Data from global absence management provider, Edays has revealed that the logistics and delivery industry has seen a spike of 139% in sickness rates when compared to the global average throughout the month of August.
This comes as supermarket bosses warn of Christmas supply challenges following a shortage of up to 100,000 lorry drivers in the UK, and fast-food and restaurant chains were affected by limited supply chains around the country. The 3rd, 4th and 5th of the month saw the highest peaks for the industry.
A combination of the impacts COVID-19 and Brexit bureaucracy have seen a chaotic month for the logistics and delivery industry with sickness spikes proving to be a knock-on result from the pressure on the workforce. Staff resourcing issues only magnify these challenges and the impacts they have on staff wellbeing as well as business productivity in the long-term.
“Unfortunately, it isn’t all that surprising to see skyrocketing sickness rates in the industries which have seen particularly high pressure working environments recently,” commented Matt Jenkins, CEO of Edays. “The pressure to perform when workloads are higher than normal can leave employees feeling burnt out with no escape. With warnings of a challenging winter ahead for many UK industries, this data provides the wake up call that employers need to recognize the importance of a well-supported workforce in which absence really matters”.
Similarly, real estate has seen a sickness spike of 52% higher than average throughout August. As the stamp duty holiday wraps up and returns to normal on 1st October, the housing market has seen a rush of activity as buyers look to beat the deadline to save significant amounts on house purchases. As another industry affected by the impact of the delivery and supply chain shortages, consumer goods saw the third highest sickness rate of 47% above average for August.
The COVID-19 pandemic has seen increased levels of burnout across all industries, and Edays is pre-warning businesses that spiking sickness rates in highly pressured and understaffed industries are early signs of widespread and long-term burnout issues across the workforce.
