Workers who can mentally and physically detach from work after hours have fewer concentration problems, sleep better and are at lower risk of depression and exhaustion, according to a study on work breaks, which highlights the important role managers play in facilitating this behaviour.
High workloads and other organisational factors compel workers to go to work when they're sick, significantly increasing their levels of exhaustion and creating a vicious cycle that adversely affects employers, Swedish researchers have found.
A study of more than 28,000 workers has found that stress resulting from long daily commutes contributes to sleep disturbance, particularly when people are working long hours.
Australian researchers have identified the ideal amount of food for shift workers to consume to maximise alertness at night, in a study highlighting the impacts of night work on gastro health.
Heavy vehicle drivers and other duty holders have been warned against the "trap" of determining minimum rest times based on a 24-hour period starting at the end of a major rest break, after a court upheld the conviction of a worker who unwittingly transgressed fatigue regulations.
Father fatigue is a major unspoken workplace safety issue, with new fathers being 36 per cent more likely to have an accident at work, an organisational psychologist has warned.
