Employer 2009

FlexPaths' Chief Strategy Officer, Sandy Burud's Guest Post on Sloan Work and Family Research Network:

There are many things we know for sure about health.  We know that stress impairs health and that a key cause of stress is the lack of a sense of control.  That means that health promotion activities and policies should include giving employees a greater sense of options and control.

That where flexible work comes into the picture. A greater sense of choice and control is at the heart of what it means to work flexibly.  It isn’t really about working different hours or from a different place – that is simply the shape it takes.  It’s really about giving employees the sense that they can choose when or where or how much they work (e.g., on a reduced schedule).  But if the company dictates a compressed work week, for example, it misses the point.  And it loses the value from a health perspective, not to mention missing the potential for employee appreciation. To be flexible, it has to suit them.

I’m reminded of a company that tried adopting a business casual dress policy.  Most employees loved it but some didn’t. They preferred their suits.  So the company had an ‘aha’ moment, recognizing that it should really be about choice.  Now it’s dress policy is called ‘personal choice dressing’.  If you work better in business casual, fine.  If you prefer more formal dress, fine.  It’s your choice.

It is also true that flexible work has other health advantages.  The research shows that when people have more discretionary time, they engage in health promotion activities more.  They exercise more, sleep more.  They have more time and energy to play with their kids or their dog, which also reduce stress – I guess depending on the kids or the dog. That time they would spend stuck in traffic they have to use in other ways.

As we execute health care reform, let’s make sure flexible work is in the conversation.  Given the amount of time we spend at work, it should be part of how we promote health in our national economy.   In the near future FlexPaths will release a whitepaper on the connection between health and flexible work as one contribution to that discussion.