We live in a 24/7 economy and whether you are a nurse on the night shift, a stockbroker getting up early to be abreast of the markets in Asia, a fast food server feeding pub leavers at closing time or a supermarket worker stacking shelves before the shopping hoards arrive, you know what that's like and how it impacts on your family life.For millions of people in the UK and around the world, work is no 9 to 5 matter. In fact, with more than 50 per cent of us working what we we have tended to think of as a 'non standard' schedule, seems to be becoming the 'standard schedule'. In the UK, nearly a quarter of working mums and a third of working dads do some sort of shift work. But how does this affect their ability to lead healthy happy lives not just as individuals, but as a family?A Life's Work is a podcast seeking to answer that question by exploring the latest evidence around shift work and how it affects family life. In our first series funded by the Economic and Social Rese
Think Dad! Why fathers are key to successfully juggling work and family life
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In Episode 5 of A Life's Work, Adrienne Burgess, Joint Chief Executive & Head of Research at the Fatherhood Institute talks to Afshin about the need for employers, policy makers and researchers to pay closer attention to the role of fathers in ensuring that parents can successfully juggle work and family life.
A question of policy: How do we best support working parents?
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In Episode 4 of Series 1, Mubeen Bhutta, Head of Policy and Influencing at Working Families talks to Afshin about the challenges of integrating work and family life, flexible work policies, and how employers can best support parents working outside of the Mon-Fri 9-5 working hours.
Juggling work, home and being a parent: a Union's perspective
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In Episode 3 of Series 1, Matt Creagh, Employment Rights Policy Officer at the Trades Union Congress (TUC) talks to Afshin about policies to support the integration of work and family life, changing working patterns and how employers can help parents who work non standard shifts.
Back to work and breastfeeding: does shift work have a role?
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In Episode 2 of Series One, Val Willcox, Practice Manager at the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) joins Afshin for a discussion about going back to work after having a baby and breastfeeding. We also hear from 1 year-old Alfie’s mum, Hollie, who has recently gone back to her job in retail working weekends. And we discuss Afshin’s research looking at the links between shift work and breastfeeding.
Working long hours and weekends: good or bad for our mental health?
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In Episode One of Series One, UCL researcher and consultant in wellbeing at work Gill Weston discusses her research looking at the links between working long hours and weekend work and signs of depression in both men and women.
