The impact of work modality (remote, hybrid, on-site) on mental health: Exploring the role of rumination and self-regulation capacity

This study aims to understand the impact of work modality (remote, hybrid, on-site) on full-time employees' mental health after the COVID-19 pandemic. The study also aims to explore the role of rumination and individuals' self-regulation capacity in the relationship between work modality and mental health. The study was conducted with 371 adults aged between 25 and 65 years who were working in either on-site, hybrid, or remote work modalities. Socio-demographic Information Form, Ruminative Thought Style Questionnaire, Self-Regulation Questionnaire, and The Symptom Assessment-45 Questionnaire were employed to collect data. Kruskal-Wallis and Spearman's Rho tests were conducted to assess the hypotheses of the study. The results indicated that work modality had an impact on employees' mental health only when the number of years the participants have been working was taken into account. Depression scores were found higher among on-site employees who have been working for more than 16 years compared to hybrid and remote workers. Similarly, remote workers who have been employed for a maximum of a year in the current company had higher depression scores than hybrid and on-site workers. On the other hand, hybrid workers with 1 to 5 years of work experience were found to have higher anxiety scores than remote and on-site employees. In addition, single males, those who live alone, and those who experience low or moderate job stress demonstrated a higher tendency for rumination while working remotely. However, individuals' self-regulation capacity did not affect the association between work modality and mental health. The findings of the study were discussed in the context of the existing literature, and theoretical implications were identified.