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25 September 2019
Issue: 7857 / Categories: Legal News , Profession , Mental health , Health & safety
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Sick buildings: a draining atmosphere

Sick of meetings? It may be meetings that are making you sick, according to research by business technology experts the Remark Group.

The results of Remark’s ‘Air Quality and Wellbeing at Work 2019’ survey suggest that ‘sick building syndrome’—a phenomenon that emerged in the 1990s—is making a comeback. Among more than 1,000 UK office workers surveyed, 86% suffered headaches at work, while 91% experienced tiredness or lethargy. Some 78% reported dry, itchy or watery eyes, 76% suffered a dry throat and 70% had itchy or irritated skin. Only 11% described their sleep quality as good during the working week.

Expressing shock at the results, environmental psychologist Dr Nigel Oseland said: ‘Everyone has the right to work in a healthy workplace.’

To improve life at the office, Remark suggests regular screen breaks, going outside during lunchtime, reducing stress, opening windows, installing air purifiers and creating living plant walls.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Carey Olsen—Patrick Ormond

Carey Olsen—Patrick Ormond

Partner joinscorporate and finance practice in British Virgin Islands

Dawson Cornwell—Naomi Angell

Dawson Cornwell—Naomi Angell

Firm strengthens children department with adoption and surrogacy expert

Penningtons Manches Cooper—Graham Green

Penningtons Manches Cooper—Graham Green

Media and technology expert joins employment team as partner in Cambridge

NEWS
Freezing orders in divorce proceedings can unexpectedly ensnare third parties and disrupt businesses. In NLJ this week, Lucy James of Trowers & Hamlins explains how these orders—dubbed a ‘nuclear weapon’—preserve assets but can extend far beyond spouses to companies and business partners 
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified that ‘rent’ must be monetary—excluding tenants paid in labour from statutory protection. In this week's NLJ, James Naylor explains Garraway v Phillips, where a tenant worked two days a week instead of paying rent
Thousands more magistrates are to be recruited, under a major shake-up to speed up and expand the hiring process
The winners of the LexisNexis Legal Awards 2026 have now been announced, marking another outstanding celebration of excellence, innovation, and impact across the legal profession
Three men wrongly imprisoned for a combined 77 years have been released—yet received ‘not a penny’ in compensation, exposing deep flaws in the justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Jon Robins reports on Justin Plummer, Oliver Campbell and Peter Sullivan, whose convictions collapsed amid discredited forensics, ‘oppressive’ police interviews and unreliable ‘cell confessions’
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