Wellbeing

A randomised control trial has found that office workers who use a standing desk alongside other interventions that encourage them to sit less and move around reduced their sitting time by an hour a day over one year.

A new report from the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) has underlined the need for stronger OSH protections in response to the growing focus on psychosocial work to support wellbeing and productivity, changes to working practices brought about by COVID-19 and technological advances in the economy.

The Japanese digital giant invites its home workers to take an hour a week for a non-work activity to support their safety, health and wellbeing. IOSH magazine spoke to Simon Head CFIOSH, head of international health and safety, about Fujitsu’s people-first approach.

Employment groups have called on employers to work proactively with employees who are suffering from the long-term effects of coronavirus and make reasonable adjustments so individuals can be better supported to stay in or return to work.

New research published by Ipsos suggests that more than half of UK adults would support the introduction of legislation giving employees the right to ignore work-related communications outside of their official working/on-call hours.

A joint report from two United Nations (UN) agencies includes measures that employers should put in place, including providing effective OSH support, so that workers’ health is adequately protected while they undertake teleworking.

Businesses that are considering removing a hybrid working option and bringing workers back to the office full time risk losing more than half of their staff, according to a YouGov survey commissioned by Microsoft UK.

A growing number of women in their 40s and 50s are leaving the workplace because they are struggling with menopausal symptoms, often in silence. Employers and health professionals must offer better support and education, enabling all women to flourish in their careers.

While vaccinations are going some way to control the spread of COVID-19, those who have had the disease – and who continue to feel its effects – need special consideration.

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is calling for a legal duty on employers to protect workers from heat-related risk after the Met Office issued its first ever extreme heat warning in July.