A recent comprehensive study across the nation reveals that implementing workplace policies offering flexibility and stability significantly enhances employees’ well-being and encourages them to utilise health services as necessary. Employment plays a crucial role in determining one’s health, with various job aspects positively or negatively impacting mental health.
Specifically, the study, spearheaded by a researcher from the Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH), highlights job flexibility and security as critical elements influencing mental health in the United States. The research, featured in the JAMA Network Open journal, uncovered that adults in employment who enjoyed higher levels of job flexibility and security reported lower instances of severe psychological distress or anxiety. Additionally, these job features were linked to a reduction in the days employees worked while sick.
This study is the first to offer a nationally representative analysis of how job characteristics such as stability and flexibility affect mental health, absenteeism, and mental healthcare utilisation. The findings advocate for workplace policies emphasising flexibility and security, fostering a stress-reducing, healthier work environment that enhances employee well-being.
Dr. Monica Wang, the lead author and an associate professor of community health sciences at BUSPH, emphasises the significance of this research, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which not only worsened mental health disparities but also jeopardised job security. Individuals in lower-wage jobs, frontline workers, and marginalised communities felt this impact most acutely. Understanding the influence of job design and work environments on mental health is crucial in this context as workplaces adapt to evolving work norms.
The study leveraged data from over 18,000 US adults participating in the 2021 National Health Interview Survey. It evaluated job flexibility based on the perceived ease of altering work schedules for personal or family needs and job security based on the likelihood of job loss. The results indicated that greater job flexibility and security significantly reduced the chances of experiencing severe psychological distress and daily anxiety.
Dr Wang explains that predictable work schedules and the ability to accommodate personal or family obligations can alleviate stress and anxiety, offering individuals more control over their lives. Similarly, job security provides psychological stability, reducing absenteeism through enhanced job satisfaction, reduced stress, and financial stability.
The research also explored how these job characteristics influence work absenteeism. It revealed that employees with more flexible and secure jobs reported fewer days worked while ill, suggesting comfort in taking necessary sick leave. However, the impact on overall workday absences presented a complex picture, potentially reflecting the diverse nature of job flexibility and security, individual priorities, and workplace cultures.
Amid calls for universal paid sick leave in the United States, the only high-income country without such provisions, the study points to alternative company policies that could promote a healthy work-life balance. These include flexible work schedules, hybrid and remote working options, enhanced sick leave policies, and initiatives for employee skill development and career progression. Companies are encouraged to explore flexibility initiatives to discover what best supports their employees’ health and well-being.
Dr Wang’s research advocates for a holistic approach to workplace policies, emphasising the importance of flexibility and security in job design to support mental health, reduce absenteeism, and encourage a healthier, more productive workforce.
More information: Monica L. Wang et al, Job Flexibility, Job Security, and Mental Health Among US Working Adults, JAMA Network Open. DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.3439
Journal information: JAMA Network Open Provided by Boston University School of Public Health