More and more employers are asking people to return to the office - and one of the most common reasons given is the sense of disconnection and disengagement caused by remote working. But is remote work really to blame?
At Thomas, we use science and data to understand what drives people at work - from motivation and communication to performance and connection. So we decided to look at the evidence and explore whether remote working is genuinely weakening connection, or whether the issue lies somewhere else entirely...
What do we really mean by connection?
At Thomas, we define connection as a set of deeper workplace experiences that shape how engaged and effective people feel. Connection isn’t just those fabled ‘watercooler’ moments, it is a feeling that is built through a range of touchpoints. From coffee catch ups and team meetings to your engagement with the purpose of the organisation itself, connection makes a big impact for something made up of so many small moments.
That can feel difficult to measure, but luckily, you’re in expert hands. For this study, we focused on six core dimensions of connection that are known to influence performance, engagement and turnover. We wanted to test whether working remotely had any measurable impact on:
- Appreciation – Feeling valued and having your achievements recognised
- Cohesion – Enjoying positive relationships with colleagues
- Contribution – Feeling productive and effective at work
- Belonging – Feeling aligned with the broader goals and values of your workplace
- Trust – Feeling able to rely on others and perceiving them as acting with integrity
- Wellbeing – Experiencing a healthy work-life balance with minimal negative impact on mental health
How we tested the relationship between remote work and connection
We asked 211 working professionals to complete our Connection measure – a tool designed to evaluate those six key areas, and to also tell us how many days a week they typically work remotely.
The average across the group was two days a week in a remote setting, giving us a broad view across different working patterns.
We then analysed the relationship between the number of remote working days and overall connection, as well as each of the six individual dimensions.
The results? Not what your boss might expect
The data showed no meaningful correlation between remote work and connection. In other words, remote working does not appear to have a significant impact on whether someone feels connected across the dimensions we measured.
Whether it’s appreciation, cohesion, contribution, belonging, trust or wellbeing – the number of remote days worked did not predict how connected someone felt to their work. Correlations were negligible across the board, and statistically non-significant.
That means returning to the office may not be the quick fix for improving connection that some leaders hope it will be.
What this means for people leaders and HR
If you’re seeing signs of disconnection in your team, the solution may not be about where people work from, but about how intentionally your workplace is designed to create connection.
Trust, appreciation and belonging don’t appear because people are in the same room. They show up when people feel seen, valued and part of something meaningful. That kind of culture takes planning, effort and leadership, not just office attendance.
Want to find other ways of creating connection?
We’ve been speaking to experts about just that. Find out what other HR leaders are saying about creating cultures of real connection when you read How to build real human connection in hybrid remote workplaces.
