Flexible workplaces are healthier for employees
Let employees structure their own schedules
Employees who perceived greater flexibility in their workplace were more likely to engage in more frequent physical activity, stress management programs, health education activities, and healthful sleep habits, according to a new study.1
Data come from health risk appraisals completed by 3,193 employees of GlaxoSmithKline, including executives, administrative support staff, and warehouse and production workers.
"This study reinforces the idea that workplace flexibility is important for health," says Joseph G. Grzywacz, PhD, the study's author and associate professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC. "Individuals who perceive an increase in their flexibility are more likely to start some positive lifestyle behaviors."
Why are flexible work environments healthier for employees? One possible reason is that workers simply lack the time to engage in healthy lifestyle habits, says Grzywacz.
If employees are able to structure their own schedules, this allows them to free up bigger blocks of time, says Grzywacz. "If they can find an open hour at some point, they may be more likely to exercise than if they have no control over their schedule whatsoever," he says. "They can use their time more effectively, so they don't have a bunch of 15-minute blocks of time that they can't do anything with."
Having more flexibility may simply make life easier, leading to less stress and better sleep, adds Grzywacz. "I think there is something to be said for giving people some mastery over their own schedule, to live the typical lifestyle that the occupational health professional wants them to have," he says.
To promote a sense of flexibility, some employers offer compressed work weeks, flex time schedules, or allow employees to work remotely. "But it's not so much what organizations do — it's how well they implement it," says Grzywacz. "If you put a program on the books, but the manager is still watching the clock, that is not going to be effective."
More flexibility also increases productivity, since employees are more willing to put in extra time when asked, he says. "So it doesn't really matter what they use the flexibility for — the organization will still get something out of it," says Grzywacz. "It's good for the organization on multiple fronts."
Informal programs more common
GlaxoSmithKline's employees are provided with benefits coverage and a healthy, flexible work environment, but it is up to the employee to take responsibility for making lifestyle changes, says Ann Kuhnen, MD, MPH, vice president of employee health management.
"Perceived flexibility enables people to engage if they want to," she says. "People who want to make changes but don't have the perceived flexibility are less likely to make changes. So we need both the flexibility and the personal motivation."
The long-term goal is for employees to contribute to the workplace over time by preventing burnout, says Kuhnen. "People prioritize themselves as third after work and family," she says. "In other words, if forced to prioritize, people tend to let their own health needs slide."
GlaxoSmithKline is committed to fighting the epidemic of chronic diseases, which is the primary driver of health care costs in the United States, through prevention programs, proper disease management, and continued medical research, says Kuhnen. "However, the competing pressures of work and family often make it a challenge for many employees to take care of themselves," says Kuhnen. "With a flexible work environment, some of this pressure is alleviated, so employees can find ways to incorporate their personal needs, such as exercise or medical checkups, while still meeting their work obligations."
At GlaxoSmithKline, employees are offered formal flexible work options, such as compressed work weeks or part-time hours, and informal flexibility. "We don't know the breakdown of people who had formal vs. informal flexibility in this study," says Kuhnen. "But we know from our own data that the vast majority of people have access to informal flexibility, while only 10-15% of our workforce has taken advantage of a formal flexible work schedule."
Informal programs are arranged on an ad hoc basis with managers and teams, and they range from leaving early for dental appointments to working from home for a period of time should the need arise, says Kuhnen. "For employees with responsibilities that allow them to work remotely, we can focus on making sure the work gets done on time, not necessarily whether they did it at their desk," she says. "For others, it can be as simple as shifting the work day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. to 3 p.m."
It is hard to predict what types of lifestyle changes people are most likely to make with more flexibility in their schedules, says Kuhnen. "This study showed that people who reported an increase in their perceived flexibility from one year to the next reported longer sleep and participation in health promotion programs," she says.
Reference
- Grzywacz JG, Casey PR, Jones FA. The effects of workplace flexibility on health behaviors: A cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis. J Occ Environ Med 2007; 49:1,302-1,309.
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