Podcast:
Queer Dating, Being Non Binary and Burn Out

“What is Queerness? Is the word ‘Bisexual’ Transphobic? How is joy linked to activism?” On this episode of Exactly, Florence Given is joined by Matt Bernstein to answer listener questions all about queer dating and identity.

Together, they delve into how ignorance and internet culture can exacerbate homophobia and transphobia, and counter this with advice shared from their own personal experiences.

STORY OF THE WEEK

The 4-Day Week: Does it Actually Work?

Want to get paid the same and work less? This is becoming the reality for more and more people at forward-thinking companies.
In the latest UK trial, 70 companies signed up for the challenge of dropping a day off their working week, running from June to December while researchers measured the impact on productivity and wellbeing.
The concept of the four-day working week has slowly but steadily been gaining momentum, with several well-documented trials yielding positive results. At this pace, more and more companies will be forced to seriously consider the move. However, there is concern that the growing economic crisis will halt the impetus. Recent LinkedIn data found that 28% of employers anticipate reducing flexible working and hybrid working roles.
The five-day work week with a two-day weekend is an entirely arbitrary concept, but “people often talk about the five-day week [as] if it’s something that was in the book of Genesis" (Burchell, Cambridge university.)

With burnout and mental health concerns at an all time high, it makes sense to reconsider our working pattern. 
There are legitimate concerns to consider however. Would compacting tasks into less time, result in high pressure, high speed working days? Would this impact morale, and cause a decline in cross-collaboration and innovation?
Feedback from studies are clear that a lot of preparation and reviews of processes need to take place before making the leap.
However, when mindfully implemented, early research has found that a four-day work week has been broadly popular, with companies seeing increased revenue, fewer resignations, and a boost in morale and productivity. A shorter working week also has the added benefit of cutting emissions via commutes.

Will 2023 be the year more people make the move?

IN OTHER NEWS

The First Ever Cohort of Trans Attorneys Has Been Admitted to Practice Before the Supreme Court

The National Trans Bar Association was founded in 2016 in the US with the aim to support trans people in the legal profession and to increase the trans community’s access to legal services. Now, ten members of the NTBA have been admitted to practice before the Supreme Court. The group wanted to demonstrate that their ability to be a competent attorney is in no way impacted by their gender identity. “We made sure there was every gender and colour, a rainbow of transgender people. Some visibly trans, some not so visibly”, said Co-Chair Kristen Browde.

“She’s 83!”: Here’s The Thing About Using A Person’s Age To Excuse Casual Racism

Lady Susan Hussey, who served the late Queen for over six decades, has resigned from her position as lady-in-waiting. The story broke after Lady Susan was accused of making racist remarks to the boss of a black charity. While it is true that individuals like Lady Susan were "born in a different time," this does not excuse disregard for social justice issues. Lady Susan and Martin Luther King Jr. were only separated by ten years, and she has witnessed some of the most significant shifts in race relations in human history, unlike many others. Racism appears to be one of the areas in which we not only excuse but also anticipate regress.

People Getting Sicker Due to Spending Cuts And Rising Cost of Living

The British Medical Association (BMA) warned in a new report that the government is failing to address multiple health threats that are impacting the NHS. The report revealed that 50% of GP appointments are devoted to long-term conditions that are frequently preventable, while doctors spend approximately 20% of their time dealing with non-medical but social or economic related pressures. According to the report, the NHS spent at least £2.5 billion in 2019 treating illnesses directly related to cold, damp, and dangerous housing conditions. It has been said that although doctors can treat a patient's respiratory symptoms, they must frequently return them to the cold, unheated homes that caused them to become ill in the first place.

Gender Pay Gap Greatest For Women in Their 50s And 60s

Rest Less, a digital news site for people over the age of 50, have discovered significant data from the Office of National Statistics. The research compared this year's figures to those from the previous decade and found that, while the national gender pay gap for all age groups narrowed from 24% in 2012 to 19% in 2022, it remains highest for those in their 50s and 60s. The analysis revealed that the wage gap was smallest among those aged 22–29, where women earned an average of £26,329 and men earned an average of £28,657. Even though the state pensions for women and men are now equal, the retirement fortunes of men and women remain unequal.

Although the UK is becoming more racially diverse, many minorities within the financial services industry are still experiencing discrimination. Within the last year, a shocking 70% of ethnic minorities working in UK finance have experienced discrimination. According to the Race Equality in UK Financial Services study, a network of senior Black, Asian, and minority ethnic executives found that four-fifths of Black, Asian, and minority workers had experienced unwelcome comments based on their backgrounds. Almost all ethnic minorities in the UK face a stubborn wage gap that can't be explained by occupation or education. A quarter of survey respondents believe that racial jokes are still tolerated, suggesting discrimination is clearly still a major issue here.

Under current law, employees can make a flexible working request only after 26 weeks in the job. This new law would mean millions of employees can now formally request flexible working patterns from day one; this could include working from home, job-sharing, compressed hours, flexitime and part-time and term-time-only working. Unions have welcomed the move, but a TUC survey found that some workers do not ask for flexible working due to fear of the response.