Workplace Culture of Health, Remote Work, and Employee Well-being: A Mixed-Methods Study.

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Workforce Psychology
• Public Health

Background:

• Understanding the impact of diverse work settings on employee wellbeing is crucial.
• Workplace culture influences health behaviors and productivity.
• The rise of remote and hybrid work necessitates research into their effects on employees.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare perceptions of workplace health culture, physical activity (PA), psychological wellbeing, and work productivity across onsite, hybrid, and remote work settings.
• To identify differences in employee experiences based on their work arrangement.
• To inform strategies for optimizing wellbeing in modern workplaces.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods approach combining quantitative (questionnaire, n=520) and qualitative (interviews, n=20) data.
• Quantitative analysis included descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA).
• Qualitative data underwent thematic content analysis to identify key themes.

Main Results:

• Onsite employees reported significantly higher total PA levels compared to hybrid and remote employees (p < 0.05).
• Hybrid employees demonstrated significantly higher self-acceptance than both onsite and remote employees (p < 0.05).
• Qualitative data revealed benefits of remote work such as autonomy and flexibility, alongside challenges related to work-from-home environments and leadership support.

Conclusions:

• Remote and hybrid work models are linked to a spectrum of both positive and negative psychological wellbeing outcomes.
• Workplace culture and individual work arrangements significantly influence employee health behaviors and self-perception.
• Further investigation is needed to support wellbeing across all work settings.