Flexible working is the manner executing a job based on the needs of a worker. A great example of this is home-based online job that is trendy these days. However, a recent study showed that flexible working can actually lead to sickness.
According to Professor Gail Kinman, an occupational health psychologist from the University of Bedfordshire and the British Psychological Association, unusual working methods such as home-based online jobs lead the person to having an 'always on' character that blurs the line between work and non-work environments. People with this trait are much more likely to experience a higher stress level compared to those workers who do jobs the normal way.
The researchers pointed out the complication when someone does a full-time home-based online job. He or she will be isolated from all social connections and possible career opportunities. This could only lead them to give more of their concentration on work, thus keeping their stress level at a very high rate. And people who are stressed are more likely to turn into comfort foods such as chocolates and other sweets. Some might even turn into alcohol just so they can wind down their stress.
The flexible working policies do not really apply on real jobs and can be a problem to those people who got used to it. Full-time work from home can also damage personal relationships with friends and loved ones as the boundary between work and personal life gets thin.
Professor Kinman said that if someone constantly worries about their work, their mindset will never go back to normal. The body system will not cool down, thus disrupting its ability to recover from all the stress that the person went through. She also added that it can cause the host to have unusual sleep patterns and a weakened immune system that will allow different viruses to come and infect the body.
