Category Archives: Work-life balance

Freelancers and the welfare system

This site has carried plenty of posts about freelancing and employment status, tax status, their pension status, and it probably needs a bit more on the generality of freelancing. We often debate whether ‘freelancer’ is even a thing. It doesn’t … Continue reading

Posted in Employment Law and Rights, Employment status, Equipment and kit, Freelance working, Freelancer rights, Gig economy workers, IR35, Management, Personal Service Companies, Productivity, Skills & capacity, Tax, Universal Credit, Welfare and benefits, Wellbeing, Work-life balance | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Freelancers and the welfare system

Bectu Assistant Editors Toolkit published

Bectu’s Post Production & Facilities Branch have published an Assistant Editor’s Toolkit, a new professional resource to support Editorial Trainees and Assistant Editors’ career development in the cutting room.It includes a Skills Guide – a comprehensive document to keep track … Continue reading

Posted in Film & TV industry data, Freelance working, Health & Safety, Long hours, Mental Health, Safe working practices, Skills & capacity, Trades Unions, Wellbeing, Work-life balance | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Theatre skills shortages at a ‘tipping point’

The Stage recently picked up on Bectu’s research around skills shortages in theatre [£], in which they quoted us saying that, unless long and unsocial working hours were addressed, the skills shortage in the industry would reach a “tipping point”. … Continue reading

Posted in Long hours, Mental Health, Theatre and Live Events data, Work-life balance | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Freelancers and their parental rights

I’ve had a request to write a briefing on UK parental rights for freelancers on my to-do list for a while, so I was very pleased to discover the website of Maternity Action which seems to answer most of the … Continue reading

Posted in Employment Law and Rights, Family rights, Freelance working, Freelancer rights, Gender equality, Welfare and benefits, Wellbeing, Work-life balance | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Some useful resources when discussing the impact of long hours working

Going through some old files, I’ve found a few things that should prove useful. They’re mostly resources that I pulled together in preparation for the #eyeshalfshut report in 2017. There was the Who Needs Sleep documentary (2006) in which filmmaker … Continue reading

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Alliance of Documentary Editors guidance on production scheduling.

The US-based ‘Alliance of Documentary Editors’ (ADE) describes itself as “…a working group of documentary film and television editors and assistant editors nationwide that campaigns for best practices within the industry while improving members’ career sustainability. The ADE promotes a … Continue reading

Posted in Factual & Entertainment sector data, Freelance working, Long hours, Work-life balance | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Bectu mental health hub

This webpage on the Bectu site includes links to our campaign to give workers the right to switch off from work along with guidance on managing mental health and stress at work, along with some of the union’s work on … Continue reading

Posted in Bullying and Harassment, Health & Safety, Illness and disability, Mental Health, Wellbeing, Work-life balance | Tagged | Leave a comment

Bectu ‘Live to Work’ campaign launched

Bectu has launched the Live to Work campaign aimed at improving terms and conditions in the UK TV drama industry. You can visit the campaign page here and join the network (open to members and non-members), download images to use … Continue reading

Posted in Bectu Agreements, Film & TV industry policy, Freelance working, High End TV data, Long hours, Safe working practices, Safe working standards, TV Drama Agreement, Wellbeing, Work-life balance | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Understanding commuting costs – some bookmarks

For freelancers working either in film and TV, or in Live Events, there is often no option to use public transport to get to work. For a typical filming day, Bectu members tell us that they tend to arrive at … Continue reading

Posted in Feature film data, Film & TV industry data, Film & TV industry policy, Freelance working, High End TV data, Long hours, Safe working practices, UK studios, Work-life balance | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The Flexibility Paradox

The TUC and Working Families are hosting a launch for a book called The Flexibility Paradox by Dr Heejung Chung on Wednesday 20 April at 1400. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, flexible working has become the norm for many workers. But … Continue reading

Posted in Freelancer rights, Gender equality, Remote working, The working environment, Work-life balance | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Fatigue in the TV and film industy

There’s a useful summary of this issue on the IOSH magazine website here. It’s got a lot of the kind of thing you’d expect (including a quote from our own Spencer MacDonald). And this: “Research says that when an employee … Continue reading

Posted in Feature film data, Film & TV industry data, High End TV data, Long hours, Safe working practices, Safe working standards, Wellbeing, Work-life balance, Workplaces | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Bectu Mental Health and Welbeing Policy published

This was an idea that came from Bectu members during the pandemic. We did a load of online sessions discussing different aspects of the question “what is wrong with ‘the freelance deal’?” and there was a repeated refrain saying “our … Continue reading

Posted in Feature film data, Film & TV industry data, Film & TV industry policy, Freelance working, Freelancer rights, Health & Safety, High End TV data, Long hours, Management, Mental Health, Safe working practices, Safe working standards, Wellbeing, Work-life balance | Tagged | Leave a comment

Looking Glass ’21 report

The Film and TV Charity have published their Looking Glass ’21 report. This is a follow-up from their research in 2019 into working conditions in the film and TV industry, and how these impact workers based on responses from more … Continue reading

Posted in Coronavirus, Film & TV industry data, Freelance working, Health & Safety, Long hours, Management, Mental Health, Skills & capacity, Wellbeing, Work-life balance | Tagged , | Leave a comment

What do employers need to do to retain talent?

It’s something of a recurring theme from the Pensions & Investment Research Consultants (PIRC), but all of the research (including their own work with Autonomy and Survation – [pdf]) point to a need to pay people better, treat them with … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, Employment, Employment Law and Rights, Long hours, Low pay, Management, Mental Health, Productivity, Wellbeing, Work-life balance | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Working terms in Swedish productions

It’s always worth looking at how other countries do work hours in the film and TV industry, and it is a commonplace view that the Swedish drama sector manages a high quality of production on working hours that also give … Continue reading

Posted in Bectu Agreements, Employment Law and Rights, EU & Brexit, Factual & Entertainment sector data, Feature film data, Film & TV industry data, Health & Safety, High End TV data, Long hours, Major Motion Picture Agreement, Productivity, SVoD, Tax incentives, Trades Unions, TV Drama Agreement, Work-life balance | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

BEIS consultation on flexible working

The BEIS is currently consulting on flexible working – “Making Flexible Working the Default” – here [pdf]. “This consultation includes a set of proposals which are built around the principle that working arrangements are best decided through a constructive, open-minded … Continue reading

Posted in Employment Contracts, Gender equality, Gender representation, Health & Safety, Long hours, Productivity, Safe working practices, Safe working standards, Wellbeing, Work-life balance | Tagged | Leave a comment

IATSE ballot begins on Friday

The IATSE website is reporting that the Contract Ratification Vote will begin Nov. 12, with results expected on the 15th of November. The deal is outlined here. A 49-page memorandum of agreement (MOA) has been circulated. It summarizes in greater … Continue reading

Posted in Long hours, Trades Unions, Work-life balance | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Updated version of theatre ’10 Principles’ supported by Bectu

Today, with Bectu’s support, SOLT and UK Theatre have released an updated version of their 10 Principles for creating safe and inclusive working spaces in the theatre industry, to help tackle bullying, harassment, and discrimination. Bectu have joined a number … Continue reading

Posted in Bectu Agreements, Bullying and Harassment, Equality, Health & Safety, Mental Health, Safe working standards, Sexual harassment, Theatre and Live Events data, Wellbeing, Work-life balance, Workplace conflict | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Surprising-yet-unsurprising news about people thinking of leaving their jobs

The most surprising-yet-unsurprising nugget here is that “…the majority of those considering quitting had been offered no incentives to stay by their employers.” 📰📰NEW STUDY: How to Solve the Labour Market Crisis by Raising Standards Labour shortages are a principal … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, Employment, Inflation, Long hours, Low pay, Mental Health, Pay & inflation, The working environment, Wellbeing, Work-life balance | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Skills shortage update – Production Accountants

There appears to be a particularly large skills-gap in the area of Production Accountancy with the supply of labour not matching demand. This appears to have been caused, at least in part, due to people leaving the industry for more … Continue reading

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Bectu engagement with external Health & Safety structures

Our Health and Safety Committee has been inactive since the start of the pandemic (though this will change shortly) and Prospect have their NEC Health and Safety committee that continues under the stout stewardship of Chris Warburton. In the meantime, … Continue reading

Posted in Bullying and Harassment, Coronavirus, EU & Brexit, Film & TV industry data, Health & Safety, Long hours, Management, Mental Health, Occupational Health, Remote working, Safe working practices, Safe working standards, The working environment, Theatre and Live Events data, Trades Unions, Wellbeing, Work-life balance | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Comprehensive European figures on women’s representation in TV drama

Women still under-represented in the #TVfiction industry in Europe🚺Find out more in our report ➡ https://t.co/hjdMgTDNP4 #womeninfilm #diversitymatters #womendirectors #genderequity pic.twitter.com/hqMu7fHIw6 — Europ AV Observatory (@EuAvObservatory) October 20, 2021 The key insights contained in the report are that, beyond obvious … Continue reading

Posted in Diversity of representation, Equality, Film & TV industry data, Gender equality, Gender representation, High End TV data, Management, Skills & capacity, Wellbeing, Work-life balance | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Flexible working – Arup explore the seven-day week

From Arup’s website: “Arup, the employee-owned global engineering and design firm, has today announced it is adopting an innovative hybrid model – known as Work Unbound – that will give its 15,500 employees, known as members, greater flexibility in deciding … Continue reading

Posted in Employment, Employment Law and Rights, Family rights, Gender equality, Remote working, Work-life balance | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Shift-working and disrupted patterns of rest – a research round-up

Thanks to Siobhan Wray, an Associate Professor in Organisational Behaviour at Lincoln University for a useful roundup of research resources on this, including…. A systematic review of shift work and nurses’ health: This – ‘Working Time Society consensus statements: Evidence-based … Continue reading

Posted in Film & TV industry policy, Long hours, Mental Health, Safe working practices, Wellbeing, Work-life balance | Tagged | Leave a comment

Eva Wiseman in The Observer

I thought I’d posted this earlier in the week but it seems I missed it. There’s a very good round-up of the many issues facing people working in film and TV from Eva Wiseman in The Observer. It draws heavily upon … Continue reading

Posted in Bectu Agreements, Bullying and Harassment, Equality, Freelance working, Health & Safety, Long hours, Major Motion Picture Agreement, Management, Mental Health, Safe working practices, Trades Unions, TV Drama Agreement, Wellbeing, Work-life balance, Workplace conflict | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Global survey highlights long-hours work problem

A long-planned piece of joint-campaigning with Uni-Mei (the global federation of unions that BECTU is a member of, alongside IATSE and many others) on long-hours working has happened at a very fortuitous time. Read more about the joint research that … Continue reading

Posted in Bectu Agreements, Long hours, Major Motion Picture Agreement, TV Drama Agreement, Work-life balance | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Highway Code updated – new penalties for being too tired to drive

Every UK driver could face ‘unlimited fines’ under new sleeping law. (Manchester Evening News) This should be of interest to all Bectu members working in production, as well as being useful evidence in support of the campaign we are running … Continue reading

Posted in Bectu Agreements, Long hours, Major Motion Picture Agreement, Safe working practices, Trades Unions, TV Drama Agreement, Wellbeing, Work-life balance | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

IATSE go back into talks with AMPTP following overwhelming strike mandate

Following the overwhelming support given to a strike ballot, and a slew of pressure from Californian and New York politicos, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) are now headed back into talks with The Alliance of Motion Picture … Continue reading

Posted in Film & TV industry policy, Health & Safety, Long hours, Mental Health, Safe working practices, Safe working standards, Wellbeing, Work-life balance | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Homeworking will help improve women’s careers

The option to work from home is likely to help employers retain valuable workers, and can make the balance of work and childcare a lot easier to manage. It is likely to result in more ‘returners’ after periods of maternity … Continue reading

Posted in Equality, Family rights, Gender equality, Gender pay, Remote working, Work-life balance | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Long hours working in film and TV – landmark article

I’ve just stumbled on a 2012 article by Gavin Polone that I read while writing the Eyes Half Shut report – one that (for reasons that escape me – probably an oversight) I didn’t reference at the time. The Unglamorous, … Continue reading

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£1.2m annual Netflix training ‘war chest’ and other scripted TV training developments

As referenced in the Guardian article a few days ago, here’s more detail on this Netflix training budget, from Broadcast [£]. Quoting ex-Production Guild chief Alison Small (now working directly for ‘Grow Creative UK’ / Netflix) on training: “If we … Continue reading

Posted in Film & TV industry data, High End TV data, Management, Skills & capacity, SVoD, Wellbeing, Work-life balance | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

DNEG to pay overtime

A major UK VFX facility has finally broken ranks and agreed to pay overtime rates for all work recorded over 40 hours in a week. “Beginning in October, we will pay overtime at 1.5x rate for any incremental time that … Continue reading

Posted in Employment Contracts, Long hours, Recruitment and organising, Trades Unions, Work-life balance, Workplace conflict | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Locked Down and Locked Out – impact of Covid pandemic on mothers working in UK TV sector

49% of respondents said they had been unable to accept work due to childcare related issues. Read the #LockedDownAndLockedOut report now on the impact of the pandemic on mothers in UK TV: https://t.co/37JAX9Djjz pic.twitter.com/JYKKUwZdK4 — Bectu (@bectu) September 9, 2021 … Continue reading

Posted in Coronavirus, Coronavirus, Equality, Film & TV industry policy, Freelance working, Freelancer rights, Gender equality, Health & Safety, Long hours, Management, Mental Health, Remote working, Wellbeing, Work-life balance | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Benefits of collective bargaining – more paid holiday

From an ETUC (European TUC) press release: “Workers who benefit from collective bargaining enjoy up to two weeks extra paid holiday per year, an analysis of EU data for the ETUC has found as millions prepare to return to work … Continue reading

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Mental health and Covid19

There are many barometers of mental health that can be correlated with what is happening in the wider world, so it would not be appropriate to conclude that “the lockdown has generally, on balance, been good for the mental health … Continue reading

Posted in Coronavirus, Coronavirus, Remote working, Wellbeing, Work-life balance | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment