What happens when an employee receives a phone call on the job from their aging parent who needs help? One manager might say to their employee ‘Work is work and home is home—I’m paying you to work,’ and another might ask whether the employee needs to leave early to go help their parent. Guess whose family is healthier? Will one employee perform better and have fewer sick days? (Source: WFHN)
A supportive manager and a flexible workplace can actually make employees healthier
That’s according to Leslie B. Hammer and Ellen Ernst Kossek, professors at Portland State University and Michigan State University.
For the last four years, the two have conducted research on workplace environments and employee health.
“There is a healthcare debate going on right now in America, and that is important, but we should also be looking at ways flexible workplaces can benefit work and the family and their health as well,” Kossek said.
Phase I of their research was an intervention study that focused on training managers to engage in family supportive behaviors in 12 grocery stores in Ohio and Michigan.
Hammer and Kossek trained half of the managers, focusing on how to provide emotional and structural support, model healthy behavior, and work with other managers.
Structural support includes working with employees to reduce scheduling conflicts between work and family obligations. Emotional support includes acknowledging employees’ responsibilities outside the workplace and understanding the conflicts that can arise.
Hammer and Kossek found that employees working with managers trained in supporting a flexible workplace were healthier and more satisfied with their jobs.
These findings were reported on Oct. 13 at a congressional briefing and have been reported in Harvard Business Review, Journal of Management, SHRM news, ABC news and others.
Hammer and Kosseks results were reported in conjunction with three other studies on the impact of workplace flexibility and health. Also among the findings:
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Employees have 2x increased likelihood of cardiovascular disease if manager shows little willingness to accommodate employees’ family needs,
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Employees average 30 minutes more of sleep per night when boss is flexible about when and where work gets done.
These studies are sponsored by the Work Family & Health Network with funding from the National Institute of Health and the Centers for Disease Control.
Hammer and Kossek said they are hoping to also affect change in workplace culture toward flexibility.
“It’s key for managers to understand the value of providing family supportive supervisor behaviors,” Hammer explained.