Does working from home impact mental health? Here's what 16,000 people say

"Working from home can positively impact the mental health of Australian men and women in different ways, according to a new study of more than 16,000 people. Researchers at the University of Melbourne analysed 20 years of data compiled in the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey to understand how working from home can shape a person's mental wellbeing. The study's results detailed significant improvements to the wellbeing of people who were already living with mental health issues and worked from home."

"The biggest gains for women were found for work from home arrangements, which involved the majority of days spent at home, but retaining at least one or two days of work from the office or on-site. You are retaining the connection to the firm and to your colleagues, you can talk in person, and you are retaining those social ties, but you also have this work-from-home aspect that is strong enough to make a difference."

"The findings show that while the mental health of Australian men was not significantly impacted by working from home, their wellbeing was positively impacted by a reduction in daily commuting times when they did not have to travel to work. This year's HILDA Survey showed Australia's average daily commute time had dropped between 2002 and 2023. For instance, workers only travelled an average of 52 minutes a day to work in 2023, compared with 61 minutes in 2019."

Twenty years of HILDA Survey data on more than 16,000 people were analysed to compare mental wellbeing across work-from-home arrangements. Significant improvements in wellbeing occurred for people already living with mental health issues who worked from home, while no notable change appeared among those without pre-existing mental health concerns. The largest benefits for women occurred under hybrid arrangements where 50–75% of rostered hours were worked from home combined with some office or on-site days, preserving social ties. Men's wellbeing was less affected by working from home itself but improved with reduced daily commuting times; average commute dropped to 52 minutes in 2023 from 61 minutes in 2019.

Read at Abc