Hybrid work and physical health behaviors: an experience sampling study comparing physical health behaviors across work locations

Purpose Hybrid work is increasingly common, yet little is known about how employees' physical health behaviors differ on work-from-home (WFH) versus office days. Prior research has largely relied on between-person designs, which may confound individual differences in WFH frequency with health behaviors. This study uses a within-person approach to examine how work location relates to multiple physical health behaviors. Design/methodology/approach Fifty-nine hybrid employees completed an experience sampling survey over five consecutive workdays, yielding 236 data points. Daily measures included physical activity, eating behaviors, relaxation and sleep. Workplace health culture (WHC) was examined as a potential moderator of work location effects. Multilevel modeling was used to account for within-person variability. Findings Vigorous physical activity and relaxation were higher on WFH days, while levels of the other health behaviors did not significantly differ across work locations. WHC did not significantly moderate these relationships. These findings suggest that vigorous exercise and relaxation are especially supported by the autonomy and flexibility of WFH, in line with the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, where job resources foster engagement in discretionary, health-promoting behaviors. Practical implications Organizations can enhance hybrid employees' health by promoting autonomy and flexibility on WFH days, encouraging short movement or relaxation breaks and fostering a culture that encourages healthy behaviors. Originality/value Grounded in the JD-R model, this study offers the first empirical results using a within-person design to examine four physical health behaviors across work locations.