Flexible work environment leads to healthy lifestyle: Study

Washington, Dec 15 (UNI) A recent study in US suggests flexible work environment leads to healthier lifestyle habits for employees.

If people in workplaces believe that they have flexibile atmosphere in their work, they tend to experience and live healtheir lifestyles.

''Individuals who perceive an increase in their flexibility are more likely to start some positive lifestyle changes,'' lead author Joseph G. Grzywacz, of Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C., said.

Mr Grzywacz and his colleagues analysed data gathered from employees of a major multinational pharmaceutical company known for its commitment to workplace flexibility, including compressed work weeks, flextime, job sharing, and remote or telework.

The study included people with a wide variety of jobs and responsibilities, including warehouse and production workers, administrative support staff, and executives, reported US News&World Report.

The researchers made a comparative analysis of lifestyle behaviours of employees working at different places with differences in percieved workplace flexibility for a year.

They attemted to analyse the changes in health behaviors such as frequency of physical activity, participation in stress management and health education programmes, healthy sleep habits, and overall lifestyle.

The researchers confirmed that nearly all the health behaviours in this study were associated with perceived flexibility.

''Although further research is needed, these results suggest that flexibility programs that are situated within a broader organizational commitment to employee health may be useful for promoting positive lifestyle habits,'' Mr Grzywacz said.

UNI