Fully remote workers posted the highest wellbeing scores in a new study from the University of Colorado Boulder, while employees who go into the office every day ranked last. The research also found that higher wellbeing among remote workers was linked to lower turnover intentions.
The paper was published in the July 2026 issue of Frontiers in Psychology. Its authors came from the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado Boulder and the MD Anderson Leadership Institute in Houston. Stefanie Johnson, a professor of organizational leadership and information analytics, led the study and analyzed survey responses from 7,704 employees: 1,869 fully remote workers, 2,099 hybrid workers, and 3,736 employees who worked in the office every day.
Remote employees led on wellbeing scores
The survey used a scale to measure employee wellbeing. Fully remote workers averaged 4.22, hybrid employees scored 4.12, and workers in the office every day scored 3.89.
Researchers also asked employees to describe company culture in a few words. Remote workers used positive terms such as teamwork, inclusion, and support at slightly higher rates than hybrid and fully in-office peers. Johnson said, 「Remote workers actually used language that showed more positive connection, even though they were not physically in the office.」
One-year follow-up checked actual departures
After completing the survey in 2023, the research team tracked actual turnover records one year later. The results pointed to the same pattern: remote work, higher wellbeing, and lower intent to leave were connected.
Johnson said, 「That makes sense. The higher your wellbeing, the less likely you are to leave.」 She linked the outcome to autonomy. Employees who can control their work environment and schedule may avoid pressures tied to commuting, childcare arrangements, and pet care, which the study described as negatively related to wellbeing. 「When you have control over your environment, you usually get more positive outcomes,」 she said.
The findings surprised the lead researcher
Johnson said the result also caught her off guard. She had expected hybrid work to come out on top. 「I thought the happiest group would be the people who still get to see coworkers from time to time and feel that human connection,」 she said.
She also stressed the study’s limits. It did not explain why remote workers reported higher wellbeing, the sample came from a single large healthcare institution, and the survey was conducted in 2023. Whether the findings apply to other industries remains untested.
Johnson added that in-person interaction still matters for building relationships, especially for people early in their careers. 「Remote work works better once you already know your coworkers, so there is still value in having some time together in person,」 she said.
Gap widens between worker preference and company policy
Johnson’s comments line up with a broader shift in the workplace. Gallup’s 2026 survey found that among U.S. employees whose jobs can be done remotely, 60% prefer hybrid work, about one-third want to be fully remote, and fewer than 10% want to be in the office every day.
At the same time, company policy is moving the other way. Around 30% of companies in 2026 required employees to be in the office five days a week, up from 28% in 2025. Nearly half required at least four in-office days a week, widening the gap between worker expectations and employer rules.
The costs also appeared in other data points cited in the report. Companies enforcing return-to-office policies posted turnover rates about 13 percentage points higher than flexible employers, at 169% versus 149%. In a ResumeBuilder survey, 80% of executives said their companies had lost talent because of RTO policies. A Stanford University study published in Nature reached a similar conclusion: hybrid work did not reduce productivity, and turnover was 33% lower than in fully in-office teams.
Johnson said, 「I do not think flexible work is going away. Our study and the other data point in the same direction: remote and hybrid arrangements perform better than mandatory return-to-office rules. Leaders are not making these decisions based on the data. They are trying to go back to what feels familiar.」
For companies still weighing whether to push RTO, the study’s takeaway was straightforward: instead of focusing on where employees sit, focus on the variable that appears to drive retention more directly, employee wellbeing.