Guaynabo, PR, August 20, 2026 – According to FlexJobs® Mental Health at Work Report, half (50%) of U.S. workers said fully remote work has the greatest positive impact on their mental health, compared with just eight percent who said the same about in-person work.
The findings come as workplace stress remains widespread. In the survey of over 1,700 respondents, 70% reported feeling stressed or overwhelmed at work at least “sometimes,” including 30% who experienced these feelings “often” or “very often.”
“Today’s workforce is clearly making the connection between how they work and how they feel,” said Keith Spencer, Career Expert at FlexJobs. “With the vast majority of people experiencing workplace stress at least some of the time, regardless of the type of work environment, employers should be paying closer attention to the conditions that can either support or undermine well-being. And for many workers, flexibility is a huge part of that equation, alongside manageable workloads, productive relationships, and work practices that allow people to do their best work.”
Remote Work Leads for Perceived Mental Health Impact
When respondents in FlexJobs’ survey were asked which working arrangement has the greatest positive impact on their mental health, remote work led by a significant margin:
- 50% – Fully remote work
- 16% – Work arrangement does not impact mental health
- 15% – Hybrid work
- 11% – All arrangements have a similar impact
- 8% – In-person work
The trend shows steady consistency with past years, where the majority of workers reported that some level of remote work, including fully remote and hybrid options, has the most positive impact on their mental well-being.
7 in 10 Workers Experience Regular Work-Related Stress
FlexJobs’ survey reported that 70% of workers regularly feel stressed or overwhelmed at work. Specifically, 40% said they “sometimes” experience workplace stress, while nearly one-third (30%) said it happens more frequently, including:
- 17% who feel stressed or overwhelmed “often”
- 13% who feel stressed or overwhelmed “very often”
By comparison, one-quarter (25%) said they “rarely” feel stressed or overwhelmed at work, and only 5% said they “never” do. When asked about their primary source of work-related stress, respondents said:
- Management or coworkers (20%)
- Job security or layoff concerns (16%)
- Workload (15%)
- Work-life balance (11%)
- Other factors (11%)
- Organizational changes (9%)
- Commute or workplace conditions (8%)
- Lack of flexibility (6%)
- AI or automation (4%)
Majority Engaged, But Meetings Rank as Biggest Productivity Disruptor
Despite widespread workplace stress, most workers reported feeling engaged on the job. Over one-third (35%) said they “often” feel engaged, while another 34% said they “always” do. Almost one quarter (22%) said they “sometimes” feel engaged, while 9% “rarely or never” felt engaged at work.
Interesting or challenging work (71%) and feeling valued or recognized (69%) were the top contributors to job engagement in the survey. Respondents also cited:
- Opportunities for learning, growth, or advancement (55%)
- Work-life balance (53%)
- Support from their manager (50%)
- Compensation and benefits (49%)
- Trust in leadership (49%)
- Flexibility in when or where they work (48%)
- Collaboration with coworkers or team members (43%)
Conversely, workers pointed to meetings (21%) more than any other factor when asked what most disrupts their productivity during the workday. Other top reasons included:
- Interruptions from coworkers (16%)
- Technology issues (16%)
- Lack of clear priorities (14%)
- Workspace environment (12%)
- Personal distractions (7%)
- Household responsibilities (4%)
- Social media (2%)
For more information, please visit https://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/mental-health-at-work-statistics or contact Shanna Briggs ([email protected]).
Methodology: Demographic breakdown of the 1,701 respondents: Gender: women (70%), men (27%), prefer not to identify (2%), prefer to self-describe (1%); Generation: Gen Z (7%), millennial/Gen Y (26%), Gen X (43%), baby boomer (23%), silent generation (1%); Education: less than a high school degree (1%), high school degree or equivalent (14%), some college but no degree (23%), associate’s degree (14%), bachelor’s degree (30%), graduate degree (18%); Career level: entry-level (15%), experienced (51%), manager (17%), senior-level manager (13%), executive (4%); 32 percent had children 18 or younger living at home with them. FlexJobs created the survey, which was promoted to general audiences and its subscribers/members primarily through social media and newsletters. FlexJobs used a multiple choice and multi-select question format via SurveyMonkey’s online platform. The survey ran from June 9-22, 2026.
About FlexJobs
FlexJobs’ work-from-home jobs site specializes in flexible, hybrid, and remote jobs, with over 135 million people having used its resources since 2007. FlexJobs provides the highest-quality database of vetted online job listings, from entry-level to executive, startups to public companies, part-time to full-time. To support job seekers in all phases of their careers, FlexJobs offers expert advice, events & webinars, and other resources. In parallel, FlexJobs works with leading companies to recruit the best remote talent and optimize their remote and flexible workplace. A trusted source for data, trends, and insight, FlexJobs has been cited extensively in top national outlets, including Business Insider, CNBC, Entrepreneur magazine, Fast Company magazine, Forbes magazine, Fortune magazine, HuffPost, Newsweek magazine, Scripps News, U.S. News & World Report, USA Today, Yahoo Finance, and many more.
