I saw in a recent survey that people who thought their productivity had increased (or at least stayed the same) whilst working from home during the pandemic, also reported that their mental well-being had improved.
This could suggest that high productivity makes people feel better about themselves or conversely that poor mental health results in poor productivity.
The third possibility (and perhaps most likely) is that both are true.
This in turn suggests that companies that want high productivity from their WFH workforce should pay attention to, and put resources into, the psychological
well-being of their workers, especially into supporting those that are feeling isolated and need social contact to replace the ‘office vibe’.
When thinking about a return to office working, perhaps a structured, hybrid approach is best – choosing the work location according to the project/task being worked on.
So, not one, not the other, but an appropriate blend of remote and home working might best replace what we have now.