Following the recent report outlining the mental health benefits of spending time outdoors, The National Trust has published its own research on the wellbeing impacts of the natural world in partnership with the University of Derby, which shows those with an active ‘engagement’ with nature enjoy significant health benefits and are more likely to address environmental issues. The research has prompted a new initiative focussed on a series of activities that will help people engage more with their natural surroundings. This includes a new weekly guide to every day nature connection and a public awareness campaign, including billboards by roads and in railway stations, on the first day of spring. (more…)

Today is the first productive day of the year for UK employees, according to new research which claims 38 working days were lost, on average, by each employee last year due to physical and mental health related absence and presenteeism. The study puts the cost to businesses and the economy of these lost days (which in reality are of course spread out across the whole year) at £91.9bn in 2019, an increase of more than £10bn on 2018. (more…)

GPs issued nearly three-quarters of a million fit notes last year stating that an individual was not fit to work due to a stress-related disorder, new research has claimed. This is a rise of 8 percent compared to 2017/18 (741,210 notes issued, up from 686,670), employment law firm GQ Littler said. The total number of fit notes issued increased by 4 percent over the same period to 9.7 million, up from 9.3 million. (more…)

From menstruation to menopause, the challenges that come with being a woman at work is causing reoccurring career breaks, which are costing UK businesses, according to a new report from Bupa. As many as 11 million women have had to take a long-term leave of absence at some point during their working life, from their late teens to their early seventies. (more…)