Work mode, stress and lifestyle
- survey
- 9,097 survey responses collected in March-April 2026; 7,961 with a non-blank work-mode answer
Key takeaways
- Remote workers report the highest stress, at 42.4%. This compares with 40.5% among office workers and 38.5% among hybrid workers.
- Women's high-stress share varies by 8.4 points across work modes; men's by 1.0 point. Within the office group, the difference between women and men is larger still, at 12.2 points.
- Office workers report the highest share on four lifestyle measures: no exercise, short sleep, nicotine use and workday caffeine.
- Office work is the most common work mode in every income band.
- Women make up a larger share of remote workers than office workers. Women account for 42.6% of the remote group, compared with 28.2% of the office group.
- Who answered the work-mode question
- Health and lifestyle patterns differ by work mode
- Women's stress varies more by work mode than men's
- Older remote workers report the highest stress and short sleep
- Remote work has the largest female share
- Office work is the most common work mode in every income band
- Commutes of 90+ minutes are linked to the highest stress and short sleep
- Office workers report the most days without exercise in both editions
Of 7,961 respondents who named a work mode, 61.5% work from office, 20.9% are hybrid and 17.6% work from home. Their reported sleep, exercise, stress and lifestyle patterns differ.
Who answered the work-mode question#
View data table
| Group | Share of work-mode answers | Valid answers (n) |
|---|---|---|
| Work From Office (WFO) | 61.5% | 4,893 |
| Hybrid (at least 2 days in office) | 20.9% | 1,666 |
| Work From Home (WFH) | 17.6% | 1,402 |
Most respondents work from office.
Health and lifestyle patterns differ by work mode#
The three work modes show different patterns across these eight measures.
| Measure | WFO | Hybrid | WFH | Valid answers (WFO / Hybrid / WFH) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No days of exercise | 33.6% | 25.7% | 27.8% | 4,585 / 1,597 / 1,324 |
| Short sleep | 31.8% | 27.8% | 30.8% | 4,629 / 1,606 / 1,333 |
| High stress | 40.5% | 38.5% | 42.4% | 4,477 / 1,565 / 1,303 |
| Eats out or orders in 3+ times a week | 23.7% | 26.9% | 19.1% | 4,653 / 1,618 / 1,341 |
| Any alcohol | 37.5% | 40.7% | 32.6% | 4,408 / 1,547 / 1,293 |
| Any current nicotine use | 18.6% | 17.1% | 12.2% | 4,388 / 1,544 / 1,290 |
| Any caffeine on a workday | 77.4% | 76.3% | 74.4% | 4,383 / 1,540 / 1,287 |
| Has heard of GLP-1 weight-loss medication | 22.7% | 30.0% | 32.6% | 4,221 / 1,495 / 1,252 |
The table below adds regular exercise, therapy and late caffeine use.
View data table
| Measure | WFO | Hybrid | WFH | Valid answers (WFO / Hybrid / WFH) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exercises 3 or more days a week | 34.3% | 41.8% | 41.5% | 4,585 / 1,597 / 1,324 |
| Has ever seen a therapist or counsellor | 9.2% | 11.1% | 13.5% | 4,513 / 1,572 / 1,305 |
| Last caffeinated drink after 6 pm | 20.6% | 23.9% | 26.4% | 2,096 / 681 / 560 |
Hybrid and remote respondents are more likely to report exercise on three or more days a week: 41.8% and 41.5%, compared with 34.3% of office respondents.
Dr Priyadarshini Jagtap distinguishes work location from the working conditions she hears about in consultations.
The work mode alone won't determine health. I've seen employees in hybrid roles who are extremely stressed because meetings occupy every hour of the day, and I've seen remote employees who are thriving because their organisations actively encourage healthy work habits.
If I were advising a company, I'd focus less on where employees work and more on how they work.
That means encouraging regular breaks, limiting unnecessary after-hours communication, ensuring people actually take their annual health check-ups, promoting movement during the workday and creating a culture where taking leave isn't viewed as a lack of commitment.
Dr Priyadarshini Jagtap
Founding Member & HOD, Medical Advisory Team
Loop Health
Women's stress varies more by work mode than men's#
Women's and men's results differ across work modes.
View data table
| High stress (7 to 10) | WFO | Hybrid | WFH | Spread across work modes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | 36.9% | 37.8% | 37.9% | 1.0 pt |
| Women | 49.1% | 40.7% | 48.7% | 8.4 pt |
| Valid answers, men | 3,168 | 1,114 | 738 | |
| Valid answers, women | 1,298 | 442 | 559 |
Men report similar high-stress shares across all three work modes: 36.9% to 37.9%. For women, high stress is 49.1% in office work, 48.7% in remote work and 40.7% in hybrid work.
The same split on the other two behaviours:
| Women only | WFO | Hybrid | WFH | Valid answers (WFO / Hybrid / WFH) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No days of exercise | 42.5% | 34.2% | 31.3% | 1,321 / 450 / 563 |
| Short sleep | 38.7% | 31.3% | 34.5% | 1,327 / 451 / 566 |
| High stress | 49.1% | 40.7% | 48.7% | 1,298 / 442 / 559 |
Office women report the highest shares of no exercise, short sleep and high stress. Hybrid women report the lowest short sleep and high stress; remote women report the lowest share doing no exercise.
Differences between women and men are larger than the differences between work modes on several measures. In office work, women report high stress 12.2 points more often than men, and no exercise 12.5 points more often.
Older remote workers report the highest stress and short sleep#
Small older-age samples; bases are in the table.
View data table
| 50-75 only | WFO | Hybrid | WFH |
|---|---|---|---|
| High stress | 28.3% | 22.0% | 41.7% |
| Short sleep | 40.6% | 29.3% | 47.9% |
| Valid answers, high stress | 152 | 41 | 48 |
| Valid answers, short sleep | 155 | 41 | 48 |
High stress across all age bands:
View data table
| High stress (7 to 10) | WFO | Hybrid | WFH | Valid answers (WFO / Hybrid / WFH) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18-29 | 42.8% | 39.4% | 47.1% | 1,885 / 612 / 488 |
| 30-39 | 40.6% | 39.1% | 39.0% | 1,810 / 721 / 600 |
| 40-49 | 36.2% | 36.9% | 41.0% | 616 / 187 / 166 |
| 50-75 | 28.3% | 22.0% | 41.7% | 152 / 41 / 48 |
Remote respondents aged 18-29 report the highest stress in this table, at 47.1%.
Remote work has the largest female share#
View data table
| Group | Female share |
|---|---|
| Work From Office (WFO) | 28.2% |
| Hybrid (at least 2 days in office) | 28.2% |
| Work From Home (WFH) | 42.6% |
The remote group has the largest female share of the three: 42.6%, compared with 28.2% in both the office and hybrid groups.
Office work is the most common work mode in every income band#
| Annual income | Office | Hybrid | Remote | Responses (n) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under ₹3 lakh | 72.5% | 9.6% | 18.0% | 1,057 |
| ₹3-6 lakh | 72.7% | 13.1% | 14.1% | 2,275 |
| ₹6-10 lakh | 61.9% | 22.0% | 16.1% | 1,592 |
| ₹10-15 lakh | 55.5% | 27.9% | 16.6% | 1,071 |
| ₹15-25 lakh | 44.5% | 34.2% | 21.2% | 806 |
| ₹25-40 lakh | 40.6% | 36.9% | 22.5% | 404 |
| ₹40 lakh+ | 52.3% | 29.5% | 18.1% | 149 |
Commutes of 90+ minutes are linked to the highest stress and short sleep#
Office respondents reported their usual one-way commute time.
View data table
| Office respondents, by one-way commute | Short sleep | High stress | Responses (n) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 minutes | 33.3% (908) | 42.0% (872) | 933 |
| 15-30 minutes | 29.5% (1,298) | 38.2% (1,249) | 1,321 |
| 30-45 minutes | 31.5% (818) | 39.6% (792) | 836 |
| 45-60 minutes | 31.2% (648) | 40.3% (630) | 661 |
| 60-90 minutes | 34.1% (408) | 42.4% (401) | 415 |
| 90+ minutes | 41.8% (287) | 49.5% (281) | 292 |
Office respondents with commutes of 90+ minutes report the highest short sleep (41.8%) and high stress (49.5%).
Office workers report the most days without exercise in both editions#
Office workers had the highest share reporting no exercise in both editions: 30.6% in 2025 and 33.6% in 2026. Hybrid workers had the lowest share in both years, at 23.0% and 25.7%. Remote workers were between the two. The ranking for exercise on three or more days was also similar across editions.
Remote workers reported the highest share of ever seeing a therapist or counsellor in both editions: 13.1% in 2025 and 13.5% in 2026.
The mix of work modes was similar in both editions: office work was about three in five responses, hybrid about one in five and remote work under one in five.
Sleep is not compared across editions because the question changed.