Ubuntu Studio’s positive news round-up
Ubuntu Thoughts / 5 Min read
Friday 11th February, 2022
Callum Berry
Content & Media Manager
Content & Media Manager
Happy Friday to our readers! Once again, we’re sharing some happy news from the intersection between business and our world to give you that little boost to get through the last leg of the working week.
Busy Belgians get less busy
A new law has been passed in Belgium stating that civil servants will now have “the right to disconnect” meaning they will no longer be expected to answer calls and emails outside of their regular work schedule.
This has been a hot topic globally in recent years, with global calls for improvement to work life balance in countries including Japan, which is infamous for it’s gruelling work culture. A little closer to home too, 30 British companies have shifted to a four day work week as part of a six month trial in the UK.
Work-life-balance is an incredibly undervalued aspect of professional life. Countless studies have shown that continuously working without adequate breaks can lead to burnout, which can in turn lead to a whole bunch of physical and mental health issues – and no company wants employees who are ill and need regular time off.
Burnout is a term recognized by the World Health Organization as an occupational phenomenon. So if you suspect that you might be suffering from this condition, check out this post by mentalhealthUK.
Our hope is that Belgium’s approach will lead to more widely adopted changes in the professional world around work-life-balance. And if a recent study in Iceland is to be believed, shorter working weeks can not only lead to improved happiness but also maintain productivity. Let’s hope for a good result from the UK pilot soon!
This has been a hot topic globally in recent years, with global calls for improvement to work life balance in countries including Japan, which is infamous for it’s gruelling work culture. A little closer to home too, 30 British companies have shifted to a four day work week as part of a six month trial in the UK.
Work-life-balance is an incredibly undervalued aspect of professional life. Countless studies have shown that continuously working without adequate breaks can lead to burnout, which can in turn lead to a whole bunch of physical and mental health issues – and no company wants employees who are ill and need regular time off.
Burnout is a term recognized by the World Health Organization as an occupational phenomenon. So if you suspect that you might be suffering from this condition, check out this post by mentalhealthUK.
Our hope is that Belgium’s approach will lead to more widely adopted changes in the professional world around work-life-balance. And if a recent study in Iceland is to be believed, shorter working weeks can not only lead to improved happiness but also maintain productivity. Let’s hope for a good result from the UK pilot soon!
The Indiginous vs Goliath
The Indiginous communities in Ecuador have had a significant victory against large oil and gas firms. The country's high court ruled that the Indiginious should get a much bigger say in the approval of drilling and mining rights granted on their land. This is a huge blow to the plans of the President Guillermo Lasso and the Ecuadorian Government, who had ambitious plans to increase oil production in the country.
“We are a small community, but we have achieved something so great, so historic, that it will serve other communities that have the same problems of mining, oil and other extractive activity in their territories,” said Wider Guaramag, a member of the A’i Kofán community of Sinangoe, in the country’s north, which brought the lawsuit with legal representation from Amazon Frontlines, a nonprofit group.
We think this really is wonderful news and an example that sometimes power doesn’t always win. For too long, Indigineous people around the world have been hugely affected by the negative effects of environmental damage – including from the crude oil business – on their lands, so it’s great to see them granted some agency and legal protection over how their community is impacted.
“We are a small community, but we have achieved something so great, so historic, that it will serve other communities that have the same problems of mining, oil and other extractive activity in their territories,” said Wider Guaramag, a member of the A’i Kofán community of Sinangoe, in the country’s north, which brought the lawsuit with legal representation from Amazon Frontlines, a nonprofit group.
We think this really is wonderful news and an example that sometimes power doesn’t always win. For too long, Indigineous people around the world have been hugely affected by the negative effects of environmental damage – including from the crude oil business – on their lands, so it’s great to see them granted some agency and legal protection over how their community is impacted.
An unlikely chimpanzee A&E
We’re ending with a slightly unusual one today: Chimpanzees have been observed treating their wounds with...insects?
Whereas we humans tend to stick to bandages and disinfectant, chimpanzees have been seen applying insects directly to their wounds, as well as doing the same for their companions.
This was first noticed in 2019, when an adult female chimpanzee named Suzee was observed inspecting a wound on the foot of her adolescent son. She subsequently caught an insect in mid-flight, put it in her mouth, apparently squeezed it, and then applied it to her son’s wound.
Scientists think that the insects used could contain anti-inflammatory properties which would help the wounds to heal. Call us old fashioned, but here at Ubuntu, we think we’ll stick to our TCP and sudocrem for the time being…
Whereas we humans tend to stick to bandages and disinfectant, chimpanzees have been seen applying insects directly to their wounds, as well as doing the same for their companions.
This was first noticed in 2019, when an adult female chimpanzee named Suzee was observed inspecting a wound on the foot of her adolescent son. She subsequently caught an insect in mid-flight, put it in her mouth, apparently squeezed it, and then applied it to her son’s wound.
Scientists think that the insects used could contain anti-inflammatory properties which would help the wounds to heal. Call us old fashioned, but here at Ubuntu, we think we’ll stick to our TCP and sudocrem for the time being…
That’s all from us this Friday, but we’ll be back again at the same time next week with our favourite positive news from the week coming. Have a great weekend!
Got an interesting story you’d like us to highlight? Feel free to send in your ideas to callum@ubuntustudio.co.uk and you could be featured in an upcoming PNR!
Got an interesting story you’d like us to highlight? Feel free to send in your ideas to callum@ubuntustudio.co.uk and you could be featured in an upcoming PNR!
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We're not your average, run-of-the-mill creative agency. We were founded and built on a passion for helping companies do better - for themselves, for people, and for the planet.
We appreciate that all life on earth is under threat, so we’re using the resources we have—our business, our investments, our voice and our imaginations—to do something about it. Reducing the negative impact on people and the planet.
If you're looking to make a change in how you market your business, we'd love to chat. Find out more at ubuntustudio.co.uk.
We appreciate that all life on earth is under threat, so we’re using the resources we have—our business, our investments, our voice and our imaginations—to do something about it. Reducing the negative impact on people and the planet.
If you're looking to make a change in how you market your business, we'd love to chat. Find out more at ubuntustudio.co.uk.
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