Office Workers: Back Pain, Fatigue & Workforce Productivity

Research Paper Title Breaking Up Workplace Sitting Time with Intermittent Standing Bouts Improves Fatigue and Musculoskeletal Discomfort in Overweight/Obese Office Workers. Background To examine whether the introduction of intermittent standing bouts during the workday using a height-adjustable workstation can improve subjective levels of fatigue, musculoskeletal discomfort and work productivity relative to seated work. Methods Overweight/obese… Read More

Mentally Ill People Need More Help to Stay in Work

People with mental illness should have more help to stay in work, including prompt NHS treatment and support from employers, such as flexible working hours, England’s chief medical officer has said. In her annual report Sally Davies said that the number of working days lost to stress, depression, and anxiety in the United Kingdom had… Read More

Data Protection & Subject Access Requests

From 01 December 2014 it will be a criminal offence for an employer to require people to use their subject access rights under (Section 56 of) the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) to provide certain records as a condition of employment. Section 56 prevents: Employers from requiring people to use their subject access rights under… Read More

Gender & Sickness Absence: Who is worse, Men or Women? (2)

Research Paper Title The Gender Gap in Sickness Absence: Long-term Trends in Eight European Countries. Background Most studies show that women have considerably higher rates of sickness absence than men, but little is known on how the gender gap has developed over time. Methods Data are taken from the EU Labour Force Surveys. The dependent… Read More

Gender & Sickness Absence: Who is worse, Men or Women? (1)

A survey of sickness absence in Eight European countries from 1980 to 2010 (see next post) shows that, contrary to stereotype, for most of this period the Dutch have taken four times as much sick leave as the Italians and Irish. Women are off sick more than men in every country, but especially in the… Read More