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Maureen was not going back. Not to the office nor the way it used to be.

Just recalling what it was like made her uneasy with bad memories. Having suffered from social anxiety all of her life, going to school as a teenager was stressful and exhausting.

Maureen's Story: How Remote Work Helped Her Mental Health

It didn’t get better when she started working as an accountant and her job required frequent interactions. Meetings were the worst. She never knew what to say while waiting for the meeting to begin.

Everyone else fell into an easy rhythm of small talk, while she just sat there in silence. She could feel her face get red knowing that everyone was staring at her wondering why she just sat there silently. She just wanted to run from the room and hide in the bathroom.

Moving to remote work changed her life. She could finally focus on the work she was hired to do rather than worry about being around others.

Maureen is not alone. A recent study found 84 percent of employees reported that the workplace negatively impacted their mental health, according to Harvard Business Review. In some instances, workplace conditions were the source of distress, whether due to excessive work hours, conflict with coworkers, discrimination, or juggling conflicting work and home demands. In other cases, such as Maureen’s, the workplace exacerbated a pre-existing mental health condition.

Remote Work and Mental Health: A Win-Win for Employees and Employers?

Many employees believe they have found a solution—or at least a partial solution—with remote or flexible work arrangements. Research by Deloitte and Workforce Intelligence indicates that 66 percent of financial service employees reported that remote work has positively impacted their mental health and work/life balance.

Consider Austin, a manager at a mid-sized marketing agency who started a flexible work arrangement, rather than return to the office full-time after the pandemic. Maintaining a highly stressful position, caring for his wife whose health had taken a downturn, and parenting their three kids was taking its toll.

The stress kept him up at night and he thought he was developing a full-blown panic attack. Having a flexible schedule didn’t make it all go away, but it felt far more manageable. Being home in the afternoon took the pressure off his wife who needed bed rest.

He had a closer connection to his kids and found he was far more productive in the evening. “My life feels so much more satisfying and less stressful,” he said, “returning full-time is not an option for our family.”

How to Find a Hybrid Work Arrangement That Works for You

 

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The best approach is to get creative about a solution that works for you and your company. Your employer has just as much to lose if you walk as you do, so it's in everyone's interest to figure out a solution.

It begins putting aside our current beliefs that organizational interests are at odds with those of employees. Ask, “How might we build a vibrant workplace culture while offering remote or flexible work arrangements?” It requires leaders and employees to work together to find a standard solution.

For example, employers might have a common day of the week when all employees are present. This day emphasizes group engagement: sharing wins and challenges, request for support or resources, and a little time for play that builds team spirit. Even a half day of building high-quality connections among the group could build a more cohesive group than a week in the office with minimal or poor social connections.

Whether you’re a leader seeking solutions or an employee wanting to negotiate a hybrid work arrangement, use the following to brainstorm workable solutions:

1. Discuss ways to find a “win-win” between what offers flexibility for employees, while also finding ways to build culture, communication, and innovation.
2. Be creative as there is no one perfect solution. Each workplace has unique needs, workflow, opportunities, and challenges.
3. Look for those rare moments when hybrid work arrangements have worked for both employees and the organization. What made those rare moments work? Could it be replicated?

Finding a way forward to the new world of work is going to require creativity and an open-mindset, but it worth a conversation as your employer is likely eager to keep you.