Daily well-being in remote vs. in-person work: The role of personality and socio-demographic moderators

Person-environment fit has been a subject of interest in personality psychology. In recent years, remote work has emerged as important workplace environment. This study examines the association between remote vs. in-person work and well-being, and how personality, age, and other socio-demographic factors moderate these associations. Over one month, 553 participants, who engage in both remote and in-person work, completed a daily diary. Using multilevel models, we examined intra-individual well-being differences between home and workplace days. Participants reported better mood, but greater loneliness on home-office vs. workplace days, while satisfaction levels were similar. HEXACO traits and socio-demographics accounted for some individual differences in well-being. Higher emotionality amplified loneliness on home-office days compared to workplace days. Age did not moderate well-being differences. Overall, findings indicate that work environments (remote vs. office) are related to within-individual well-being differences. Personality traits and socio-demographic characteristics, aside from living with children and working hours, played a limited role. These results suggest that well-being differences across working locations are generalizable across a large age range, different personality characteristics, and socio-demographic groups.