As we witness the growth of online shopping and the rise in demand for same day deliveries, it is important to remember those who work tirelessly to meet the needs of consumers. With pressure rising to fulfil orders within shorter timeframes, delivery drivers will be feeling overstretched and likely tired and overwhelmed. Having an impact on their mental health.
Due to both the challenges Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic have caused the haulage and logistics industry, it is unsurprising that drivers in the industry have come forward with concerns around their mental health. In fact, according to a recent YouGov survey the COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on the mental health of those key workers. Discovering, from the start of the pandemic in March 2020, delivery drivers were amongst those within the delivery, transport, retail, postal, food and manufacturing sectors that saw the largest rise in their workloads and work assignments. Resulting in increased feelings of stress, anxiety, tiredness and worry around job security.
Some recent research commissioned by Mercedes-Benz Vans UK, to mark Mental Health Awareness Week, looked into this issue further. Finding some interesting statistics amongst delivery drivers in the UK. The study found that amongst the 2,000 van owners and operators asked, one in 5 of them described their current mental health as ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’. Some of the reasons for this included:
Unfortunately many drivers feel they do not have the ability to speak to their managers and therefore leave this issue unresolved, without support.
