productivity and career progression.

Government can and should use this research to legislate for best practice. It should provide guidance and support in helping develop initiatives that support mental health and wellbeing in a remote workplace. Legislation should be developed to promote work-life balance, reduce burnout and encourage healthy practices such as taking regular breaks to minimise cognitive load.

It is important to continue to gather views and accumulate data in this area via investment in research and consultations with stakeholders. This data should be utilised by government, working in lockstep with the Health and Safety Executive, as best practice standards and legislation are developed. The government has a duty to put guidance and policies into place for employers to follow as a standard. Without it, different employers will have different approaches – potentially to the detriment of the worker.

Guidance on how to effectively manage performance in remote and hybrid settings is also crucial since being simply visible in a traditional on-site workplace does not automatically equate to productivity. The government can play a role in guiding employers on how best to use business analytics tools such as Microsoft Power BI to analyse data and generate insights to make data-driven decisions. It is important to emphasise that the use of such tools are not to be used in a way that is intrusive. Instead, these tools can be opportunities to maximise productivity as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Ensuring there is ongoing substantial investments into technology and infrastructure is crucial to making sure that all employees have access to steady, reliable internet connections wherever they are. In addition to employers providing access to the necessary equipment and tools required for staff to work remotely, policymakers must ensure adequate broadband connectivity nationally, including to remote, rural and coastal areas.