Working flexible hours cuts the risk of having a heart attack.
New research in the US has discovered that a better work-life balance is so beneficial that some employees end up with heart health equivalent to what they had a decade previously if they are able to work flexibly.
Experts from Harvard and Penn State universities examined whether helping staff reduce the “work-family conflict” in their lives lowered the dangers of suffering a cardiovascular event.
They found it had a significant impact on two groups – those over the age of 45 and those already at high risk of a heart attack or stroke – without making the workers any less productive.
Lisa Berkman, the co-lead author of the study at Harvard’s TH Chan School of Public Health, said: “When stressful workplace conditions and work-family conflict were mitigated, we saw a reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease among more vulnerable employees, without any negative impact on their productivity.
“These findings could be particularly consequential for low-and-middle-wage workers who traditionally have less control over their schedules and job demands and are subject to greater health inequities.”
