The first global standard to help employers manage psychosocial hazards at work is due to arrive this summer. The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) spoke out earlier this month to welcome the impending arrival of ISO 45003 “as a proactive attempt to make good mental wellbeing part of a company’s culture.” The...
Mental health support outlined in Queen’s Speech
The government has pledged to improve mental health support as part of their plans for “unleashing our nation’s full potential” as the UK recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic. Boris Johnson’s legislative agenda for the new parliamentary session was outlined in the Queen’s Speech yesterday (Tuesday 11th May 2021). In an event that was pared...
Landmark mental health study reveals rise in loneliness
A landmark mental health study reveals a mixed picture for the UK one year after the Covid-19 pandemic took hold, with more adults experiencing loneliness. The Mental Health in the Pandemic study, which began shortly before the first national lockdown in March 2020 and has asked questions of the UK public at 10 intervals...
1 in 4 frontline doctors seek mental health support
It has been revealed that a quarter of frontline doctors have sought mental health support during the coronavirus pandemic in the UK. The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has published data showing that, after having faced one of the worst public health crises of the modern era, 1 in 4 doctors has sought mental...
Aviva reducing office space in favour of permanent home-working
Investment company Aviva has announced that it will be closing many of its offices across the UK and allowing staff to work from home as standard practice. Aviva currently employs 16,000 people in the UK and sought to assure that the changes they were making would not amount to job cuts and that staff...
Study shows pandemic’s impact on mental health
A new research study has found that key indicators of poor mental health and wellbeing – such as loneliness, suicidality and not coping well with stress – have worsened among UK adults since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. The four-nation longitudinal study, led by the Mental Health Foundation and its university partners, has...
How to protect home workers during Covid-19
As hundreds of thousands of workers continue to work from home in line with government guidelines during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has updated guidance for protecting home workers. Employers have the same health and safety responsibilities for home workers as they do for any other workers. The HSE explains...