Flexible work: The impact of a new policy on employees' sedentary behavior and physical activity

Heidi M. Olsen; Wendy J. Brown; Tracy Kolbe-Alexander; Nicola W. Burton

doi:10.1097/JOM.0000000000001190

Flexible work: The impact of a new policy on employees' sedentary behavior and physical activity

Heidi M. Olsen^*, Wendy J. Brown, Tracy Kolbe-Alexander, Nicola W. Burton

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review

18 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Objective: The aim of the study was to assess change in physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) in office-based employees after the implementation of a flexible work policy that allowed working at home. Methods: A total of 24 employees (62% female; 40±10 years) completed an online questionnaire 4 weeks pre-and 6 weeks post-implementation of the policy. Changes in PA and SB were assessed using Wilcoxon signed rank test. Results: There were no changes in PA after the introduction of the flexible work policy (Z=-0.29, P>0.05). Sitting time increased on days the employees worked at home (Z=-2.02, P>0.05) and on days they worked at the office (Z=-4.16, P>0.001). Conclusions: A flexible work policy may have had a negative impact on sedentary behavior in this workplace. Future work is needed to explore the potential impact on workplace sitting time.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	23-28
Number of pages	6
Journal	Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
Volume	60
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0000000000001190
Publication status	Published - 1 Jan 2018
Externally published	Yes

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abstract = "Objective: The aim of the study was to assess change in physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) in office-based employees after the implementation of a flexible work policy that allowed working at home. Methods: A total of 24 employees (62% female; 40±10 years) completed an online questionnaire 4 weeks pre-and 6 weeks post-implementation of the policy. Changes in PA and SB were assessed using Wilcoxon signed rank test. Results: There were no changes in PA after the introduction of the flexible work policy (Z=-0.29, P>0.05). Sitting time increased on days the employees worked at home (Z=-2.02, P>0.05) and on days they worked at the office (Z=-4.16, P>0.001). Conclusions: A flexible work policy may have had a negative impact on sedentary behavior in this workplace. Future work is needed to explore the potential impact on workplace sitting time.",

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AU - Burton, Nicola W.

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Flexible work: The impact of a new policy on employees' sedentary behavior and physical activity

Abstract

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