Asli Atay
@asliatay.bsky.social
Senior Policy Adviser at the Work Foundation. Interested in labour market and health. Previously at the Learning& Work Institute and Demos. Istanbulite living in London. Currently on maternity leave but still checks here!
https://asliatay.substack.com/
https://asliatay.substack.com/
Pinned
Asli Atay
@asliatay.bsky.social
· Dec 5
Our report on tackling economic inactivity is finally out and it’s one we’ve been working on for a while.🥳
The key takeaway? Flexibility, autonomy, and support during the first year after ill health onset are game changers for keeping people in work.
A ~long~ thread to unpack our key findings🧵
The key takeaway? Flexibility, autonomy, and support during the first year after ill health onset are game changers for keeping people in work.
A ~long~ thread to unpack our key findings🧵
Two hundred UK companies have signed up for a permanent four-day working week for all their employees with no loss of pay.
www.theguardian.com/money/2025/j...
www.theguardian.com/money/2025/j...
Two hundred UK companies sign up for permanent four-day working week
More than 5,000 workers to benefit from reduced hours with no loss of pay
www.theguardian.com
January 27, 2025 at 9:45 AM
Two hundred UK companies have signed up for a permanent four-day working week for all their employees with no loss of pay.
www.theguardian.com/money/2025/j...
www.theguardian.com/money/2025/j...
Reposted by Asli Atay
Notably, employer behaviour is in scope for the independent review, but not, in the discovery phase, behaviours by DWP staff or contractors, or benefit system and its administration. The limitation of scope, unfortunately, reminds me of: www.disabilitynewsservice.com/dwp-blocked-...
DWP blocked researchers from discussing ‘shocking’ data on ESA suicide attempts in ‘unique’ report
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) civil servants who commissioned a key piece of research on claimants of out-of-work disability benefits blocked researchers from discussing “shocking” data sh…
www.disabilitynewsservice.com
January 24, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Notably, employer behaviour is in scope for the independent review, but not, in the discovery phase, behaviours by DWP staff or contractors, or benefit system and its administration. The limitation of scope, unfortunately, reminds me of: www.disabilitynewsservice.com/dwp-blocked-...
Reposted by Asli Atay
The terms of reference www.gov.uk/government/p... are interesting.
Keep Britain Working: Terms of Reference
www.gov.uk
January 24, 2025 at 2:28 PM
The terms of reference www.gov.uk/government/p... are interesting.
Mayfield review is launched!
www.gov.uk/government/n...
www.gov.uk/government/n...
Ex-high street chief to keep Britain working with review into business support for disabled and long-term sick
A new “Keep Britain Working” review has been launched today [Friday 24 January] to explore how to urgently support people with long-term illnesses or disabilities back into work, and to stay in work.
www.gov.uk
January 24, 2025 at 9:32 AM
Mayfield review is launched!
www.gov.uk/government/n...
www.gov.uk/government/n...
Reposted by Asli Atay
The Health Foundation has published new analysis on mental health trends among working age people and invited me to share some thoughts. Taking a more holistic approach to understanding capacity for work seems to be at the heart of it: www.health.org.uk/features-and...
Unravelling the rise in mental health-related inactivity
Dr Annie Irvine on why we need for a much more holistic approach to understanding capacity in order to tackle mental health-related inactivity.
www.health.org.uk
January 22, 2025 at 10:31 AM
The Health Foundation has published new analysis on mental health trends among working age people and invited me to share some thoughts. Taking a more holistic approach to understanding capacity for work seems to be at the heart of it: www.health.org.uk/features-and...
The debate over remote work shows no signs of slowing down. Trump orders federal workers back to the office full-time.
www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
Trump orders federal workers back to office full-time
President Donald Trump has ordered federal workers to return to the office five days a week, signing an executive order in front of cheering supporters at Washington's Capital One Arena on Monday.
www.reuters.com
January 21, 2025 at 12:04 PM
The debate over remote work shows no signs of slowing down. Trump orders federal workers back to the office full-time.
www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
Reposted by Asli Atay
New Substack is out! In my latest post, I explore why Blair’s call to avoid "medicalising the ups and downs of life" risks missing the bigger picture: the systemic mental health crisis in our workplaces and its connection to bad jobs. Let me know what you think!
open.substack.com/pub/asliatay...
open.substack.com/pub/asliatay...
Tony Blair’s ‘Tougher’ Message Misses the Real Crisis: Bad Jobs and Mental Health
Workplace Mental Health Starts with Autonomy and Flexibility in Job Design
open.substack.com
January 19, 2025 at 1:24 PM
New Substack is out! In my latest post, I explore why Blair’s call to avoid "medicalising the ups and downs of life" risks missing the bigger picture: the systemic mental health crisis in our workplaces and its connection to bad jobs. Let me know what you think!
open.substack.com/pub/asliatay...
open.substack.com/pub/asliatay...
New Substack is out! In my latest post, I explore why Blair’s call to avoid "medicalising the ups and downs of life" risks missing the bigger picture: the systemic mental health crisis in our workplaces and its connection to bad jobs. Let me know what you think!
open.substack.com/pub/asliatay...
open.substack.com/pub/asliatay...
Tony Blair’s ‘Tougher’ Message Misses the Real Crisis: Bad Jobs and Mental Health
Workplace Mental Health Starts with Autonomy and Flexibility in Job Design
open.substack.com
January 19, 2025 at 1:24 PM
New Substack is out! In my latest post, I explore why Blair’s call to avoid "medicalising the ups and downs of life" risks missing the bigger picture: the systemic mental health crisis in our workplaces and its connection to bad jobs. Let me know what you think!
open.substack.com/pub/asliatay...
open.substack.com/pub/asliatay...
I’m at the launch of the Digital Dialogues report at Tech UK. The findings reveal that technology is augmenting and complementing work but also highlight challenges for workers, including new skill demands, risks of work intensification, and digital surveillance.
January 16, 2025 at 5:11 PM
I’m at the launch of the Digital Dialogues report at Tech UK. The findings reveal that technology is augmenting and complementing work but also highlight challenges for workers, including new skill demands, risks of work intensification, and digital surveillance.
This was brutal 🙈 #universitychallenge
January 13, 2025 at 11:50 PM
This was brutal 🙈 #universitychallenge
Reposted by Asli Atay
However, we also find that employers are struggling to respond. More than three in five employers (65%) acknowledge the value of occupational health services, but only 37% provide these services. In addition, less than half of employers (48%) offer flexible working arrangements.
January 9, 2025 at 4:42 PM
However, we also find that employers are struggling to respond. More than three in five employers (65%) acknowledge the value of occupational health services, but only 37% provide these services. In addition, less than half of employers (48%) offer flexible working arrangements.
Reposted by Asli Atay
.@asliatay.bsky.social continues that the first year after illness is pivotal – 4.2% of workers leave their jobs within the first year of a health setback. Findings also include that employees are four times more likely to leave their job if they lack flexibility following a health setback.
January 9, 2025 at 4:42 PM
.@asliatay.bsky.social continues that the first year after illness is pivotal – 4.2% of workers leave their jobs within the first year of a health setback. Findings also include that employees are four times more likely to leave their job if they lack flexibility following a health setback.
Reposted by Asli Atay
.@asliatay.bsky.social shares that, since the pandemic, 2.78 million people have left the workforce due to long-term health conditions. This has far-reaching consequences – not just for individuals but also for employers and the welfare system.
January 9, 2025 at 4:42 PM
.@asliatay.bsky.social shares that, since the pandemic, 2.78 million people have left the workforce due to long-term health conditions. This has far-reaching consequences – not just for individuals but also for employers and the welfare system.
We're about to start our webinar on Healthier Jobs to Tackle Economic Inactivity. Join us to explore how we can better support people with ill health to stay in work!
Event at 2pm: explore our research on the factors for those with long-term health conditions that influence the risk of falling out of work, & what Government & employers can do.
Join @alicepmartin.bsky.social @somceo.bsky.social @asliatay.bsky.social: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/stemming-t...
Join @alicepmartin.bsky.social @somceo.bsky.social @asliatay.bsky.social: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/stemming-t...
January 9, 2025 at 1:28 PM
We're about to start our webinar on Healthier Jobs to Tackle Economic Inactivity. Join us to explore how we can better support people with ill health to stay in work!
Reposted by Asli Atay
EVENT: Join us on Thurs to explore our research on healthier jobs to tackle economic inactivity, with @asliatay.bsky.social, Nick Pahl @somceo.bsky.social & Prof Stavroula Leka, expert in workforce health
We have 100+ sign ups already, looking forward to it
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/stemming-t...
We have 100+ sign ups already, looking forward to it
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/stemming-t...
Stemming the tide: Healthier jobs to tackle economic inactivity
Join the Work Foundation to explore new research.
www.eventbrite.co.uk
January 6, 2025 at 11:21 AM
EVENT: Join us on Thurs to explore our research on healthier jobs to tackle economic inactivity, with @asliatay.bsky.social, Nick Pahl @somceo.bsky.social & Prof Stavroula Leka, expert in workforce health
We have 100+ sign ups already, looking forward to it
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/stemming-t...
We have 100+ sign ups already, looking forward to it
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/stemming-t...
"A recent Working Lives of Teachers and Leaders survey shows a big jump in respondents citing the lack of flexible working opportunities as a reason for considering leaving the state education sector in the next 12 months – up from 34% in 2023 to 47% in 2024."
www.theguardian.com/education/20...
www.theguardian.com/education/20...
UK teachers should be allowed to work from home, education secretary says
Bridget Phillipson insists move to marking and class preparation out of school would help stem retention crisis
www.theguardian.com
December 22, 2024 at 11:38 AM
"A recent Working Lives of Teachers and Leaders survey shows a big jump in respondents citing the lack of flexible working opportunities as a reason for considering leaving the state education sector in the next 12 months – up from 34% in 2023 to 47% in 2024."
www.theguardian.com/education/20...
www.theguardian.com/education/20...
Reposted by Asli Atay
Great to see our finding in @thetimes.com today - that half the people who leave employment due to illness do so in the first year following their decline in health. This is a critical period, requiring good sick pay, leave and adjustments
www.thetimes.com/article/why-...
www.thetimes.com/article/why-...
Why can’t more than 800,000 job vacancies be filled?
There are four times as many people potentially able to work as there are jobs
www.thetimes.com
December 18, 2024 at 12:32 PM
Great to see our finding in @thetimes.com today - that half the people who leave employment due to illness do so in the first year following their decline in health. This is a critical period, requiring good sick pay, leave and adjustments
www.thetimes.com/article/why-...
www.thetimes.com/article/why-...
🔈 New Substack: Hearing on the news that GDP is declining can feel abstract to many of us. I’ve been thinking about how we can make growth feel more real, so I wrote a blog exploring this, drawing on recent events, reports, and policy discussions.
open.substack.com/pub/asliatay...
open.substack.com/pub/asliatay...
Beyond the numbers: How the Government can reconnect growth with people's lives
From abstract metrics to tangible change
open.substack.com
December 17, 2024 at 8:16 PM
🔈 New Substack: Hearing on the news that GDP is declining can feel abstract to many of us. I’ve been thinking about how we can make growth feel more real, so I wrote a blog exploring this, drawing on recent events, reports, and policy discussions.
open.substack.com/pub/asliatay...
open.substack.com/pub/asliatay...
I wrote for @bigissue.com about why workplace health should be at the heart of efforts to grow our economy, sharing insights from our research.
www.bigissue.com/opinion/labo...
www.bigissue.com/opinion/labo...
Labour's quiet plan to 'keep Britain working' could change lives
Healthier workplaces are an investment in time and resource that benefits their bottom line and the health of our society.
www.bigissue.com
December 16, 2024 at 3:28 PM
I wrote for @bigissue.com about why workplace health should be at the heart of efforts to grow our economy, sharing insights from our research.
www.bigissue.com/opinion/labo...
www.bigissue.com/opinion/labo...
"The Tokyo Metropolitan Government will allow its staff to work a four-day week as authorities in the world’s largest city begin a radical experiment to reverse Japan’s low birth rate."
www.ft.com/content/7cc7...
www.ft.com/content/7cc7...
Tokyo plans 4-day working week to boost births
World’s largest city begins radical experiment as it tries to tackle demographic crisis
www.ft.com
December 13, 2024 at 7:20 PM
"The Tokyo Metropolitan Government will allow its staff to work a four-day week as authorities in the world’s largest city begin a radical experiment to reverse Japan’s low birth rate."
www.ft.com/content/7cc7...
www.ft.com/content/7cc7...
Reposted by Asli Atay
Great to see this report from the Work Foundation. Interesting findings on how important access to flexible working is for enabling people with health conditions stay in work.
Our report on tackling economic inactivity is finally out and it’s one we’ve been working on for a while.🥳
The key takeaway? Flexibility, autonomy, and support during the first year after ill health onset are game changers for keeping people in work.
A ~long~ thread to unpack our key findings🧵
The key takeaway? Flexibility, autonomy, and support during the first year after ill health onset are game changers for keeping people in work.
A ~long~ thread to unpack our key findings🧵
December 6, 2024 at 2:05 PM
Great to see this report from the Work Foundation. Interesting findings on how important access to flexible working is for enabling people with health conditions stay in work.
Reposted by Asli Atay
Because the policy focus has been on benefits, there has been little/no recognition that people may have been on contractual sick pay for quite a long time. This is mainly a big company thing, but given 90% plus employers are tiny, the % of employment from medium/large employers is high.
December 5, 2024 at 1:48 PM
Because the policy focus has been on benefits, there has been little/no recognition that people may have been on contractual sick pay for quite a long time. This is mainly a big company thing, but given 90% plus employers are tiny, the % of employment from medium/large employers is high.
Reposted by Asli Atay
Great research/thread @asliatay.bsky.social of Work Foundation. Chimes with @jrf-uk.bsky.social/Scope report that the most significant barriers holding disabled people back from work include inaccessible, inflexible jobs lacking health-related adaptations and support: www.jrf.org.uk/work/unlocki...
December 6, 2024 at 10:23 AM
Great research/thread @asliatay.bsky.social of Work Foundation. Chimes with @jrf-uk.bsky.social/Scope report that the most significant barriers holding disabled people back from work include inaccessible, inflexible jobs lacking health-related adaptations and support: www.jrf.org.uk/work/unlocki...
Reposted by Asli Atay
Really interesting and important study by the Work Foundation demonstrating how important flex is to keeping people in work
www.personneltoday.com/hr/sick-work...
www.personneltoday.com/hr/sick-work...
Sick workers without job flexibility four times more likely to leave
Research shows people without flexibility in their jobs are four times more likely to leave work following a decline in health.
www.personneltoday.com
December 5, 2024 at 5:52 PM
Really interesting and important study by the Work Foundation demonstrating how important flex is to keeping people in work
www.personneltoday.com/hr/sick-work...
www.personneltoday.com/hr/sick-work...
Reposted by Asli Atay
This speaks to today's report from the Work Foundation exploring the linkages between job quality and ill health (link below), as well as our findings for the @irhws.bsky.social project about the need for inclusive flexible working models to retain people with disabilities/ill health in employment.
Stephen Phipson also talks about how the most important thing employers are worried about is recruitment/retention of skilled staff& skill shortages are one of the key challenges. In addition to training/upskilling we need to address workers leaving the labour market due to bad working conditions
Stephen Phipson, of manufacturers' trade body Make UK, tells #TUCdecentwork event 85 per cent of members fully support government employment rights changes. Big challenge for them is shortage of skilled workers. "We are seeing lots of big projects disappearing from this country because of that."
December 5, 2024 at 3:55 PM
This speaks to today's report from the Work Foundation exploring the linkages between job quality and ill health (link below), as well as our findings for the @irhws.bsky.social project about the need for inclusive flexible working models to retain people with disabilities/ill health in employment.