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Work-related stress and work-life conflict are the biggest health and safety challenges in the UK with considerable costs to the economy as well as employees and their families. Research conducted by Professor Kinman over the last 15 years has made a significant contribution to enhancing knowledge of the mechanisms underpinning work-related well-being and ways in which this can be enhanced. In recognition of the unique nature of Kinman's work, the UoB is widely recognised as a centre of excellence in this field. Kinman has advised organisations, predominantly in the public sector, on ways to manage stress and enhance work-life balance and resilience. The significance and reach of this work has been demonstrated, most notably with academic employees and social workers. It has been used to develop interventions and informed changes to policy and practice at a national level in these sectors.
Ensuring that a new medicine improves or maintains a person's quality of life is important. Abbott's longstanding collaborative relationship with health professionals and service users has enabled the development of two patient-reported, quality of life instruments (CFQoL, LupusQoL). Abbott's expertise has contributed to the development of policy/guidelines concerning quality of life measurement in clinical trials for the European Medicines Agency and European Cystic Fibrosis Society. The instruments have been adopted internationally with the LupusQoL providing a global business opportunity for a US translation company. At the request of pharmaceutical companies, the LupusQoL is translated into the numerous languages required for use in their multi-national clinical trials of new medicines.
The impact of the research detailed in this case study has been made at four levels:
Research carried out at the University of Aberdeen into the factors that influence the job satisfaction, health and well-being of employees has directly informed national and international policy reviews and reports. In the UK, recommendations from the research were incorporated into the Hutton Review of Fair Pay in the Public Sector; internationally, they were included in several EU Commission policy reviews and business press reports. The research was also presented direct to policy makers at EU forums and achieved considerable secondary reach through media coverage.
Research at Cranfield School of Management has shown that, contrary to preconceptions, flexible working arrangements for employees do not adversely affect an organisation's performance. As a direct consequence of our research, and its unique and fundamental contribution to the Walsh Review, in 2009 the UK government extended the legal right of parents of children up to 16 years of age to request flexible working arrangements, affecting 4.5 million people.
The government also announced in 2012 plans to extend this right to all UK employees in 2014.
These findings have influenced policy debates and developments internationally through reports by the ILO and expert meetings of the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions.
Research by the University of Nottingham has played a leading role in developing national, international and industry guidance on practical approaches to tackling the problem of psychosocial risks in the workplace. The European Commission, the World Health Organisation, the Health and Safety Executive, major global corporations and small and medium-sized businesses have supported and adopted the frameworks and recommendations resulting from this work. In the UK alone the guidance is estimated to have contributed to a saving of almost £2bn over 10 years by helping to improve employees' health and so reducing the costs associated with work-related illness.
Professor Marc Fleurbaey was appointed to the Stiglitz-Sen-Fitoussi Commission (instituted by President Sarkozy) on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress during 2007-09. His work at the LSE on measures of the quality of life and on criteria for the fair allocation of resources significantly shaped the Commission's thinking and had three forms of impact. A direct outcome of the Commission's report was fifty changes to the way that Eurostat and the associated national statistical institutes of the EU collect, report, and use data. The Commission's report also had impact on public debates around the world and was the subject of discussions in major media outlets globally and at high-profile conferences. Fleurbaey's work for the Commission and his research at LSE also led to his appointment to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and to his role as an advisor to the French Health Authority and Parliament.
The British Household Panel Study (BHPS) is a longitudinal survey that has followed a representative sample of individuals since the early 1990s. The resource is used routinely by government departments (e.g. DWP, HMRC, Cabinet Office) and third-sector bodies (e.g. Children's Society) for their research and for monitoring progress towards policy targets. The data's longitudinal character has helped to transform government departments' understanding of the goals of social policies, and allowed them to redefine targets in ways not possible without the BHPS. Examples include DWP's monitoring of persistent poverty, which uses BHPS data to estimate the probability of an individual living in poverty for several successive years.