The human contact cost of ditching the commute

Published June 6, 2025 5:55am ET



Nobody misses the commute. Nobody misses picking up the suit at the dry cleaner. Everyone appreciates being able to make the doctor’s appointment at 11 a.m. on a Tuesday. But maybe, just maybe, working from home doesn’t really make workers happier.

Fully remote workers are less likely than the average worker to report themselves to be “thriving,” according to a new Gallup poll. They are more likely than on-site workers to describe themselves as stressed, angry, lonely, or sad. It’s on the sadness and loneliness where the gap is biggest: Fully remote workers are about 35% more likely to experience sadness and loneliness than are in-office workers. Hybrid workers generally land in the middle.

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