How Different Are the Mental and Physical Burdens Between Office Commuting and Full Remote Work? A Survey Report on Causes and Changes in Values
LASSIC Inc.'s "Telework/Remote Work Research Institute" conducted a survey on "Factors of Discomfort and Changes in Values at the Workplace" targeting 1,009 workers aged 20-60 with remote work experience. The most frequently cited cause of mental and physical discomfort in workplace relationships was "difficulty in necessary communication and feeling isolated" (22.2%). Among changes in values after remote work experience, "wanting to concentrate alone and value my own pace" ranked first at 39.0%. For full-remote workers, this item reached 51.9%, a difference of 18.8 points compared to full-office workers (33.1%).
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 10, 2026 at 01:19
- 🔍 Collected: April 11, 2026 at 00:29 (23h 10m after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 20, 2026 at 00:58 (216h 28m after Collected)
LASSIC Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Main Office: Tottori City, Tottori Prefecture; Representative Director and President: Koji Wakayama; hereinafter "LASSIC"), which operates "Telework/Remote Work Research Institute (Teleremo Soken)" – a web media that disseminates information promoting and supporting "location-independent work styles" – conducted a "Survey on Factors of Discomfort and Changes in Values at the Workplace" targeting 1,009 workers aged 20-60 nationwide with remote work experience. The most frequently cited cause of mental and physical discomfort in workplace relationships was "difficulty in necessary communication and feeling isolated" (22.2%). As a result of asking about changes in values after remote work experience, "wanting to concentrate alone and value my own pace" ranked first at 39.0%. By commuting style (frequency of office attendance), the same item for full-remote workers reached 51.9%, a difference of 18.8 points compared to full-office workers (33.1%).
Summary
This survey investigated five items: "causes of mental and physical discomfort" in workplace relationships, patterns of discomfort by commuting style, changes in values due to remote work experience, differences in value changes by commuting style, and trends by gender and age group. The top causes of discomfort were "feeling isolated" (22.2%), "feeling monitored by superiors" (20.4%), and "complexity of factions and human relationships" (20.3%). Although prominent items differed by commuting style, "feeling isolated" was consistently in the 20-24% range across all styles, positioning it as a common issue regardless of commuting form. Regarding changes in values, there was an 18.8-point difference in "prioritizing one's own pace" between full-remote workers (51.9%) and full-office workers (33.1%), making it the most significant item related to commuting style and value changes.
Main Survey Results
1st place for causes of discomfort at work: "Difficulty in necessary communication and feeling isolated" (hereinafter, isolation) 22.2%. 2nd place: "Feeling of detailed progress checks and frequent calls from superiors, or being constantly monitored" (hereinafter, feeling monitored by superiors) 20.4%. 3rd place: "Complexity of factions and human relationships within the office" (hereinafter, human relationships) 20.3%.
Causes of discomfort by commuting style (frequency of office attendance): For full-office workers, 1st place was "Information sharing within departments or teams is stagnant, hindering work progress" (hereinafter, stagnant information sharing) at 24.6%, the highest among all styles. Among items with a high proportion for full-remote workers, the largest difference from full-office workers was "Misunderstandings in text communication and difficulty conveying nuances" (hereinafter, text misunderstandings), with an 8.0-point gap. On the other hand, "isolation" ranked within the top 3 for all styles, positioning it as a common issue.
By age group, there was a 20.8pt difference in "feeling monitored by superiors," with 20.6% for those in their 20s and 11.8% for those in their 60s.
1st place for changes in values due to remote work experience: "Wanting to concentrate alone and value my own pace" (hereinafter, prioritizing one's own pace) 39.0%. 2nd place: "Wanting to balance work and private life on my own" (hereinafter, proactive work-life balance (WLB)) 35.4%. 3rd place: "Coming to idealize a work style not bound by location constraints such as commuting" (hereinafter, liberation from location constraints) 23.4%.
"Prioritizing one's own pace" for full-remote workers was 51.9%, significantly higher compared to other work styles.
By gender, "proactive WLB" ranked high for both men and women, with the largest gender difference (women exceeding men by 7.3pt).
In all age groups, "prioritizing one's own pace" and "proactive WLB" ranked in the top 2. For those in their 50s, the 1st and 2nd places were reversed.
Summary
This survey investigated five items: "causes of mental and physical discomfort" in workplace relationships, patterns of discomfort by commuting style, changes in values due to remote work experience, differences in value changes by commuting style, and trends by gender and age group. The top causes of discomfort were "feeling isolated" (22.2%), "feeling monitored by superiors" (20.4%), and "complexity of factions and human relationships" (20.3%). Although prominent items differed by commuting style, "feeling isolated" was consistently in the 20-24% range across all styles, positioning it as a common issue regardless of commuting form. Regarding changes in values, there was an 18.8-point difference in "prioritizing one's own pace" between full-remote workers (51.9%) and full-office workers (33.1%), making it the most significant item related to commuting style and value changes.
Main Survey Results
1st place for causes of discomfort at work: "Difficulty in necessary communication and feeling isolated" (hereinafter, isolation) 22.2%. 2nd place: "Feeling of detailed progress checks and frequent calls from superiors, or being constantly monitored" (hereinafter, feeling monitored by superiors) 20.4%. 3rd place: "Complexity of factions and human relationships within the office" (hereinafter, human relationships) 20.3%.
Causes of discomfort by commuting style (frequency of office attendance): For full-office workers, 1st place was "Information sharing within departments or teams is stagnant, hindering work progress" (hereinafter, stagnant information sharing) at 24.6%, the highest among all styles. Among items with a high proportion for full-remote workers, the largest difference from full-office workers was "Misunderstandings in text communication and difficulty conveying nuances" (hereinafter, text misunderstandings), with an 8.0-point gap. On the other hand, "isolation" ranked within the top 3 for all styles, positioning it as a common issue.
By age group, there was a 20.8pt difference in "feeling monitored by superiors," with 20.6% for those in their 20s and 11.8% for those in their 60s.
1st place for changes in values due to remote work experience: "Wanting to concentrate alone and value my own pace" (hereinafter, prioritizing one's own pace) 39.0%. 2nd place: "Wanting to balance work and private life on my own" (hereinafter, proactive work-life balance (WLB)) 35.4%. 3rd place: "Coming to idealize a work style not bound by location constraints such as commuting" (hereinafter, liberation from location constraints) 23.4%.
"Prioritizing one's own pace" for full-remote workers was 51.9%, significantly higher compared to other work styles.
By gender, "proactive WLB" ranked high for both men and women, with the largest gender difference (women exceeding men by 7.3pt).
In all age groups, "prioritizing one's own pace" and "proactive WLB" ranked in the top 2. For those in their 50s, the 1st and 2nd places were reversed.