New research shows that if employees see real workplace flexibility including telecommuting options they lead healthier lives.

The Wake Forest University School of Medicine study, titled “The Effects of Workplace Flexibility on Health Behaviors: A Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Analysis,” was published in The Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

While workplace flexibility is widely believed to be an essential element of effective worksite health promotion programs, there had been little research to support of this belief before the results of this study were published.

Data for the study came from people who perform a wide variety of tasks within a large multinational pharmaceutical company consistently recognized by Working Mother magazine as among the most family-friendly employers in the United States. The company offers compressed workweeks, flextime, job sharing, and remote or telework.