An ongoing debate across the globe is whether companies should continue to allow their employees to work remotely or return to the office. In early 2020, many companies switched to a remote work environment to follow strict COVID-19 guidelines. Two years later, pandemic guidelines have lessened, leading several organizations to re-open their offices while others have continued to work remotely. 

Despite the many benefits that a remote work environment has on companies and their employees during the unexpected pandemic, critics believe too many distractions at home reduce an employee’s productivity levels and quality of work. However, a recent study by Texas A&M University proves this notion inaccurate.

The Texas A&M University’s School of Public Health research team conducted a study that revealed a remote work environment doesn’t negatively impact recently displaced employees due to natural disasters or other events. Study participants included 264 employees of a large oil and gas company in Houston, Texas, who began working remotely after their office flooded during Hurricane Harvey in 2017. The study’s results show that each employee’s total computer usage decreased during Hurricane Harvey; however, it eventually returned to similar levels pre-hurricane when they began working remotely. The return to normal productivity levels shows that remote work can yield similar levels of productivity to working in an office. 

Despite similar productivity levels, Hybrid work schedules also raise new considerations around employee health. For example, information workers commonly get carpal tunnel syndrome. Mark Benden, director of Texas A&M’s Ergonomics Center, made the following statement on the study’s results (via Texas A&M Today):

“The research says that if you work a certain way at a certain pace over a certain duration, you’re more likely to become injured from that work,” Benden said. “But if you work a little less or a little less often or break up the duration or have certain other character traits – like posture – then you’re less likely to develop a problem from doing your office work.” 

The research team believes the study can encourage healthier employee behaviors for those working in-person or remotely and advocate for more robust corporate policies among organizations. In addition, they believe tracking ergonomic data for each remote employee can help address mental health issues. Those interested in reading the complete Texas A&M study can view it here. 

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