You have one more reason to ask for workplace flexibility from your boss. It has now been proved
scientifically that if companies provide workplace flexibility and if employees
perceive that flexibility as real, then healthier lifestyle habits are put into
action by those employees.

"People who believe they have
flexibility in their work lives have healthier lifestyles. Individuals who
perceive an increase in their flexibility are more likely to start some positive
lifestyle behaviors," Joseph G Grzywacz, author of the study on effects of
workplace flexibility on health behaviors.

Data for the study came from
Health Risk Appraisals (HRAs) completed by employees of a large multinational
pharmaceutical company. This company is consistently recognized by Working
Mother magazine as among the most family-friendly employers in the United
States, in large part, because if its commitment to flexibility such as
compressed workweeks, flextime, job sharing, and remote or telework.

Employees with a wide variety
of jobs and responsibilities completed the HRA, including executives,
administrative support staff, and warehouse and production workers.

The data was analyzed to
determine if lifestyle behaviours differ between employees with different levels
of perceived flexibility and to identify if changes in flexibility over a
one-year time period predicted changes in health behaviour.

Via Times of India