However, remote workers are also more prone to snacking, drinking more, smoking more, and gaining weight, according to a study by researchers from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and King's College London.

And employers who think that people working from home are lazy should think again—they are less likely to take sick leave, tend to work more hours, and often work in the evenings and weekends.

The study, coordinated by Charlotte Hall from UKHSA, considered 1,930 academic works on remote work, telework and other types of hybrid and home-based work, in an effort to consolidate often contradictory research.

Professor Neil Greenberg, a psychiatrist at King's College London and one of the study's authors, said that the study showed that workers and employers need to start taking remote work as seriously as office work.

"In the earlier era of office work, there was an understanding that placing everyone in a shared space without soundproofing led to an unpleasant environment and hindered productivity. Now, with the shift to a remote work culture, it only makes sense for organizations and the government to ensure that individuals working from home do so with maximum efficiency", he stated.

The analysis, published in the Journal of Occupational Health, identified three themes: the home working environment, the impact on workers' lives and careers, and the impact on their health.

Greenberg mentioned that the study revealed both positive and negative aspects in various aspects of remote work.

The work environment is contingent on factors, such as the available space at home, the equipment in use, and the level of control workers exert over their daily routines.

People with higher incomes often prefer working from home more, but those with more responsibilities at home, such as childcare or housework—often women and those living alone—tend to be more stressed.

"In general, people felt more productive at home. It was especially good for creative work, but much more difficult to deal with tiresome issues. Many people are concerned about career prospects—this feeling that if you're not present in the office, you will be overlooked", Greenberg said.

The health effects were clearer. The transition to remote work during Covid was linked to "an increase in the intake of vegetables, fruits, dairy, snacks and self-prepared meals; younger workers and women benefited the most in terms of healthier eating", the research stated.

One of the analyzed studies found that 46.9% of remote workers gained weight, and another set the figure at 41%.

Most studies analyzed showed that remote workers are more sedentary.

Greenberg said that "managers had to think about finding ways to support remote workers and help them create their working environment. There is a great saying in science that at some point, we must stop admiring the problem and actually think about solutions", he said.

"We now know quite a lot. So, should we ask ourselves what is the best preparation for someone who will become a partial remote worker? What we shouldn't do is ask if it would be useful to instruct someone to do homework? The answer is clearly yes".

Since the end of Covid restrictions in 2022, some companies have insisted that employees return to the office full time, with firms like JP Morgan requiring managers to be present there five days a week.

"If companies like JP Morgan are afraid that people working from home will slack off or not do a good job and cannot keep an eye on them, then I think it's an outdated concept", Greenberg said.

Refusing to provide work-from-home options will mean that talented employees can find other jobs and make companies less flexible in future crises, such as another health emergency, strikes or severe weather conditions that prevent people from reaching their offices, he added.

"If they do it out of fear alone, then they risk falling behind. We've looked at an enormous amount of evidence from years of analysis, and what our evaluation shows is that there are ways to make the work-from-home approach work really well for both the organization and the employees", he said.