Did you know that 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem each year in the UK???What’s more, professional drivers have been identified as a high-risk group when it comes to mental health.??And overall, the number of reported cases is on the rise. There’s been progress in recent years, but some people are still not comfortable talking about this issue.
- Drivers work in an unpredictable environment, with outside pressures such as traffic, delivery deadlines, noise and more, all disrupting the working day
- The ‘average’ driver’s lifestyle has many features that increase risk:
- Lots of time sitting down (finding time for proper exercise can be really hard)
- Often poor diet (it can be tempting to rely on fast food on the go)
- Lack of regular, quality sleep (and fatigue is reckoned to be a factor in 20% of road collisions)
- Long periods on your own (loneliness is the top mental health issue reported by drivers)
- The majority of professional drivers are male – and men are slower to seek help about mental health issues
- Make mental health a priority for your business. Consider signing the Mindful Employer? Charter – visit?www.mindfulemployer.net?for more information
- Promote openness about mental health. Sharing the information on this page might help to get people talking about it. Start the conversation
- Make sure people take breaks. You already observe the laws that govern the road transport industry, but go one step further – seek to ensure that your people are getting proper, quality downtime
- Routinely monitor the mental health and wellbeing of your staff. Scheduling regular 1-2-1s can be tricky when your drivers are on the road, but make this a priority, and include open questions (such as “How are you feeling?”) as part of the conversation
- Ensure that all staff know who they can go to (not just their line manager) for a confidential chat
You can find more information here.
