We liked remote work. Then we looked at the data
Despite its advantages, work-from-home arrangements have significantly deepened isolation and distress.
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People in remote-capable jobs worked from home three times more often in 2024 than in 2019.
PHOTO: ST FILE
Natalia Emanuel and Emma Harrington
Most people say they love working from home. They can skip their commutes, dodge their snippy co-workers and evade their micromanaging bosses. In 2024, nearly 80 per cent of American workers said they would be happiest if they could work remotely.
Both of us have experienced the advantages of remote work, especially when battling morning sickness or caring for a sick six-year-old. But on some days, we wouldn’t venture outside or speak face to face with another human. We started to wonder whether we – along with the roughly 35 million other Americans who work from home – had stepped into an enormous social experiment. Was remote work as liberating as it felt?
