London, Feb 19 (IANS) Giving employees greater flexibility at work is likely to boost their health and well being, according to new evidence.

Greater flexibility "has the potential to promote a healthier workplaces and improve work practices", said Clare Bambra, researcher at Durham University (DU), England.

Besides physical risks, the workplace can pose a threat to health due to factors like high workloads, time pressures, lack of control and limited social interaction with others, said Kerry Joyce.

Joyce, also a DU researcher, who led the study, said stress in turn can contribute to conditions like heart disease, depression and anxiety.

The authors sought to determine what researchers have discovered about the effects on health of "flexible working" - measures that give employees more autonomy.

They also looked at other kinds of interventions, such as involuntary part-time employment and mandatory overtime, that help employers, said a DU release.

The researchers found 10 studies that fit their criteria for review inclusion. Three took place in the US, two in Finland and one each in the Netherlands, Britain, Australia and Denmark. Another study analysed workers in Britain and Germany.

The review appeared in the current issue of The Cochrane Library.