Readers Say

Are readers still happy at work? Here’s what they said.

“Hybrid [work] allows the flexibility to work from home multiple days per week and the work-life balance that comes with it.”

By Annie Jonas

August 23, 2023

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Boston.com readers have spoken, and a majority are working in a hybrid role and currently happy with their job.

In the more than three years since the pandemic began in 2020, hybrid roles have retained their stronghold on the workplace, even as white collar workers make their return to the office. Zoom, for example – the company that made remote work work during lockdown – has switched to a hybrid model, asking its employees who live within a 50 mile radius of office locations to come into the office twice a week.

Our poll showed that the majority (44%) of the 85 respondents are hybrid workers, followed by 39% remote workers, and 18% in-person.

And, the majority (68%) of our readers also told us they are pretty darn happy with their current jobs – compared to last year’s poll on worker happiness, where 46% finished in the more happy than not category, with 41% falling in the more negative category.

This is on trend with national figures on hybrid work. A March 2023 survey by the Pew Research Center found that 41% of workers with jobs that can be done remotely are working a hybrid schedule – meaning working from home some days and from the office, workplace or job site other days.

Among these hybrid workers, most (63%) say their employer requires them to work in person a certain number of days per week or month, with about six-in-ten hybrid workers (59%) working from home three or more days in a typical week, and 41% working two days or fewer. 

Many hybrid workers would prefer to spend more time working from home than they currently do. About a third (34%) of those who are currently working from home most of the time say, if they had the choice, they’d like to work from home all the time. And among those who are working from home some of the time, half say they’d like to do so all (18%) or most (32%) of the time, the survey found.

Hope from Quincy is a hybrid worker who wishes she worked from home more often, like she used to. She said she worked “almost exclusively” from home for two years as a legal assistant at a law office and loved it. 

Now, however, her company has her working “in an empty office three days a week for no reason most of the time.” She said she was much happier working from home – “no blasting AC freezing me, no long commute, pets [at home] to comfort me when I had a bad day” – as opposed to her hybrid role. 

Similarly, Noreen from the North Shore said despite the perks of her current hybrid role, her mental health improved tremendously during the pandemic when she was working remotely and she didn’t have a long commute to worry about. 

“I’ve found that to commute on Route 128, I need to be on the road well before 6 a.m. and around 2 p.m. for the evening commute,” she said. “At any other time, the traffic is awful and increases my commute to double the time.”

Other readers, however, praised hybrid work for its flexibility, better work-life balance, and the opportunity to socialize with colleagues.

“I’ve been working in a hybrid situation since returning to the office post Covid,” an anonymous reader said. “Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday in the office provides the right balance of personal interaction with colleagues vs flexibility and the opportunity for a long weekend.”

Bob from Douglas said he just left a job that required all employees to come back to the office in-person full time for a hybrid job. 

“Productivity plummeted as a result, and people are jumping ship,” he said of his former job’s switch to fully in-person work. “Most of my friends are looking for hybrid or remote positions,” he added.

However, not all work or workers can be adapted to hybrid or remote roles. The pandemic revealed many disparities differing enormously by race and ethnicity between those who can safely work from home and who cannot.

Economists Elise Gould and Jori Kandra of the Economy Policy Institute wrote in a 2021 Working Economics blog post that, “as with the pre-pandemic period, there remains a large disparity between the share of Black and Hispanic workers who are able to telework during the pandemic, compared with white and Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) workers.”

Only one in six Hispanic workers (15.2%) and one in five Black workers (20.4%) were able to work remotely due to COVID, compared with one in four white workers (25.9%) and two in five AAPI workers (39.2%) who could, the researchers found.

“The bottom line: disparities persist between who can safely stay home and get a paycheck and who cannot,” Gould and Kandra wrote.

See below for more comments from readers who work in-person, hybrid, and remote about what work has been like for them over the last three years, how it’s going now, and what they like about their current work format.

Some responses have been edited for length or clarity.

Hybrid

“I have the ability to be there for my kids after school events. I can make doctors appointments without losing a whole day because of the commute. But I’ve also had to get good at being creative in how I work. Staying at home all the time can be a mental drain if you don’t find ways to engage with people, such as virtual co-working, finding different places to work depending on the project, knowing how to make your calendar work is all necessary for success.” – Ashlee, Merrimac

“When I first started my job, it was mandatory for training purposes that I be in the office every day for 6 months. After that, I could settle into a hybrid model. I loved this, as this gave me a chance to recognize people in my office/ give them a chance to recognize me and I found it is much easier to ask for help sitting in an office versus sitting at home. I have since reached the point of being able to work hybrid and I still choose to come to the office every day. With that being said, I really like that I have the opportunity to work from home if I so choose. That freezing cold -40 day in February? Stayed at home. Bad weather? Stayed at home. Severe train delays? Stayed at home. It’s a great option and can really help eliminate people from having to use vacation time for silly things (i.e. furniture getting delivered, repairman coming by, etc.) or having to use a sick day when they don’t need it. All companies should accept that a hybrid model is here to stay and it in no way decreases people’s productivity.” – Val, Quincy

“I genuinely enjoy my work and have great coworkers. It’s a good balance of work from home, commuting into the office for important meetings, and traveling to client sites.” – Tammy, Salem

“Hybrid allows the flexibility to work from home multiple days per week and the work-life balance that comes with it. Since you go into the office a couple of days per week, it also allows you to build teams more effectively and get to know your colleagues and managers better. In addition, you don’t feel left out the way a fully remote worker might feel.” – Joe, North Kingstown, RI

“I am a hybrid worker and just love the two days I get to work from home. Traffic is back to pre-pandemic levels with worse drivers and higher volume than ever.” – Amanda, Stoneham

“Liked working from home during the pandemic but liked getting back in the office more recently.” – Michael W., Westwood

“Full-time working mom with zero local family support. I need the flexibility for childcare, doctors appointments. Hybrid and remote work just makes sense! It allows me to be a more present and intentional parent!” – Anonymous reader

“Younger workers like myself cannot and will not develop job skills unless leaders make the effort to actually return to the office.” Anonymous reader

Fully remote

“The benefits of not wasting 2-plus hours of commuting time is immense. I do miss seeing other colleagues outside of my main team each day (hallway chats, lunches out with colleagues, etc.) but the flexibility is outstanding. I can get tasks done in the middle of the day if there are no meetings and either get up to work earlier in the morning, or later in the evening/night if needed.” – Mike B., Billerica

“I have a mental health practice. Before the Covid emergency, I saw about 30% of my clients via telehealth. Most of them had migrated to that platform from in-person due to changes in their availability (especially new moms) or job location. What used to take them upwards of 3 hours (driving/parking/meeting/driving back) now only took the one hour of our meeting. Cancellations and no-shows became more rare. At that stage, insurers were reimbursing at lower rates for telehealth than for in-person. Now I can see all of my clients from anywhere that has privacy and good data/wifi service and same for them. My job is more flexible than it’s ever been, I’m more rather than less available, and I’m saving money on paying for an office. With a small learning curve for a few clients, the online forum works incredibly well for talk therapy. My entire panel made the transition quite seamlessly, including my seniors. I like my job more and I have more time for myself, to exercise and eat healthier and to spend with my family.” – Gretchen P., Rhode Island

“I am fortunate to be able to work not only remotely but out of state. I became a caretaker for my mother in 2020 and moved out of MA to live with her full-time. I would not be able to take care of her if I was unable to work remotely, and I am very lucky that my workplace understands this and is supportive of my needs.” – Eugenia B., former Arlington resident

“Since going 100% remote, I have saved 2.5 hours each day commuting to work. That is 2000 hours that I got back in my life. I am able to get other things done, rather than wasting all that time staring through a windshield.” – Vinca, Worcester County

“Many of us have been fully remote since the omicron variant drove us all back home (after a short-lived hybrid model). After Labor Day we need to return to the office for 3 days office, 2 remote. I strongly prefer a full remote role. I had years of freelance work experience where I worked from home full time so the pandemic wasn’t difficult to adapt to. No commute and ability to work longer or shorter is great. Being home for our dogs is important. We’ve done this for three years and have been as, if not more, productive and efficient. I’m all in for going to the office for important team meetings but not to do what can be done anywhere.” – John H., Worcester

“I appreciate the lack of a commute, regaining three hours of my day to get extra sleep, exercise in the morning, and spend quality time with my spouse. I was always overtired and rarely had time to take a walk before the pandemic. Generally, I work in my home office, but occasionally, I do move outside to my backyard or front porch to enjoy the summer weather and for a change in venue. I truly do not miss traveling to Boston everyday, especially since the people I work with most often are located across the US and around the world.” – Nancy O., Marblehead

“I love being able to work from my home office and spend time with my dog but do miss the camaraderie of an in person office. Working from home has mostly been great but it does seem like, as time went on, the separation from the work has been less as I find myself routinely working on stuff until late into the evening (or worse, getting hit up by West Coast colleagues who know I’m home most weeknights with something ‘urgent’ late at night). All in all, though, the flexibility has been mostly positive and I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to go back to working in-person full time ever again.” – Adam, East Boston

“Been remote for 8 yrs. Do not miss commuting at all ! I used to use the T, then commuter rail, then driving. Some perks of office life are nice but having an extra three hours a day is priceless! It was interesting seeing how everyone else adapted (or didn’t). I don’t see any downside to remote if the job can be done remotely. Jobs get done or they don’t, leaders still have control.” – Danny R., Boston

In-person/Never remote 

“I work in a restaurant so of course we can’t be remote. Working through the pandemic was fine, customers were super appreciative and just happy to be out. We are still going strong and we are busier than ever.” – Vinnie T., Waltham

“I don’t work in a job where remote or hybrid was an option. So, I really didn’t know any better.” – William P., Boston

“School and teaching is nowhere near what it was pre pandemic. We have gone backward in a negative way. Being a teacher is no longer supported by families, the community, or powers that be. Please offer schools in a hybrid or online model also for those who feel safer learning from home. Gun violence, bullying, and threats permeate our daily school culture. We do not feel safe as faculty or students, and the weekly, repeated acts of violence in our communities are swept under the rug as we plead for more resources – especially social emotional. Our schools used to be a place worth commuting to. At our campuses you see teachers crying in their cars praying the threats don’t manifest. I would also leave tomorrow if our retirement was malleable.” – Jen, Boston

“I work in the food and beverage industry at an enormous entertainment facility in the MetroWest area where, for the past two years, we have been trying to rebuild our staff and customer base. Well it’s finally happened! Everyone is back. Guests are eager to dine and entertain with us. And they’re not shy about spending money. We’re packed on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, and weekday business is strong also. We have enough cooks, dishwashers, food-runners, supervisors and managers. Just as people are eager to visit with us and spend money, people are eager to work with us and make money. Prior to 2023, people were hesitant about dining out. Not anymore. Rather than talking about COVID precautions, vaccinations and masks we’re talking about drink specials, menu additions and birthday parties.” – Tommy Z., Holliston

“I have to work at the office for my job in healthcare. I think if I was choosing a career now, when remote or hybrid is an option, I would have chosen a different career. I have kids and I feel everyone just assumes you have a super flexible schedule for daycare pick-up, teacher meetings, etc. It drives me insane because I have zero flexibility. I’m sure that is why jobs in restaurants and healthcare are struggling to find staff. It stinks when it seems like the rest of the world can work from home, pick their hours, and go to the gym whenever they feel like it!” – April, Holliston

“Company has gone back to full-time in the office. I have two children under the age of three, coordinating schedules with daycare is a nightmare. I spend an hour in the car before work and an hour in the car after work. By the time my workday is over, it is time for the kids to go to bed. The quality time with my family is gone. The number of times someone in the house is sick from being rundown is insane.” – Anonymous reader, Worcester

“I have a commute I can manage either by bicycle or the T which works for me.  I prefer keeping my work at work and home at home as much as possible.  Obviously they sometimes interfere with each other but I would not want the two merged any more than they are.  I also prefer working with others when needed in person rather than virtually.  It is a much more productive way to work.” – Hugo, Jamaica Plain

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