I lost my job today, because... well I didn't lose it, I just haven't got hours if that makes sense… and I've had no notice on that because I'm agency... and that's just been told today, 'Don't come back until the end of January'. Agency worker, hospitality sector, male Paid leave Paid leave 118,000 workers in Scotland, 5% of all employees, did not receive the statutory minimum paid holidays they were entitled to in 2014. 11 Everything is such an issue just to get time off. It really is difficult 'cause you give a lot of stuff up 'cause it's not worth the hassle... And then five years down the line you realise… that's all you do, is go to work Social care worker, female Decent work for Scotland's low-paid workers 5 A safe working environment Safe environment ! 88,000 workers in Scotland, 3% of the workforce, reported illness caused or made worse by work in the previous 12 months, while 33,000 reported stress, depression or anxiety caused or made worse by work. 12 I have been assaulted at work. And I had told my company they'd let me down, and they said 'No, we haven't let you down'… I just feel like I wasn't respected at all. I was just an inconvenience. Social care worker, female A supportive manager Supportive manager 13% of Scottish adults in employment reported feeling their line manager did not support them in 2013. 13 They humiliate you in front o' people, questioning why you were in the bathroom for too long. Some people, they're older women in my work, and they're about seventy, eighty and they get questioned because they take three minutes going tae the toilet. Call centre worker, female Conversations with research participants suggest a lack of decent work is having a significantly detrimental impact on individuals' lives. This confirms previous studies showing that, in some cases, poor quality jobs are associated with similar or worse health than unemployment. 14 The impact on individuals in itself should be a cause for serious concern and motivate action to improve the quality of work.
