Employees who work remotely full time report higher levels of loneliness (25 per cent) than those who work fully onsite (16 per cent), according to a new report by Gallup Inc.

The global report found that overall, a fifth of employees reported experiencing loneliness recently, with the percentage being higher among employees younger than age 35 and lower among those older than age 35. Indeed, employee well-being declined slightly in 2023 from 35 per cent to 34 per cent and this decline was mainly felt by workers younger than age 35. In general, working adults were less lonely (20 per cent) than those who were unemployed (32 per cent) and this remained true across all age groups.

Read: Survey finds a fifth of global employees report experiencing loneliness

In addition, employees who disliked their jobs had higher levels of daily stress and worry. Regarding well-being factors like stress, anger and worry, being actively disengaged at work was equivalent to or worse than being unemployed. By contrast, when employees found their work meaningful, employment was associated with high levels of daily enjoyment and low levels of negative emotions. Notably, half of employees who were engaged at work were thriving in life overall.

Actively disengaged employees comprise 15 per cent of the global workforce, the report found, noting these workers were more likely to be suffering in their overall well-being. Indeed, 54 per cent said they experienced a lot of stress recently.

The report also analyzed the labour rights sub-indexes that most correlated with thriving in life, including maternity at work, fair wages, social security, employment security, fair treatment and safety.

Managers were more likely to be engaged and thriving in life and experience higher pay and social status compared to their non-manager peers. They were also more likely to feel their opinions count and feel connected to their organization. However, they also experienced higher levels of negative emotions and were more likely to be looking to leave their current job than non-managers.

Read: Survey finds 68% of global employers with high employee engagement have well defined DEI plans