Psychosocial work experience after implementing hybrid work: a longitudinal study

Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift, 2026

Background: Hybrid work has become a prevalent work model, referring to the combination of office and remote work. Previous studies have found that hybrid work arrangements may positively affect psychosocial factors such as job satisfaction, work-life balance, and retention. However, hybrid work has also been observed to blur the boundaries between work and private life and increase work-family conflict, and more knowledge is needed on how hybrid work influences the psychosocial work environment from a longitudinal perspective. This study aimed to investigate the impact of the transition to hybrid work on the work experience, and to determine how personal and occupational factors, such as age, sex, managerial position, number of children living at home, work tasks, autonomy, and time spent working at the office, influenced the change in work experience. Methods: To explore differences in the Work Experience Measurement Scale (WEMS), longitudinal questionnaire data (n = 148) from white-collar workers in a medium-sized Swedish municipality were analyzed. Data collection took place in 2017 before COVID-19 and 2023, 1.5 years after national work-from-home restrictions were lifted. Univariate linear regression was used to determine how the different factors affected the change in work experience. Results: The mean age of the study population was 50.1 years at the time of the second data collection in 2023. The study populations’ WEMS scores significantly improved over time, both on the total scale and specifically within the dimensions supportive working conditions, time experience, autonomy, and leadership. The main factor that influenced the work experience was sex, where women’s work experience improved significantly over time, whereas men’s work experience did not. Conclusion: This study contributes a longitudinal perspective on hybrid work and its impact on the psychosocial work environment. While the findings of this study align with previous research in relation to improvement of, for example, job satisfaction, the study also reveals sex differences previously not seen in a hybrid work context.