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Published on: March 7, 2019
Flexible Work: The Impact of a New Policy on Employees' Sedentary Behavior and Physical Activity
Heidi M Olsen1, Wendy J Brown, Tracy Kolbe-Alexander
1Centre for Research in Exercise, Physical Activity and Health, School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia (Ms Olsen, Dr Brown, Dr Kolbe-Alexander, Dr Burton); and School of Health and Wellbeing, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia (Dr Kolbe-Alexander).
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.
