New workplace study Flexible working hours mean less stress for most, not more

More flexibility in the workplace leads to less stress, not more. This is the surprising finding of a study conducted by the opinion research institute Sotomo on behalf of the Swiss Employers' Association (SAV).

Although employees with flexible working hours experienced a mix of work and leisure more frequently than those with fixed working hours, only a small proportion of them (26%) perceived this mix as stressful, according to the paper published on Monday.

81 percent of those surveyed stated that more flexibility in working hours would reduce their stress levels.

According to the study, 28 percent of part-time employees in Switzerland could also imagine increasing their workload if they had more flexible working hours.

The SAV sees this result as confirmation of its call for more flexible working time models, as it writes in an accompanying communiqué. They could make an important contribution to combating the labor shortage.