Flexible working better for your health

7 December 2011

Flexible working may promote healthy behaviours and improve employee wellbeing, according to a study published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.

The researchers set out to see if a flexible working programme had a positive effect on the health of employees in a corporate environment. The programme, known as Results Only Work Environment (ROWE), involves changing employees everyday work processes and practices so that when or where they do their work is no longer the focus. Instead, the attention is put on results and not time, encourages flexible working. The success of ROWE was determined by carrying out a survey to assess people's health behaviours, such as whether they felt obliged to work when sick (also known as presenteeism), and measure factors of wellbeing, such as sleep quality.

The results showed that the people enrolled in the ROWE programme had almost an extra hour's sleep on work nights, did more exercise and were less likely to go to work when ill, compared to those who continued their working lives as usual. By restructuring working times and becoming more flexible, people on the ROWE programme felt they had more control over their schedule. In turn, this reduced the amount of work that spilled over into family life. The researchers conclude that a flexible programme such as ROWE can help to reduce stresses associated with a structured working day.

Dr Peter Mace, Deputy Medical Director, Bupa Health and Wellbeing, said: “The findings in this study make good sense. If employees have more control over their working hours, then it's likely they will manage their work-life balance better, benefiting themselves or their employer. However, the study has focused on one very specific group of people, mostly educated, white, 30-something office workers. It may not be applicable to people from different backgrounds, ages or those who work in other environments, such as in retail or hospitals. Also, the researchers only looked at ROWE over a six-month period, so we don't know if the programme, or its benefits, are sustainable over a longer period of time.

“Having said this, there are certainly things for both employers and employees to think about. For example, we know that not getting enough sleep or exercise can contribute to stress and chronic disease. This study demonstrates the importance and benefit of taking measures in the work environment to ensure that all employees are able to achieve a good work-life balance. Equally, employees who become ill and feel unable to work should be encouraged to achieve a good level of recovery before they return to the workplace, and take advice from their GP if need be.”

A total of 659 employees based at a corporate headquarters in the US were asked to take part in the study. Half of the study population were enrolled in the ROWE programme and the other half continued to work as normal. All of the people were asked to complete a web survey before and after the six-month study period.

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