Does Hybrid Working Make You Healthier?
We’ve debated this often… and we’ve still not quite managed to reach a conclusion. It’s hard to believe it was three years ago when most of us were confined to 5 days a week working at home. How many people back then were decorating spare rooms, setting their new workstations up or juggling any quiet space with the rest of the family? Fast forward three years, and hybrid working is now the norm!
When we started working more from home, we dreamt of all the extra time we’d have back in our weeks – no more commute, no more sitting in traffic, hours of time back! We would be so healthy.
We could use the extra time to take the dog out for walks, go to the gym, and start those classes we’ve talked about for years!
It turns out time wasn’t the issue – we’re only doing a fraction of those things. How about you?
Hybrid Working = More Time
Be honest, how many of us are using the extra time we have back in our week to do all the things we thought we’d do or has that time been caught up working? Gone is the 9-5, and now it’s more 6 am – 11 pm – and we hear people are now juggling so much more in that time!
If you or your team are hybrid workers and work remotely for some of the week, you might not be hitting the gym on all those extra days or completing that novel you thought you’d write. But, chances are, you are doing some things that are good for your health. And a fraction of an improvement is far better than no improvement, right?
A recent poll of over 2000 workers showed that hybrid workers sleep better, exercise more and eat more healthily. Aside from the physical benefits, 66% of respondents said they felt their mental health had improved due to a shift in their working patterns. Is this what you’re seeing in your role as an HR professional?
We are asking you, our HR audience, to take a pulse survey in the HR community. It’s just two quick questions and will help us gauge the view on hybrid working and its benefits from an HR perspective.
The topic is already being widely discussed on LinkedIn, where some of the comments are both fascinating, thought-provoking and sometimes amusing (one reader cites the 15,000 biscuits they consume daily at home as not helping their health!)
Several HR news outlets have also picked up the story, but we want to hear from you. We’d love you to take our poll.
We’ll share the results and any useful HR insights about hybrid working, so stay tuned, and thank you for your support.