Urgent action needed to tackle “epidemic” of long working hours, says IOSH
September 30, 2024
Half the UK’s workers regularly put in two or more additional hours without pay every week – many of them an hour or more a day – while more than half admit working while feeling too ill to do so, new survey findings reveal. Read More
Could a four-day working week improve employees mental health and wellbeing?
February 2, 2022
A trial of a four-day working week has launched in the UK to measure whether employees who work less are more productive and have better mental health. Read More
Long working hours: ‘745,000 deaths are the tip of the iceberg’
May 19, 2021
The World Health Organization has recently drawn attention to research which estimated that 745,000 people died globally in 2016 due to health conditions (such as stroke and heart disease) associated with long working hours. Dr Nick Bell discusses the implications and the likelihood that this is a significant underestimation of the harm caused by long working hours. Read More
College staff consider quitting over stress and workloads
June 26, 2018
Seven-in-10 college staff have considered quitting as workloads and stress levels rise, according to a new survey. Read More
Sowing the seeds of change
October 1, 2013
There are over 550 fatal accidents in farming across the EU each year and farmers are seven times more likely to die in a workplace accident than members of the general workforce. Michael Cusack looks into the issues facing the industry and what needs to be done to curb the alarming figures. Read More
Make work-life balance your new year’s resolution
January 16, 2012
There is no better time than the start of the year to make changes to your life, so, with this in mind, Prospect has launched a new online resource to help its members achieve a better work-life balance. Read More
Supreme Court dismisses offshore working-time appeal
December 8, 2011
A long-running legal dispute on offshore working hours and leave entitlement has ended with the Supreme Court ruling against the oil and gas workers who brought the case. Read More
Recession takes toll on young workers’ health
June 8, 2011
Younger workers are more stressed in their jobs and feel under more pressure to work long hours than their older colleagues. Read More
Heart-disease link to long hours a "wake-up call"
April 6, 2011
People who work more than 11 hours a day are at a significantly higher risk of heart disease, compared with those who work more standard hours, a new study concludes. Read More
Misgivings voiced over medics’ shift-work patterns
May 25, 2010
Junior doctors are working irregular shift patterns, which, although they may be compliant with the European Working Time Directive, could be putting both the doctors' and their patients' health at risk. Read More