57% of automotive industry workers report stress as worst wellbeing issue, finds charity Ben

Automotive industry charity Ben has launched the findings from this year’s annual health and wellbeing report, revealing results from a poll of more than 1,000 automotive workers.

The top five health and wellbeing issues identified were: low mood (41%), not taking time out to rest or relax (43%), anxiety (44%), poor sleep (52%) and stress (57%).

Mental health scores have worsened over the past 12 months, and automotive workers believe employers must do more to support them.

The research found that one in nine people felt personally affected by the lack of mental health support in their workplace.

The prominence of poor work-life balance increased to 38% from 32% the previous year, with this issue being reported mostly by those working in showrooms, parts departments and garages.

This is likely due to the common trends within these areas of long hours, low staffing levels and high workloads.

These survey results showed that automotive workers are more likely to experience issues with work-life balance and mental health compared to other UK workers as mental health concerns remains the most prominent of the top 10 issues, affecting hundreds of people in the automotive industry.

Almost one in four workers were considering leaving the industry, and one in two of these said their choice was due to poor mental health.