As we’ve previously reported, a rigorous study out of Stanford recently supported claims that remote work increases productivity. Now another study led by University of Minnesota sociology professor Phyllis Moen is doing the same for results-only work environments (known as ROWE) with a careful examination of Best Buy’s experiment in flexibility.

The results appear in this month’s Journal of Health and Social Behavior and are also highlighted in The Atlantic’s “Study of the Day” section. To obtain them, Moen and her colleagues compared the well-being and health-promoting behavior of 659 employees at Best Buy’s headquarters before and after ROWE was implemented there in 2006. Half of the employees participated in the program; half did not. What were the results? The researchers summed it up succinctly:

Participating in the ROWE initiative directly increases employees’ health-related behaviors of sleep and exercise, as well as the likelihood that employees will not go to the workplace when sick and will see a doctor when sick.

Those with flexibility got a half hour more sleep every night, experienced less work-family conflict and were at lower risk for some of the greatest hits of poor health: “unhealthy eating habits, obesity, elevated cholesterol levels, and hypertension.”

The takeaway for managers is simple and was neatly summed up by Moen in the news release announcing the findings: “Emphasizing actual results can create a work environment that fosters healthy behavior and well-being.” You can download the complete study by clicking here.

The results seem to clearly indicate that, compared to a traditionally structured corporate job, ROWE promotes health and happiness (and probably, by extension, productivity). But it should also be noted that farther down the scale of independence and flexibility, when work is entirely remote and professionals are fully responsible for their own schedules, there is also some evidence that freedom can increase stress and sleeplessness for a significant minority of workers. Care needs to be taken as flexibility increases, so workers get the support they need to feel in control of the demands on their schedules, according to another recent analysis from an academic at the University of Sheffield.

Do rigid schedules contribute to ill health in your experience?

Image courtesy of Flickr user Ed Yourdon.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Personal tools lead to practical business
• 12 tech leaders’ resolutions for 2012
• Green IT Q4: solar, subsidies and the outlook for EVs

First, it’s important to understand how large an impact stress really can have on your physical as well as mental health. The science of stress was investigated through studies of baboons and then later in humans, and a good summary of the findings was written up in a lengthy article last year in Wired:

Chronic stress, it turns out, is an extremely dangerous condition. And not just for baboons… While stress doesn’t cause any single disease… it makes most diseases significantly worse. The list of ailments connected to stress is staggeringly diverse and includes everything from the common cold and lower-back pain to Alzheimer’s disease, major depressive disorder, and heart attack. Stress hollows out our bones and atrophies our muscles. It triggers adult-onset diabetes and is a leading cause of male impotence. In fact, numerous studies of human longevity in developed countries have found that psychosocial factors such as stress are the single most important variable in determining the length of a life.

So what exactly causes health-sapping stress? It’s not just the hustle of an over-scheduled life or a high-pressure position. It’s also about an inability to control your own fate. In the baboon studies, scientists found that low-ranking animals suffered the most stress, which was later found to be equally true in humans. Being pushed around by others contributes hugely to stress levels.

Good thing you have the autonomy of the web worker lifestyle then. As David Rock points out in Psychology Today, traditional cube dwellers don’t get a lot of it:

In the workplace it’s not always possible to give people a lot of autonomy: there are products to sell and processes to follow. The very act of going to work for a firm is an automatic reduction in autonomy — you don’t have control over your time any more. (An ex-monk, who now works in organizations, thinks the monastery is more free than the average company, at least there he could drink!) However with a little creativity you can give people the perception of autonomy.

But as a web worker there’s no need to trick yourself into feeling autonomous – you actually are. And as an added bonus, other experts also tell us that autonomy is key to motivation as well.

Do you find the autonomy of web work adds to your stress or lessens it?

Photo courtesy stock.xchng user Piku.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• The Future of Workplaces
• The Future of Work Platforms: An Overview
• The Structure 50: The Top 50 Cloud Innovators

But the fact is that undergoing continued health treatment while you’re working full-time remains a challenge — especially for the freelancer or contractor. You have fewer hours available to work, but enough tasks to fill a full day; you’re not functioning at full-throttle, but your clients expect you to be; you’re worried about your health, and juggling the stresses that creates in your personal life as well as in the professional world.

The good news is that balancing work and ongoing health treatment isn’t impossible. These are a few of the techniques I’ve used to make it easier.

1. Prioritize your health.

If you require ongoing health treatment, it’s important to prioritize that over your work. While for most of us, work contributes to overall well-being, we need to be healthy if we’re to get the most out of it. Your health is a prerequisite to satisfying work.

Accepting that your health comes first will make it easier to prioritize your work, as well as family and other commitments. It will help you make work-or rest decisions on a daily basis, and help you manage the tasks you have to suit your energy levels as well as your schedule.

2. Schedule treatment and recovery.

If your treatment takes up a certain amount of time each week, block out that time in your calendar — as well as the time you’ll need to recover from the treatment, if that’s an issue. A common beginners’ trap is to block out the appointment time to the minute. Instead, allow yourself a little fat here and there to allow for traveling to and from treatment, any recovery you may need to do, and settling back to work afterward. Also factor in the possibility that you may feel less than fabulous — physically or psychologically — for some time after the treatment.

If your treatment times or intensity change from week to week, block out the time you’ll need as soon as you know what’s going on. Overestimate that time, rather than underestimating it. If you feel good, you’ll be able to get ahead of the game — and that’s great. But if you don’t, you’ll have built in enough downtime to cope with the aftermath of treatment. Better to find you have a clear half-hour of focused work time that you weren’t expecting than to have to attend a meeting or client call when you’re not at your professional best.

3. Speak to clients.

Discussing your personal health problems with clients may seem like a no-no, and there will undoubtedly be times when you’ll cite “other client work” rather than ill health as the reason why you need to set a deadline so far in advance, for example.

But in the case of ongoing clients or intense contracts, it may be best to talk about your health-related commitments up front. Don’t be shy or feel bad about doing this: even us hired human resources are real people, and as we’ve already established, your health is your top priority. A caring client with sensible expectations will be more than willing to accommodate your time requirements, so long as you explain them up-front and ensure that they’re on the same page as you are.

Most clients don’t want you to be available 24/7: they just want to know that you care about the work, are responsive within reasonable time frames, and will maintain open communications with them. Again, the first step in doing that is to explain your needs to them up front. Don’t lie, avoid telling the truth, or try to participate in Skype meetings from the doctor’s waiting room. Be honest, and your working life will be far less stressful.

4. Use technology to your advantage.

OK, so you may not be participating in meetings from the doctor’s waiting room, but you may find that, if you need to travel for treatment, or your appointments leave you less time to deal with contacts in person, technology can be a big help.

Document sharing, wireless connectivity and a smartphone, shared task lists, automatic reminders, and other time- and task-management tools can really help you stay organized and on top of both work and the rest of your life. Providing colleagues with access to your working files can help you avoid client panic — and the associated guilt — and ensures projects keep moving even if you’re out of action for a day or two.

That said, take care that technology doesn’t simply see you working more hours, or working when what you actually need is space to attend to your health. Yes, you may be able to respond to email on your phone while you’re in the doctor’s waiting room — but don’t take the fact that you’re connected to mean that you must attend to work in every spare moment you can get.

5. Be flexible with yourself and your clients

We all have good days and bad days, but when you’re not in peak form, the bad days can be more frequent, or more difficult to work through. After a period of ongoing treatment, you may be more easily able to anticipate its after-effects and allow yourself meeting- or deadline-free days as appropriate. But you may also have bad days that you don’t anticipate.

That’s fine — everyone has sick days, right? Don’t panic: just do what you can, and talk to clients if you need to push out deadlines or deliverables by an extra day or two. Perhaps you’ll be a bit flexible the next time the client wants a deliverable turned around quickly, or you find that meeting a deadline means working a few hours on Saturday. Flexibility is the way to juggle the ups and downs of ill health, and the passion you have for your work, without guilt or pressure.

6. Make the most of the good days

Depending on your condition, you might find yourself motivated to work at odd times, or keen to catch up on client work over the weekend. I usually take advantage of these times as opportunities to make hay while the sun shines. Ongoing health treatment can really eat into your time and work rhythms, so you may simply find yourself reveling in having a whole day clear of appointments — finally you can sink your teeth into a job and really make some progress!

On those days I try to pay attention to the aspects of my work that I really enjoy, and to acknowledge the sense of accomplishment that comes with doing good work. Since work contributes to my sense of well being, contribution and capability, I try to pay attention to those times as much as possible.

Ongoing health treatment is a burden at the best of times, but this approach has helped me to ensure that it has a minimal impact on my working life. Have you had to work through periods in which you’ve had to take time out regularly for health reasons? What advice can you add?

Image by stock.xchng user lcs9.

Related content from GigaOM Pro (sub. req.):

• Enabling the Web Work Revolution
• Report: The Real-Time Enterprise
• Social Media in the Enterprise

The Problem: Getting Bigger All the Time

A recent study conducted by Duke University found that the “hidden” cost of obesity on productivity was around $73 billion in the U.S. And that’s above and beyond the healthcare costs related to being very overweight.

According to the researchers conducting the study, “[o]besity’s hidden costs… stem from the fact that obese people tend to be less productive than normal-weight people while at work — simply accounting for the extra sick days they take misses a big part of the picture.”

Obesity isn’t the only health issue that can lead to less-than-optimal work performance. Smoking, eating poorly, and not getting enough exercise have also been linked to decreased productivity.

The trend in the U.S. is increasingly toward larger waistlines and more sedentary lifestyles, which, in turn, is leading to a drop in the ability of workers to do work. For at-home workers, who tend to be within easy reach of the fridge and at a computer for eight or more hours a day, the effect can be even more pronounced.

Web workers also tend to miss out on some benefits that encourage an active lifestyle, like subsidized gym memberships, so it can be hard to encourage worker health at home. But if you’re having trouble motivating yourself, think about it this way: greater health equals greater productivity.

The Solution: Exploit Your Freedom

Web workers have an advantage over traditional office workers. When you work from home, generally speaking, you have a degree of flexibility built into your day. If there’s a gym nearby, you can get out to that for a half-an-hour each day. Even if you have to pay for your own membership, the increase in energy you’ll get back as a result should make up the cost thanks to your ability to work longer and harder. If you’re lucky, you might even have a gym in your building, or in your own home, in which case not using it just can’t be justified from a cost/benefit perspective. Getting out during the day at least a few times even just to walk should help stave off more serious problems like obesity, too.

Use an exercise ball as your office chair for a portion of the day, if you feel you can’t peel yourself away from the desk. Crunches and push-ups in quick sets between tasks is another great way to get a little bit of exercise throughout the day with relatively low impact. It might draw some funny stares if you were in a traditional office setting, but that’s the beauty of working from home.

You can eat what you want when you work from home, but here again it can really be an advantage. You won’t be tempted to just be lazy and eat out every single day for lunch. Instead, you can save time, money and help yourself feel better by preparing healthy meals in advance to be eaten during the week.

There are some great tips for how you can eat more healthily at work, and the same logic applies when working from home. And you have less of an excuse than your office-bound colleagues because healthier ingredients should be ready to hand if you’re being smart about your grocery shopping.

The Benefit: Better Work, Done More Quickly

If you’re healthy, you’ll produce in a healthy manner. That means you won’t have to work as hard to get things done, and the quality of your work will be more consistent. I find that I’m much more focused and able to concentrate when I’m being active regularly and eating the right things. A good work out will clear your head, and might help you come up with a solution to a tricky problem.

It can be hard to keep active, but now studies are emerging that say you should do so, not just for the sake of your own health, which isn’t reason enough for many, but for the sake of your wallet. When it comes to the bottom line, many are much less willing to let things slide. I know I’m more likely to stay fit when I think about it as a matter of being professional versus not. Maybe that’s the kick in the pants you need, too.

Want to learn more about the health impacts of a virtual workforce? Check out our Net:Work conference in San Francisco in December.

Related content from GigaOM Pro (sub. req.):

• Enabling the Web Work Revolution
• Report: The Real-Time Enterprise
• Social Media in the Enterprise

How does this happen and to what extent is it valid?

Less stress – in an ideal situation, at least. Too much stress is something that should be avoided, whether you’re a teleworker or not.  It reduces the efficency of your immune system and also makes you prone to allergies.

Without the stress that comes with commuting and rushing to the office, there’s a general consensus among surveys that for most people, web working is less stressful.  Still, it’s important to remember that some teleworkers (in one survey, 10% of respondents) experienced more or the same amount of stress while working from home.  In other words, while web working gives employees more opportunities to lower their stress levels, it doesn’t always happen.

Avoids the spread of diseases in the office. Traditional offices generally have several people working near each other for 8 hours each day.  This makes airborne illnesses spread easily from one employee to another.  Web workers rarely have to worry about this, even in co-working setups where only a few people work in the same office.

“…the relatively close confines of most workplaces are ideal for spreading respiratory infections like flu – and that workers who are not in that environment have less risk of catching flu, or if they are sick themselves, less risk of infecting their coworkers.”
Source: “Telework and Health”, from The Clean Air Campaign

Fewer chances of getting infected by outdoor pollution. Working from home reduces the outdoor pollutants you encounter.  No more smog, engine exhaust, or second-hand cigarette smoke for you to inhale.

“By reducing smog in the summer months and reducing the risk of respiratory infections in the winter months, telework programs provide benefits throughout the year. “
Source: “Telework and Health”, from The Clean Air Campaign

With that said, we should also remember that there’s indoor pollution for us to worry about, even if it might be a smaller issue in a home office compared to a traditional office.  In a report by the Environmental Protection Agency, they noted that printers emit hydrocarbons and ozone.  Computer terminals also released low quantities of ozone and volatile organic compounds (VOC).

Modifiable work environment. Since we’re not forced into one particular office or cubicle everyday, we can have better control of our working environments.  The air conditioning in the office might be better than the smog outside, but it has its own problems.

“…up to 80 percent of air conditioning samples he sees are contaminated with mold. And keep in mind there are no federal standards for indoor air quality, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.”
Source: “Battling a Sick Office” by Gerri Willis

Even if your home air conditioning units have problems, they are under your control.  You can get them repaired, cleaned, and maintained without making requests to upper management. In fact, you might not want air conditioning at all.  Since I don’t live in a highly populated area, I don’t mind working in my garden to get some fresh air.

It’s not just about the air, either.  Your furniture, lighting levels, room temperature, and surroundings can also be altered if you want to consider your health.  You don’t always get that kind of freedom when working in a traditional office.

While web working seems to have several health advantages, it’s important to note that these advantages require work and planning.  The decision to telework won’t automatically make you healthier.  You need to be aware of your stress levels, your diet, the quality of air you breathe, and the safety of your home office and equipment.  The good news is that the average teleworker can control these factors, since he works under his own roof.

How has web working affected your health?  Did your health improve or did web working cause more problems?

Image Credit: Photo by Sanja Gjenero from sxc.hu

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Why iPad 2 Will Lead Consumers Into the Post-PC Era
• The Near-Term Evolution of Social Commerce
• Content Farms: The Players, The Benefits, The Risks

Note – If it has been years since you’ve last worked out, and years since you’ve had a medical checkup, I’d strongly suggest you bookmark this post, get a physical, and then come back.

WalkerTracker – Let’s take the first step – and then the next, and the next. Walking is one of simplest, best forms of exercise that can be done anywhere. But the way of taking walking from “that’s nice” category to “Hey, I’m losing weight!” is by measuring how much you walk with a pedometer ($10 – $30), and then social networking with others who also have the walking bug. Enter WalkerTracker with is clean Web 2.0 interface, groups of walkers to join physically or virtually, automated encouragement (it still counts). Free with ads or ad free for $18/year $33/lifetime. Bring your digital camera.

Is walking a little to sedimentary for you? How about rock climbing? You can hook up with other climbers worldwide at Bouldr, a social network/Google map mashup for the seriously vertically inclined. This new free Web 2.0 site has two goals: be able to get concise information about climbing anywhere in the world and make it easy to find climbing partners. Bring your digital camera – and good luck!

Maybe what you need is a way for you and your buddies at work or online to commit as a group. In that case, definitely have a look at PEERtrainer, a site for finding and creating online groups of people ready to start acting and stop procrastinating about their health. At this site, it’s all about peer pressure and peer support – strong accelerants when you want to get the fitness fires burning.

Peer motivation is all well and good, but maybe what you need a good online app to track and plan what you eat and how you exercise in addition to external motivation. Have a look at traineo – one of the leading get healthy sites on the net today. Traineo combines creating a circle of motivating friends to keep you on that treadmill with simple online tools to track you food intake and workouts. Traineo is one of the leaders in this approach, although it’s online tools may be too simplistic for some.

If your last visit to a gym was last century, RunFatBoy will generate an easy to use workout plan for you – and no one needs to know you got it here. The brainchild of not-supermodel-thin Nebraskan Jim Jones, this may be what you need to confront your reality.

If you have concerns about a specific condition or disease, and you’re looking for solid information, an online community and real ways to deal with it, a visit to Steve Case’s RevolutionHealth is definitely in order.

“After leaving AOL, I thought long and hard about what I should do next. I felt that health care was in dire need of transformative change, and decided to build another company that could be a change agent, with the goal of shifting power into the hands of people themselves.

I see this as a business opportunity, to be sure, and we’re aiming to build Revolution Health into a major company. But I also see this as an opportunity to do some good, by tackling a health care system that is a mess, in the way I know best: by building a company that can change the world.”

RevolutionHealth’s Web 2.0 Health Goal Setter – and the experts who moderate each goal is very slick and a great way to focus on what ails you.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Why iPad 2 Will Lead Consumers Into the Post-PC Era
• The Near-Term Evolution of Social Commerce
• Content Farms: The Players, The Benefits, The Risks