As part of my doctoral research at Liverpool John Moores University, I am researching the impact of hybrid work on employee wellbeing.

Last year, I conducted a survey of hybrid workers, aiming to understand their experiences in-depth, and how they feel that hybrid work influences their wellbeing both positively and negatively.  I am delighted to share, in this second of a short series of posts (you can find the first one on wellbeing benefits, here) some initial preliminary findings.

Overall, survey respondents reported five main wellbeing challenges when working in a hybrid way.

5 wellbeing challenges of hybrid work

• Isolation, loneliness, disconnection with others.  Hybrid workers find that the remote elements of hybrid work can be isolating and lonely, especially for those that live alone.  Another interesting element of loneliness and disconnection can however also arise from going in the office only to find that colleagues are not there or everyone is working independently on online meetings.
• Negative impact on physical health including sedentary behaviour – hybrid workers told me that are concerned about how sedentary they are when working from home.  For some this, as well as poor workstation set up, has resulted in musculoskeletal issues such as neck and back pain.
• Work extensification – working longer hours.  The lack of a commute to bring a natural end to the working day often means that working from home results in working longer.  Work equipment is present in the home, so it is all too easy to write one more email, or tackle one more task. 
• Difficulties in switching off.  Linked to the issue of work extensification, employees find it hard to switch off when working from home. Contributing factors include blurred boundaries, work equipment in the home and working in communal spaces. Some hybrid workers simply switch from one device (laptop) to another (phone) – although that issue isn’t only limited to those working in a hybrid way.
• No challenges at all. Ok, so this isn’t really a ‘challenge’ theme, but it is notable that actually, one of the most prominent responses to this question was some form of none, not applicable, nothing really.

These findings suggest the contradictory nature of hybrid work and wellbeing – for some hybrid workers it bring wellbeing challenges, for others benefits. Often, both are experienced at the same time. This raises the obvious issue for leaders and HR professionals – how do we minimise the former and maximise the latter? You will have to stay tuned for that one, as that is phase two of the research……..

The next phase of my research will involve interviewing senior HR professionals about their perceptions on hybrid work and wellbeing in their organisation.  If you would be willing to be interviewed for around 30-45 minutes (you can be anonymous) I’d love to hear from you.

A brief note on methodology.  A total of 412 responses were received to the survey, which included both qualitative and quantitative questions.  Qualitative data was analysed thematically in Nvivo.