Remote work can weaken the need for belonging — the gap between actual and desired remote work can eat away motivation

Finnish Institute of Occupational Health media release 26 September 2025

Remote and hybrid work have become an established part of the everyday life of many employees, and workplaces are looking for a suitable balance between remote and in-person work. The results of the "Engagement and social connections in multi-location work" project clarify the benefits and disadvantages of remote work in different situations and employee groups over time. 

"Remote work is not just either a good or a bad thing. It can increase flexibility, but also weaken the sense of community. This is why we need more detailed information about the conditions in which remote work either benefits or disadvantages employees," says Janne Kaltiainen, Specialist Researcher at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health.

What is the right amount of remote work? 

The study found that a difference in the amount of desired and actual remote work can weaken well-being and increase negative attitudes towards work. Less remote work than desired was linked to lower work engagement and greater intentions to resign. On the other hand, more remote work than expected also appeared to have negative effects on perceived work ability and work performance. 

“If employees do not have the opportunity to influence their ways of working, this is reflected in their coping and motivation — whether the amount of remote work is lower or higher than desired,” says Researcher Sampo Suutala from the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health.

In the short term, remote work can make everyday life easier and reduce stress. Its risks, on the other hand, often only become apparent in the longer term. Prolonged and extensive remote work can weaken learning, renewal and sense of community.  

"Especially at the individual level, remote work may seem like a great solution, but at the community level, the consequences can be negative over time. Therefore, it is important to talk openly about the impacts of different forms of work and to build solutions that support both the individual and the work community in the long term," says Research Professor Jari Hakanen. 

How to maintain a sense of community in remote work?

According to the study, extensive remote work not only weakens the sense of community but may also reduce the employee’s need to be part of a community. This finding is surprising, as individual tendencies such as the need for belonging have generally been considered relatively persistent.  

This means that extensive remote work can reduce employees' desire to work at the office, which can also affect the resources provided by community, such as support, knowledge-sharing and trust. On the other hand, community spirit and well-being at work can also be consciously strengthened in remote environments by developing working methods and practices, such as by increasing regular face-to-face meetings and low-threshold encounters in everyday life. 

"Attractive factors for working at the office include great workspaces, trusting co-worker relationships and people-oriented immediate management. Forcing people to work one way or another can hinder well-being, while an internally motivated employee is also a productive employee," says Kaltiainen. 

Engagement and social connections in multi-location work 

• The "Engagement and social connections in multi-location work" project investigated the impacts of multi-location work by examining its links to a sense of community, well-being and activities at work.
• The data was collected by means of surveys in three phases in 2023–2024 and weekly surveys over a period of six weeks.  
• Principal funder: Finnish Work Environment Fund (project 230152). The project was also funded by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, the City of Kuopio and OP Financial Group. 

Read more 

• Project page on the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health website: www.ttl.fi/hymy
• Final report of the study in Julkari (in Finnish): https://www.julkari.fi/handle/10024/152106 

Further information 

• Janne Kaltiainen, Specialist Researcher, janne.kaltiainen@ttl.fi, +358 50 476 5980
• Jari Hakanen, Research Professor, jari.hakanen@ttl.fi,  +358 40 562 5433
• Sampo Suutala, Researcher, sampo.suutala@ttl.fi, +358 50 563 0131