Breaking the chain from the chair: a manager’s perspective on reducing employees sedentary time in a home-office context

Background: Office workers have the highest estimated daily sedentary time (ST). The Covid-19 pandemic resulted in a switch from office-based work to home-office work or a hybrid of both. Home-office work has been shown to increase ST compared to the office, which may have deleterious health consequences. Objective: This study explored managers perspectives on the factors influencing their employee’s ability to reduce ST in a home-office context. Design: A descriptive qualitative study. Methods: Semi-structured interviews (n = 20), which were mapped to the COM-B model, were conducted with managers from Ireland, Spain and The Netherlands. Interviews were conducted through Zoom, recorded and transcribed verbatim. A reflexive thematic analysis approach was used. Results: Organisational support, management engaging in physical activity (PA) during work and a social element were seen as key to increasing engagement in interventions. Creating opportunities for employees to engage in PA during work was seen as another key element. Leveraging infrastructure put in place during the Covid-19 pandemic was identified as a feasible approach to providing education and encouragement to employees. Lastly, managers feared the impact reducing ST may have on the performance of both employees and the organisation, yet, managers felt an increase in employee well-being would benefit their company long-term. Conclusion: These results highlight the need to include organisational support and leadership from management, ensuring a top-down approach. These changes may create opportunities for employees to reduce their ST while working from home, which may benefit both the employees’ and organisations.