Flexible hours ease stress - but is everyone on board?

Everyone with a job knows how stressful it can be when personal priorities clash with work schedules. The conflict could involve a continuing medical concern, taking care of children or ageing parents, or getting enough exercises and running errands. A too strict schedule combined with too many demands can cause workers to feel that they have let down their companies and themselves.

A recent study published in the American Sociological Review, aimed to see a whether stress of work life conflicts could be eased if employees had more control over the work schedules, including being able to work from home. As mighe be expected, the answer is yes.

According to Kimeberly Elsbach, a management professor from the University of California, people who spend normal hours in the office are perceived as more responsible and dependable than those are in office less. This perception can directly affect employees' performance evaluations. Prof Elsbach said that the tendency to attach positive traits to longer hours is often subconcious, which makes it hard to combat. Companies need to raise awarenes of this hidden bias and show widespread and uniform support for flexible scheduling she said. Otherwise, " People who telecommute are going to be unfairly penalised".

- Phyllis Korkki

Extracted from New York Times, 26th August 2014

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