Member Article

'Blue Monday' beaten by working smarter

Yesterday, known as ‘Blue Monday’, was the most depressing day of the year, according to research from the University of Cardiff. This is due to a combination of miserable weather, debts accumulated from Christmas and shattered New Year resolutions. However many businesses and organisations are promoting a solution which can alleviate this malaise – smarter working.

A growing number of organisations are backing the idea of smarter working, claiming that it benefits not only individual well being, but also helps to cut congestion and over-crowding on public transport, raises productivity and reduces carbon dioxide emissions. A number of leading employers and business groups, including the CBI and TUC, signed an agreement yesterday to encourage the wider adoption of smarter working practices across the UK.

Phil Flaxton, chief executive of Work Wise UK, which is the organisation promoting smarter working, said: “UK workers spend on average 47 working days a year commuting – almost one additional working day per week – and this is on top of the UK having one of the longest working weeks in Europe. The additional burden of having to commute at this time of year could be the ‘straw that breaks the camel’s back’. “There is another way. If employers will allow a level of smarter working they may well see an improvement in staff well being, and even an increase in productivity.”

Smarter working practices, including home working, reduce the need to commute to work, while flexible working enables journeys to work to be staggered, alleviating congestions at peak periods. Further details about Work Wise UK can be found on the website, www.workwiseuk.org.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .