A new health and wellbeing survey has revealed that stress is the most common issue among automotive employees, followed by poor sleep and low mood.
According to automotive charity Ben, 66% of more than 1,000 respondents to its latest survey said stress had impacted their health and wellbeing.
This is a rise of eight per cent on last year, with ‘high workloads’, ‘pressure to meet targets’ and ‘not enough staff’ driving the increase.
Meanwhile, those affected by poor sleep rose from 42% to 62%, with a staggering 92% of respondents saying that their cost of living had increased in the last 12 months, with one in 10 admitting they have even missed meals to try to reduce expenditures.
Cost of living was cited as the main concern going forward by 52% of respondents, followed by supply chain shortages (33%) and staff shortages (31%).
Rachel Clift, Health & Wellbeing Director at Ben, said: “With it being Stress Awareness Month, it is very timely that we’re sharing our latest survey results, especially as the findings tell us that stress is presenting as a real area of concern for our automotive workforce. Through our annual surveys, we listen to our automotive family so we can fully understand the health and wellbeing issues they are facing, enabling us to provide the support they need.
“In addition to stress being the biggest issue, it’s clear to see that automotive workers are also under more pressure and aren’t taking enough time to rest and relax outside of work. There are also some worrying trends relating to the cost-of-living crisis, such as skipping meals. In light of these results, we want everyone who works, or has worked, in the automotive industry to know that we’re there for them, so please get in touch if you’re struggling.”
