Digital Balance: Exploring the Nexus Between Remote Employee Well-Being and Productivity in East European Workforces

Abstract

The findings demonstrate that digital work intensity creates significant challenges for remote employees’ well-being, with daily working hours and screen time emerging as primary predictors of increased stress and reduced work-life balance satisfaction. Physical health behaviors, particularly physical activity and adequate sleep, serve as protective factors that improve well-being and enhance productivity beyond the effects of work patterns alone. Work-life balance satisfaction acts as a critical mediating pathway, explaining approximately one-third of the relationship between work demands and productivity outcomes. The importance of well-being factors for sustaining productivity becomes more pronounced under high work demand conditions, suggesting that employee support becomes more crucial during periods of work intensification. Three distinct remote worker profiles were identified: “Balanced Performers,” who maintained sustainable work practices and high productivity; “Digital Immersers,” who worked extensively but showed moderate performance; and “Struggling Remotes,” who experienced significant well-being challenges and lower productivity. These findings highlight the critical importance of balancing digital work demands with physical health behaviors and work-life boundaries to sustain both well-being and performance in remote work environments.