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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. Across countries, jobs, and industries, the same pattern showed up. When people had real flexibility with their work location and schedule, their health improved, their time multiplied, and their performance didn’t dip. In fact, much of what once passed for “teamwork” survived, and even got stronger, once it wasn’t tied to desks or daily commutes. The surprisingly long game of working from home 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. Meanwhile, according to the study, “Over time, sleep quality improved further, anxiety dropped, and job engagement held firm.” It turns out that when people control their schedules, motivation tends to regulate itself. More time, better habits, real teamwork That saved time didn’t just vanish into more screen time. Studies from Spain estimated that remote workers gained the equivalent of ten full extra days per year when commutes are removed from the equation. Roughly a third of that went into people becoming more active in the form of exercise, walks, and errands done on foot. The rest scattered into hobbies, rest, and family life. Health trends improved, too. Many people ate more fresh food and cooked more often. Lunches weren’t rushed, snacks became more intentional, and energy dips in the afternoon got less brutal. Even the work itself changed shape, with teams finding that meetings could shrink when notes and agendas were clear. Shared online documents replaced whiteboards, and because everything was already written down, new hires caught up faster. Managers stopped measuring attendance and started measuring progress. Remote workers were also able to tailor their home offices to suit their needs, such as better office chairs, lighting preferences, and more. The study found, in the end, that the ability to choose was the most important thing for employee happiness. Be it choosing to work from home or the office, having the flexibility to decide for themselves was a big productivity factor. The internet is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s newsletter here.
