Here is an interesting concept that I'm sure every UPS driver has already figured out. Upper management at UPS has not figured this out. Upper management thinks that stress makes people more productive. They spend millions of dollars on health and safety programs while ignoring the root cause of accidents, injuries and attendance problems. They wonder why workers call in sick every chance they get. Maybe the problem is not the workers, maybe it's the slave drivers that run the company. Read on....

When it comes to keeping workers healthy and productive, a flexible boss may be the best medicine, at least according to a national study from the Work, Family and Health Network.

The 3-year study looked at wide range of jobs including retail, long-term elderly care, hotels and hospitality as well as several white collar firms.

"The study found a little give and take in the workplace can add years to a person's life," said CBS4 Medical Editor Dr. Dave Hnida. "Specifically people who worked in a supportive workplace had half the risk of heart disease than folks who worked places where they were treated poorly."

The good workplace also had workers who slept better, averaging an extra 30 minutes every night.

"That extra sleep seemed to help those people -- healthier overall with fewer infections," Hnida said.

So what makes a workplace supportive?

"It's flexibility in the workplace," Hnida said. "Happier workers were given a lot of leeway to take care of sick children or to take time to attend school events and parent-teacher conferences."

Many were given the chance to take vacation time in long chunks or lots of little ones, including an hour at a time.

Telecommuting and flex time also made a difference in how employees perceived their work environment.
CBS4