Flexible Work: Opportunity and Challenge (FLOC) for individual, social and economic sustainability. Protocol for a prospective cohort study of non-standard employment and flexible work arrangements in Sweden

Svensson, Sven; Hallman, David; Mathiassen, Svend Erik; Heiden, Marina; Fagerström, Arne; Mutiganda, Jean Claude; Bergström, Günnar

doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2021-057409

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 64 publications

(158 reference statements)

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“…We analyzed cross-sectional data from the FLOC cohort, which aims at investigating opportunities and challenges in flexible work ( Svensson et al 2022 ). Data were collected during 2020 in office workers in 3 organizations in mid-Sweden, i.e.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hybrid office work in women and men: do directly measured physical behaviors differ between days working from home and days working at the office?

Wahlström,

Januario,

Mathiassen

et al. 2023

Annals of Work Exposures and Health

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Objective We investigated and compared temporal sitting patterns among male and female hybrid office workers when working at the office (WAO), working from home (WFH), and for non-working days (NWD). Methods We analyzed data collected in 2020 among 165 hybrid office workers, carrying thigh-worn accelerometers for 938 days in total. Day type (WAO, WFH, or NWD) and time in bed were identified using diaries. Time awake was exhaustively classified as non-sitting time and time sitting in short, moderate, and long bouts. Effects of day type and gender on the 24-h compositions of physical behaviors were analyzed using multilevel linear mixed models. Results During workdays (both WAO and WFH), workers spent less time in bed and more time sitting, particularly in moderate and long bouts, than during NWD. Time in bed was longer when working from home than when working at the office, and more of the awake time was spent sitting. Differences between WAO and WFH in ratios between short, moderate, and long bouts of sitting were small and inconsistent. Men spent more time sitting than women, and more time in moderate and long sitting bouts relative to short bouts. Conclusions When working from home, hybrid office workers sat more during their hours awake compared to when working at the office. Sitting time was larger during working days than during non-working days and was higher in men than in women. These results may contribute to support organizational policies for hybrid work.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hybrid office work in women and men: do directly measured physical behaviors differ between days working from home and days working at the office?

Wahlström,

Januario,

Mathiassen

et al. 2023

Annals of Work Exposures and Health

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“…This study is part of the FLOC cohort study [ 25 ], and used a prospective design with two measurements 10 months apart. In November 2020, a questionnaire was distributed through e-mail to all 2373 white-collar employees in a Swedish company manufacturing energy supply systems, together with information about the study.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mismatch between actual and preferred extent of telework: cross-sectional and prospective associations with well-being and burnout

Heiden,

Hallman,

Svensson

et al. 2023

BMC Public Health

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Background This study aimed to determine whether telework mismatch, i.e., lack of fit between actual and preferred extent of telework, is cross-sectionally and prospectively associated with well-being and burnout. Methods A questionnaire was sent to employees in a Swedish manufacturing company in November 2020 (baseline) and September 2021 (follow-up). It contained questions about well-being (WHO-5 Well-Being Index) and burnout (Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire III), as well as the preferred extent of telework and extent of telework performed. Telework mismatch was calculated as the difference between the actual and preferred extent of telework. Change in mismatch over time was categorized as 1) less mismatch at follow-up than at baseline, 2) more mismatch at follow-up, and 3) identical levels of mismatch at baseline and follow-up. Multivariate and univariate analyses of variance were used to determine the effects of mismatch and change in mismatch over time on baseline ratings and changes in ratings of well-being and burnout. All analyses were performed with and without adjustment for age, sex, marital status, children, type of employment, commuting time and extent of telework performed. Results The response rate was 39% at baseline (n = 928, 67% men, mean(SD) age: 45(11) years) and 60% at follow-up (n = 556, 64% men, mean(SD) age: 46(11) years). A cross-sectional association was found between telework mismatch and well-being, showing that employees who teleworked more than they would like reported worse well-being than those who teleworked less than they would like. No statistically significant association was found between telework mismatch and burnout. The ability of telework mismatch at baseline to predict changes in well-being or burnout over 10 months was small and non-significant. No association was found between change in telework mismatch over the 10-month period and corresponding changes in well-being or burnout. Conclusion Our results suggest that telework should be thoughtfully practiced in companies/organizations to avoid negative consequences for employees who already telework more than they prefer. Studies are needed to determine how long-term changes in match between preferred and actual extent of telework is associated with employee well-being, including how the association is modified by the nature of the job and the work environment.

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“…The Brazilian study was designed specifically to investigate behaviours among office workers in public and private organizations WFH during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Swedish study uses data from an ongoing cohort evaluating flexible work in different public and private organizations (Flexible work: Opportunity and Challenge – FLOC) [ 34 ]. In Brazil, data were collected between September 2020 and April 2021, and in Sweden between June 2020 and June 2021.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sedentary behaviour, physical activity, and sleep among office workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a comparison of Brazil and Sweden

et al. 2022

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Background The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the physical behaviours of office workers worldwide, but studies comparing physical behaviours between countries with similar restrictions policies are rare. This study aimed to document and compare the 24-hour time-use compositions of physical behaviours among Brazilian and Swedish office workers on working and non-working days during the pandemic. Methods Physical behaviours were monitored over 7 days using thigh-worn accelerometers in 73 Brazilian and 202 Swedish workers. Daily time-use compositions were exhaustively described in terms of sedentary behaviour (SED) in short (< 30 min) and long (≥30 min) bouts, light physical activity (LPA), moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and time-in-bed. We examined differences between countries using MANOVA on data processed according to compositional data analysis. As Swedish workers had the possibility to do hybrid work, we conducted a set of sensitivity analyses including only data from days when Swedish workers worked from home. Results During working days, Brazilian office workers spent more time SED in short (294 min) and long (478 min) bouts and less time in LPA (156 min) and MVPA (50 min) than Swedish workers (274, 367, 256 and 85 min, respectively). Time spent in bed was similar in both groups. Similar differences between Brazilians and Swedes were observed on non-working days, while workers were, in general, less sedentary, more active and spent more time-in-bed than during working days. The MANOVA showed that Brazilians and Swedes differed significantly in behaviours during working (p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.36) and non-working days (p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.20). Brazilian workers spent significantly more time in SED relative to being active, less time in short relative to long bouts in SED, and more time in LPA relative to MVPA, both during workdays and non-workdays. Sensitivity analyses only on data from days when participants worked from home showed similar results. Conclusions During the COVID-19 pandemic Brazilian office workers were more sedentary and less active than Swedish workers, both during working and non-working days. Whether this relates to the perception or interpretation of restrictions being different or to differences present even before the pandemic is not clear, and we encourage further research to resolve this important issue.

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Flexible Work: Opportunity and Challenge (FLOC) for individual, social and economic sustainability. Protocol for a prospective cohort study of non-standard employment and flexible work arrangements in Sweden

Cited by 4 publications

References 64 publications

Hybrid office work in women and men: do directly measured physical behaviors differ between days working from home and days working at the office?

Hybrid office work in women and men: do directly measured physical behaviors differ between days working from home and days working at the office?

Mismatch between actual and preferred extent of telework: cross-sectional and prospective associations with well-being and burnout

Sedentary behaviour, physical activity, and sleep among office workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a comparison of Brazil and Sweden

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