There is an urgent need for Australian employers to view domestic and family violence (DFV) as a work safety issue, a Monash University study has shown. The authors recommend prioritising DFV policies and the cultivation of compassionate, informed workplace cultures.
UK researchers have emphasised the need for protective wellbeing strategies for remote workers, after finding working from home increases the likelihood of engaging in unhealthy alcohol and tobacco consumption, and physical health and mental wellbeing deteriorating, particularity in younger people.
Worksites will be required to remove offensive materials like sexist graffiti, and provide proper amenities for female workers, under a trial of an Australian-first "Culture Standard" in an industry notorious for high mental illness rates and physical injuries.
A leading occupational rehabilitation specialist has highlighted the need for personalised support plans and modified working conditions for employees suffering long-term effects from COVID-19 who want to return to work.
Providing specific opportunities for employees who work from home to use mindfulness meditation apps, has a positive effect on team mindfulness and psychological safety, improving job performance, new research has found.
The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a rapid public health response that included work-from-home orders, disrupting traditional working patterns and leading to many companies adopting a flexible approach on a permanent basis. But remote work comes with the risk of multisite musculoskeletal pain, and employers must look beyond workstation set-ups to prevent it, Australian researchers have found.
In a study that sends a warning to all employers with remote-work arrangements, Canadian researchers have found teachers involved in online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic experienced less predictable workflow and less support from supervisors and colleagues than teachers in classrooms, increasing their risk of burnout.
The COVID-19 pandemic rapidly accelerated the move to home-based work, and HR and WHS teams need to proactively ensure employees working from home don't face increased stress, isolation and burnout, according to a lead article in the latest Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
The Fair Work Commission has found an employer moved too quickly to dismiss a worker who refused to get vaccinated for COVID-19, and should have waited until all employees in his category were required to return to the office.
Flexible working arrangements that genuinely support health and wellbeing are being offered to the employees of one of Australia's "best places to work" on the terms that most suit them, instead of under a blanket rule, according to the company's director.