According to the Labour Force Survey, 15.4 million working days were lost to work related stress, depression and anxiety in 2017/18.
Stress, depression and anxiety was cited for 44% if all work-related ill health cases and 57% of all working days lost due to ill health.
The main factors causing work-related stress, depression or anxiety were stated as: workload pressures (including tight deadlines); too much responsibility; and lack of managerial support.
In the PSV and the HGV sectors, it is critical that operators are attuned to the mental health of their employees and aware of the pressures they are put under at work and at home. They should also be looking out for tiredness and changes in behaviour and seek advice from a medical professional if in doubt. We also advise operators to review their employment contracts to ensure they contain the provisions to allow for this.
If you would like further advice on this matter, please contact a member of our employment team on 01254 828300.