Hybrid work is good for you, extra time, more health and healthy eating - Lifestyle

A new study has found that hybrid working leads to healthier workers, with more time for exercise, rest and healthy eating.

Research conducted by IWG – the world leader in hybrid work solutions and flexible workspaces – of more than 2,000 hybrid workers reveals that the time saved by reducing commuting has led to multiple health and well-being benefits, including weight loss, better eating habits, better mental health, and longer sleep.

The average hybrid worker today dedicates 4.7 hours a week to physical exercise, compared to 3.4 hours before the pandemic;

the most common activities are walking, running and resistance exercises.

They also sleep longer: The extra time spent in bed each morning equals 71 hours — or three days — of extra sleep a year.

Eating habits have also improved significantly.

70% said working in hybrid mode allows them to prepare a healthy breakfast every day, while more than half (54%) have more time to spend preparing nutritious meals during the week.

Workers consume more fresh fruit and vegetables (46% and 44% respectively) and a fifth (20%) eat more fish.

A quarter have also decreased their consumption of sweets compared to the period before 2020. More exercise, better rest and healthier eating meant that more than a quarter (27%) of workers said they had lost weight from beginning of the pandemic.

Two in five (42%) lost between 5 and 9.9kg, while a remarkable 23% lost more than 10kg.

IWG, present in Italy with brands such as Spaces and Regus, has collaborated with Dr. Sara Kayat, a passionate supporter of the benefits of an active and healthy lifestyle, convinced that hybrid work can help workers and free up time.

Sara Kayat comments: "There is no doubt that hybrid working has led to some important health benefits. A balanced diet, physical activity and good quality sleep are the foundations of a healthy lifestyle. These data suggest that they are popular elements thanks to the extra time that the hybrid working model allows."

“Stress management and social connections are also incredibly important for mental well-being, and a healthy work-life balance is essential to achieving them. Enabling people to work closer to home allows for more time for family, friends and anti-stress hobbies".

Hybrid working has seen more and more workers work alternately from home, from a nearby office and sometimes from the headquarters, drastically reducing travel and consequently saving many hours every day.

Hybrid working is also bringing productivity gains.

Nearly four in five people (79%) say they are more productive than they were before 2020,

According to research by Nicholas Bloom, an economist at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, overall productivity has increased by 3%-4% thanks to hybrid working, thus demonstrating a tangible advantage for both companies and staff.

With increased productivity at work and more free time off work, it's no surprise that two-thirds (66%) believe their mental health is improved as a result of switching to hybrid working.

81% say they have more free time than before 2020 and most spend it on activities that improve their health and well-being;

spending time with family and friends (55%) and exercising (52%) or taking a short walk during the day (67%), all of which also have a positive effect on mental health.