Overview
- Researchers tracked more than 16,000 Australian employees using HILDA data from 2002 to 2023, excluding 2020 and 2021 to avoid pandemic distortions.
- Women recorded substantial mental-health improvements under mainly home-based hybrid schedules, with benefits comparable to a 15% rise in household income.
- Working from home showed no measurable mental-health effect for men across arrangements, according to the study.
- Longer commutes were linked to poorer mental health for men already experiencing issues, with an extra 30 minutes one way approximating the impact of a 2% income drop at the median.
- Workers with poorer baseline mental health were the most sensitive to commute length and the most likely to benefit from flexible arrangements, informing recommendations for hybrid options and commute-aware wellbeing policies.