Hybrid work model significantly lowers burnout, new study finds

Updated March 12, 2026, 10:59 a.m. | By Danny Guselli

A new study revealed that hybrid working dramatically reduces burnout symptoms, with 75% of workers reporting significant relief. Could flexible working be the key to a healthier workforce?

Flexible working arrangements are proving to be far more than a convenience for employees. A landmark study has found that adopting a hybrid work model, where employees divide their time between home, the office and other flexible workspaces, is significantly reducing burnout across the workforce, reports IOL.

The research, conducted by International Workplace Group (IWG) a provider of hybrid working solutions, surveyed 1 000 hybrid workers and found that approximately 75% reported a dramatic reduction in burnout symptoms since transitioning to a hybrid model.

Burnout is recognised as a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress. The findings are particularly striking given that 72% of those surveyed had experienced burnout before making the switch.

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What is driving the reduction in burnout?

A key factor behind the decline in burnout appears to be the elimination or significant reduction, of lengthy daily commutes. With this time returned to them, workers have been able to invest more in their personal well-being. The study found that the increase in free time has contributed to a better work-life balance for 86% of respondents, more physical exercise for 54%, healthier meal preparation for 58% and improved sleep quality for 68%.

Collectively, these lifestyle improvements are contributing to a meaningfully lower risk of burnout. Overall, more than two-thirds of workers, 68%, said their physical health had improved as a direct result of hybrid working.

How has hybrid working affected employees emotionally?

The benefits extend well beyond the physical. Workers also reported feeling less drained (79%), less stressed (78%) and less anxious (72%) since moving to a flexible working model. Perhaps most tellingly, an overwhelming 86% of workers said they felt better equipped to cope with the demands of day-to-day life when working flexibly.

These figures paint a clear picture of a workforce that is not only healthier but more emotionally resilient.

Would returning to the office five days a week undo the progress?

Given the scale of the improvements recorded, it is perhaps unsurprising that 76% of workers said that returning to a central office five days a week would negatively affect their wellbeing. For many, the hybrid model has become central to maintaining the balance they have worked to achieve and the prospect of reversing it raises genuine concern among employees.

Can hybrid working also improve business performance?

The study suggests that the benefits of hybrid working are not limited to employee health. Productivity and motivation also appear to have increased significantly. Some 74% of workers said they were more productive when working in a hybrid model, while 76% reported feeling more motivated.

Additionally, 85% of employees said that hybrid working had improved their job satisfaction, a metric that carries considerable weight for businesses focused on retention and performance.

HR leaders appear to share this view. Four in five, 86%, stated that hybrid work has become one of the most in-demand employee wellness benefits, while 85% reported that it increases employee productivity.

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What does independent research say about hybrid working and productivity?

The IWG findings are further supported by independent research conducted earlier this year, led by economist and academic Nick Bloom in collaboration with the Bank of England, Stanford University, King's College London and Nottingham University.

That research found that for every day an employee worked within a hybrid model, their firm's productivity was measurably higher, lending significant academic weight to the case for flexible working.

What do business leaders say?

Mark Dixon, chief executive of IWG, noted that hybrid working delivers strong productivity and financial advantages to companies, alongside meaningful health benefits for employees, physically, mentally and holistically.

He added that no longer having to spend so much time commuting to central offices means that employees have more time to look after their wellbeing and that this also reduces the likelihood of burnout across the workforce.

He emphasised that companies need to take note that not only will they have a happier, healthier workforce when they allow people to work flexibly, but that people actually feel more productive and motivated as a result.

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