We made work flexible. So why is employee health getting worse?

The useful part

Stuart Gentle Publisher at Onrec 08 Sep 2026 | Opinion We made work flexible. Hybrid working has unlocked greater freedom for many of us with no daily commute, more control over our working day and, for many, a better balance between work and home life. There is an unintended consequence employers can no longer afford to overlook: we may have made work more flexible without making it healthier.

How it works

• Because while hybrid working has removed many of the traditional pressures associated with office-based routines, it has also reduced something else: movement.
• For many employees, physical activity used to be built into the working day without them necessarily thinking about it.
• Walking to the station, cycling to work, taking the stairs, walking across the office to speak to a colleague or leaving the building at lunchtime.
• For employers already grappling with rising stress, burnout, and engagement challenges, this should be a wake-up call.
• None of these activities necessarily counted as "exercise", but collectively they created regular opportunities to move.