ABSTRACT

Flexibility regarding where and when work is completed is becoming increasingly available to employees, especially following the COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent shift in the nature of work. There is a plethora of research linking various flexible work arrangements (FWA) to a variety of positive outcomes across domains including reduced work–family conflict, better psychological health, and increased role satisfaction. While several studies have suggested that FWA are related to positive health, others have found no relationship between flexible work arrangements and health outcomes. To clarify these inconsistent findings, the current meta-analytic review (k = 33, n = 90,602) examines the relationship between flexible work arrangements available to employees and health behaviours and outcomes, specifically physical health, absenteeism, somatic symptoms, and physical activity. Results demonstrate that FWA are associated with better physical health, reduced absenteeism, and fewer somatic symptoms, suggesting that flexible work arrangements can facilitate employees in maintaining their health. There was no association between FWA and physical activity, though these results should be interpreted cautiously given the limited number of primary studies examining this relationship. These findings hold implications for future research and practice, including support for offering individualised flexible work arrangements as means of promoting employee health.

摘要

员工在何时何地完成工作变得越来越灵活，尤其是在 COVID-19 爆发和随后工作性质的转变之后。有大量研究将各种灵活的工作安排 (FWA) 与跨领域的各种积极成果联系起来，包括减少工作与家庭冲突、改善心理健康和提高角色满意度。虽然几项研究表明 FWA 与积极的健康有关，但其他人发现灵活的工作安排与健康结果之间没有关系。为了澄清这些不一致的发现，当前的荟萃分析综述 ( k  = 33, n = 90,602）检查了员工可用的灵活工作安排与健康行为和结果之间的关系，特别是身体健康、旷工、躯体症状和身体活动。结果表明，FWA 与更好的身体健康、减少旷工和更少的躯体症状相关，这表明灵活的工作安排可以促进员工保持健康。FWA 与身体活动之间没有关联，但鉴于检验这种关系的初步研究数量有限，应谨慎解释这些结果。这些发现对未来的研究和实践具有重要意义，包括支持提供个性化的灵活工作安排作为促进员工健康的手段。