News and Knowledge

Almost 2 million workers suffered from ‘work-related’ illness this year, figures reveal

Almost two million workers in Great Britain reported suffering from work-related ill health over the past year.   The statistics, revealed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) also showed that almost half of the cases were down to stress, depression or anxiety. The figures show that from 2022 to 2023 1.8million workers reported that…

4-day working week – is it a good idea?

Burnout is becoming a widespread problem across almost every industry – but some organisations are making moves to tackle this.   The theory is that giving workers an extra day off,  could promote wellbeing in the workplace and boost productivity. According to statistics, burnout has become an ‘occupational phenomenon’ with one in five workers in…

GP burnout figures on the rise

According to figures released by NHS Practitioner Health, the number of doctors reaching out for help regarding mental health issues has increased by more than three quarters within a two year period.   Since March 2021, these figures equate to a 77% increase. Over 5,600 doctors accessed the NHS practitioner Health programme in England in…

Workplace sickness 10 year high

According to recent research, workers in the UK are off sick more now than at any point in the last ten years in a current workplace sickness 10 year high.   The average pre-pandemic sickness rates stood at 5.8 days, whereas the figure for the past year stands at 7.8 days sick days on average,…

Sexual assaults against female surgeons

The BBC recently reported about assaults against female surgeons, stating that they are being “sexually harassed, assaulted and in some cases raped by colleagues”.   Almost two-thirds of female surgeons who provided a response to the research stated that they had been targets of sexual harassment, with a third of those targeted by sexual assault.…

Working Minds: Much needed campaign launched to help HGV drivers with work-related stress

Long hours away from home, demanding delivery times and limited access to toilets and showers. These are all common causes of stress for HGV, drivers and a new Working Minds campaign aims to combat this by promoting good mental health whilst at work.   The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has made it clear that…

McDonald’s Sexual abuse claims – Employees speak out

According to a new BBC report, more than 100 current McDonald’s employees have so far come forward with sexual abuse allegations concerning other colleagues.   We have previously written about allegations at one of the biggest retail food employers in the world – but this time the focus has been extended beyond individual cases, as…

Record high NHS staff sickness in England

According to new figures released for 2022, we have entered a period of record high NHS staff sickness.   The overall proportion of days lost due to absence was 5.6% of all working days, accounting for the equivalent loss of 75,000 members of staff within the year. This has exceeded the peak of the 2020-2021…

Mental wellbeing in the workplace

A recent LawCare report found that 61% of those that participated had often experienced anxiety within the last year.   Likewise, the International Bar Association’s Mental Wellbeing in the Legal Profession: A Global Study found that 56% of professionals in the legal sector had experienced anxiety. It must also be pointed out that this 24/7…

Women at Work report 2023: Progress at diminutive rate

In recent years, there has been a growing conversation around the importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace.   Despite this, many companies still struggle to create an environment that is truly inclusive, particularly for women. This year’s Deloitte’s Women at Work report (publicised as ‘Women @ Work’), published in April 2023, sheds light…