Nine out of ten participating UK companies support 4-day work week

Sep 22 2022

Appropriately following a public holiday in Malta, you’ll be relieved to know that nine out of ten UK companies participating in a four-day work week trial have supported the initiative.

Three-day weekends could be more realistic than you think, with most of these companies planning to keep the structure in place after the trial is over.

Back in June, over 3,300 workers across 70 companies in United Kingdom began working a four-day week with zero pay loss and it seems that the system has rendered positive results.

Monitoring organisation 4 Day Week Global has been pushing, analysis and researching this scheme together with think tank Autonomy, with research from Cambridge University, Oxford University, and Boston College, with trials held in the United States, Ireland, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

Should Malta trial the 4-day work week?

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Record-breaking 2,339 kilograms of cocaine discovered during first 7 months of 2022

Sep 22 2022

During the first seven months of this year, a record-breaking discovery of 2,339 kilograms of cocaine was made by Maltese authorities.

The amount seized over the past seven months exceeds the total amount of cocaine seized in 2021, three times over. Police Superintendent Keith Arnaud, who is responsible for the Malta Police Force’s Drug Squad, explained how difficult such processes are, with the police gathering intelligence from the public and third parties.

Following the gathering of information, specialised teams work for hours and days on end until the operation is concluded, which ultimately rids the streets of drugs whilst also shutting down organised crime.

Breaking down channels of drug transportation, Arnaud highlighted how the Police saw an increase in all channels, including air, sea and even mail.

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WATCH: Joseph Muscat discusses life in the public sphere after chairman election

Sep 22 2022

Former Prime Minister and current chairman of Malta Premier League Joseph Muscat recently spoke to Fabian Demicoli in a recent episode of ‘The Interview’ by Malta Daily about life in the public sphere during his time in politics and as PM and now that he has been elected chairman of the Malta Premier League.

He began by saying that in order to live in the public sphere one needs to be strong and not be reactive to criticism or feel very happy because of praise. Muscat went on to say that in public life you have to be ready to listen to everyone and that over the years he feels that he found this strength.

He also revealed that it is not a surprise to him that there are groups of people who believe certain information about him and that these people’s opinion will never change whilst there are also many people who see him in a different light.

The former PM stated that the only way he can prove himself to these people is through his work and the results he obtains. Muscat also revealed that in his opinion his previous experience as Prime Minister saw some mistakes but overall good choices that helped the country.

He ended by stating that in the sports sector he believes he can bring results and the teams closer to each other in order to obtain these results.

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US health panel recommends routine anxiety screenings for adults – should Malta consider this?

Sep 22 2022

A professional health panel in the United States has recommended that all adults under 65 years of age are regularly screened for anxiety.

This suggestion comes in light of the reported ‘extraordinary increase’ in stress levels within the United States, which effects have also been seen all across Europe and even in Malta.

The screenings were suggested to attempt to prevent medical disorders going untreated or undetected for several years with clinical psychologist and professor Lori Pbert highlighting that the need for such an exercise is critical amid the United States’ mental health crisis.

A recent study conducted in Malta by Aġenzija Żgħażagħ shows how youths aged between 13 to 18 suffer from mental issues most following the pandemic.

Meanwhile, data collected in the third edition of the Employee Well-Being at the Workplace survey shows that work-related mental health issues shot up from 63% to 79% between 2021 and 2021, with 72% of employees never discussing such issues with their superiors.

#MaltaDaily