Improve your drivers' mental health and well-being

Managing a fleet is now about much more than procuring and keeping vehicles on-the-road: looking after the mental health and well-being of drivers is also becoming increasingly important.

While it affects all employees, mental health and well-being is particularly relevant to those who drive as part of their job: they work in an unpredictable environment with outside pressures such as traffic and delivery deadlines disrupting the working day.

Their lifestyle may not always be conducive to a healthy life either.

There can be a lot of time sitting down, so finding time for proper exercise can be difficult, drivers often have a poor diet as it can be tempting to rely on fast-foods, and they may suffer from a lack of regular, quality sleep.

For some it can also mean long periods on their own: loneliness is the top mental health issue reported by drivers.

“There’s been a recent recognition that well-being and mental health have such an impact on us, particularly at work,” says Iain West-Moore, training and development manager at Red Driver Risk Management.

“Combine this with the fact that commercial drivers are more likely to have suicidal thoughts, and a robust strategy is needed within businesses to identify and manage this effectively.

“We believe that well-being is one of the root causes of many crashes.

“Although it’s true to say that driver behaviours and approach to safety on the road need to be considered, we find that pressures often come from work or life and drivers need to communicate these better with their business and manage them better.”

In this feature, we look at mental health, sleep, hydration and nutrition – four key issues contributing to the well-being and safety of drivers - as well as a case study with Murphy Fleet.

 

Mental health

The impact of mental health on the workplace is significant: Government figures show that 15% of people experience mental health problems at work, with 15.4 million working days lost a year as a result of stress, anxiety or depression.

This gives it an estimated cost to the UK economy of £5.2 billion a year, while other consequences come in terms of poor productivity and human error, high staff turnover and poor performance.

It also has direct implications for fleet managers: there are concerns that some mental health conditions can impair driving ability and increase the risk of a crash.

Research using both on-the-road performance and simulators found depressed drivers encounter difficulty with reaction time, divided attention, reaction to changing speeds when following another vehicle, and weaving from lane to lane.

A French study indicates that a driver is four times more likely to have a crash if they are going through a divorce.

Depression can also disrupt sleep patterns. This can lead to fatigue behind the wheel (see page 44 for more on fatigue), especially when driving on long shifts.

In an acute phase of anxiety, people can suffer from diminished cognitive abilities, an inability to concentrate and reduced reaction times.

The ability to concentrate and identify and respond to hazards is also reduced by stress, which can also affect sleep.

“Stress is the hidden killer,” says Andy Neale, owner of driver training specialist Andy Neale Consultancy. “It would look exactly the same whether it was caused at home or at work, or by anything else going on.

“It’s important we learn to manage it: we are hardwired to make stupid decisions when stressed.”

There are a number of areas fleet managers should look at when seeking to reduce stress among employees, says Lisa Dorn, research director at DriverMetrics. These are:

■ Demands: what can be done to reduce workload, work patterns and work environment?

■ Control: a major predictor of stress is a lack of control. Managers can reduce stress by ensuring their workforce are consulted and included in decision-making where possible.

■ Support: provide regular formal and informal communication to encourage and support drivers.

■ Relationships: actively promote positive working to avoid conflict and unacceptable behaviour.

■ Role: clarify people’s roles and take steps to avoid role conflict.

■ Change: organisational change can be a significant stressor. Take steps to manage and communicate changes carefully.

It is vital that any mental health and well-being problems are identified so an employee can get the help they need to manage their symptoms and reduce the risk to themselves and other road users.

A sign that a driver is having an issue could be a change in their behaviour, or a change in the way they carry out their role.

RoSPA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) recommends organisations ensure working regimes and tasks do not exert undue pressure on staff that is likely to cause or magnify stress.

It also suggests driving schedules should be planned so they do not require staff to drive too far, too long and without adequate rest breaks.

Drivers should also be assessed to identify potential sources of stress. This could include requiring an individual to undertake duties for which they do not feel competent. This may include driving particular vehicles or particular types of journeys.

“Most people will put driving errors down to it being a ‘bad day’.

In reality, the signs come from being fatigued, under pressure or just distracted by other events,” says West-Moore.

“This is why management needs to be approachable and open to discuss these matters. Look for changes in normal habits; the employee that normally comes in early with a brew in their hand and is interactive, then changes their routine is always a clue.

“You may find that telematics or incident rates are an indicator of an issue, too.

“Those that normally drive pretty well then come on to the radar for harsh braking, may be a sign of tiredness or being distracted.”

Organisations can introduce programmes to help deal with mental health issues such as confidential employee helplines, while employees can undergo training to raise awareness and understanding of the issue, potentially leading on to them becoming mental health first aiders.

Colleagues who have noticed changes in an employee’s behaviour could also raise their concerns with their managers as a first step to potentially get that person some help and support.

Many organisations have a range of support services in place for their employees through occupational health or an employee assistance programme.

 

Sleep

Department for Transport statistics show fatigue is implicated in 20% of collisions on major roads.

It also results in slower reactions, reduced ability to process information, memory lapses, absent-mindedness, decreased awareness, lack of attention, underestimation of risk and reduced coordination.

“The quality of our waking performance is defined by the quality of our sleep,” says Marcus de Guingand, managing director of Third Pillar of Health.

“Sleep deprivation means you will suffer from daytime drowsiness, and if you think of that in terms of driver safety, it doesn’t take long before that drowsiness translates into something quite serious.”

Traditional wisdom suggests that a quick fix for drowsiness behind the wheel is for the driver to open a window, turn the radio up, splash water on their face or have a hot drink.

However, De Guingand says these do not work: the only cure for being tired is to sleep.

“If you carry on driving, it will get to the point where you have these micro sleeps or sleep seizures, and when this happens, you cannot stop incidents from happening,” he adds.

“If you are travelling at 70mph and have a two-second micro sleep, you will cover 60 metres. If you fall asleep at the wheel, you do not have the ability to take any corrective action.”

Fatigue is generally caused by lack of sleep, which is a growing societal issue and “a missing block in the well-being cycle”, says De Guingand.

American research found that between 1999 and 2010, those sleeping less than seven hours a night rose from 34% of the population to 46%.

A study by Warwick University found that at any one time, 20% of people in the developed world are suffering from sleep problems.

“It’s pretty obvious sleep deprivation is widespread and no organisation is unaffected,” adds De Guingand.

There is also a strong link between sleep and mental health.

A lack of sleep can cause stress, mood shifts and irritability, while physiological issues include reduced immunity and weight gain.

Research by California University found sleeping less than six hours a night increased the risk of getting a cold or flu virus by four times compared with someone sleeping for seven or more hours a night.

Studies have found that if a person’s sleep is poor for a long period of time, they are much more likely to develop serious mental health issues such as depression and anxiety.

“We all have a different sleep need,” says De Guingand. “Most sleep scientists say it’s somewhere between seven and nine hours of sleep.

“There is a short sleep gene, but the number of people that have that versus the number of people that think they can legitimately get away with less sleep is, unfortunately, way out of kilter.”

The Health and Safety Executive says the legal duty is on employers to manage risks from fatigue, irrespective of any individual’s willingness to work extra hours or preference for certain shift patterns for social reasons.

It adds compliance with the working time regulations alone is insufficient to manage the risks of fatigue: these fail to take account of any undiagnosed sleep disorders, poor sleep habits and commuting times which may not allow for sufficient rest between shifts.

To counter this, fleets should put a flexible fatigue policy in place, says Iain West-Moore, training and development manager at Red Driver Risk Management.

“Those that have long drives, have variable shift patterns, or night shift working need to know what to do if they feel tired; and to be able to avoid driving unnecessarily,” he adds.

Education specific to sleep is a key part of a fatigue management programme, agrees Guingand. This could include video education modules on sleep for drivers, how they can fall asleep faster and sleep better (see five tips to get better sleep), the consequences of drowsy drivers and ineffective countermeasures.

Other steps should include running sleep disorder screening and point to diagnosis and treatment, develop a culture where staff can voice concerns, and ensure fatigue is included in accident investigations.

 

Hydration

Keeping the body correctly fuelled has an important role to play in a driver’s well-being.

“The brain is 73% water, which is why dehydration massively affects our ability to concentrate: 2% dehydration can equal up to 20% lack in concentration,” says Andy Neale, of Andy Neale Consulting.

“Bear in mind we only concentrate for 25% of the time we’re driving anyway. So, can we really afford to lose cognitive ability to another 20%?”

NHS guidelines say people should drink six-to-eight cups or glasses of fluid a day. Water, lower-fat milk and sugar-free drinks, including tea and coffee, all count.

Fizzy drinks, squashes and juice drinks can contain lots of added sugar and very few nutrients, so the NHS recommends people keep these to a minimum.

People can determine if they are dehydrated by comparing the colour of their urine to those in a urine colour chart, which are widely available on the internet, such as at www.nhsinform.scot/campaigns/hydration.

“You can easily print these off the internet and put them up in the toilets at work or at home and just check the colour of your urine,” says Neale.

Other symptoms are feeling thirsty, feeling dizzy or light-headed, feeling tired or a dry mouth, lips and eyes.

“You should be drinking at least two litres of water a day,” says Neale. “This also helps you lose weight because water does fill you up. I would, however, say that when you get to a certain age you might want to be a little bit careful about how much water you consume later on in the evening.

“Obviously, if you need to get up at 1am or 2am to go to the toilet then that is not particularly conducive to sleeping well.”

 

Nutrition

What someone eats does not just affect their physical health: it can also affect their mental health and well-being.

Mental health charity Mind says eating well – which means having a balanced diet full of vegetables and nutrients – can improve their sense of well-being, their mood, give them more energy and help them think more clearly.

If someone’s blood sugar drops they might feel tired, irritable and depressed. Eating regularly and choosing foods that release energy slowly will help them keep your sugar levels steady.

These include pasta, rice, oats, wholegrain bread and cereals, nuts and seeds.

However, it is not always easy for drivers who are out on the road all day to eat healthily.

Often sweet treats or unhealthy options at motorway services or fast-food takeaways are all too tempting.

“It’s a bit like fuel-save driving where we teach people to drive at a more constant speed,” says Andy Neale.

“Instead of going 20mph, 40mph, 20mph, 40mph, 20mph and so on, we teach them to do 30mph all the way.

“It’s exactly the same with food. If you stop at the services and have coffee and chocolate, you have an instant spike, but then you have a big drop off.

“With low GI foods, nuts, seeds, water, you get a much more constant performance.”

Mind recommends eating breakfast to get the day off to a good start. Instead of eating a large lunch and dinner, it says people should try eating smaller portions spaced out more regularly throughout the day.

They should also avoid foods which make blood sugar rise and fall rapidly, such as sweets, biscuits and sugary drinks.

 

Case study: Murphy Plant

Murphy Plant has introduced a range of initiatives to monitor and improve driver mental health and well-being.

“Unfortunately, we’ve seen a few suicides of very young people within our business, but, when you talked to them the week previously, you wouldn’t have realised anything was wrong,” says Tony Murphy (pictured), fleet manager at Murphy Plant.

Murphy says one of those was “as happy as Larry on Friday night, having a drink in the pub with the lads”.

He did not turn up for work for the next two days, and on the Monday when his worried colleagues went to his house to see if he was ok, they found he had killed himself.

“No one knew anything was wrong,” says Murphy. “His girlfriend was coming over from Ireland, they’d just got a mortgage on a house they were buying together. You wouldn’t have thought anything was wrong.

“It hits home when it’s people you know closely and you just didn’t know (there was a problem).”

The company has nominated mental health organisation Calm (Campaign Against Living Miserably) as its charity for the past two years and displayed its stickers, which include a helpline number, in its vehicle cabs.

Mental health awareness courses have also been made available for all staff, and these begin with an introductory course leading up to becoming a mental health first aider.

These provide an insight into the issue, including what signs to look out for. The company also has an employee assistance programme which offers help and support.

“Putting the well-being of drivers and staff is at the forefront of where Murphy is,” says the fleet manager, who is also a mental health first aider.

Posters are also displayed in depots and mental health is included in toolbox talks.

“We’ve had a few people take counselling and they are able to keep it behind closed doors and no one knows what goes on,” says Murphy.

“I’ve known a couple of people who have done that and they’ve said it’s been a big benefit to them.”

The company also educates employees about the importance of hydration and nutrition and provides a fruit basket once a week for office staff.

 

Five tips for better sleep

1 GET INTO A DAILY ROUTINE

If you can wake up, wind down and go to bed around the same time each day, it will really help.

Your sleep routine starts before you actually get into bed, so build in time every evening to wind down – and try to switch off from your tech.

Things like reading, gentle stretches or meditation are a good way to unwind, and keeping chargers for devices out of the bedroom can help you avoid absent-minded scrolling.

2 MANAGE YOUR WORRIES

There are things you can do in your day to help manage your worries, like talking to someone you trust and switching off from the news.

If you often lie awake worrying, set aside time before bed to make a to-do list for the next day – this can be a good way to put your mind at rest.

3 PREPARE YOUR BODY FOR SLEEP

Having caffeine, alcohol, nicotine or a big meal too close to bedtime can stop you falling asleep and prevent deep sleep.

Regular exercise is also great for sleep. Just remember to steer clear of anything too vigorous right before bedtime if you find it affects your sleep.

4 CREATE A RESTFUL ENVIRONMENT

It’s generally easier to fall asleep when it’s cool, dark and quiet, but the right sleep environment is personal, so try different things and see what works for you.

Wearing ear plugs, putting your phone on silent and face down (or out of the room entirely), keeping clocks out of view and making sure the room is well ventilated can all make a big difference.

Some people find playing ambient sounds like rainfall, gentle music or white noise helpful.

5 CONFRONT SLEEPLESSNESS

If you’re laying awake unable to sleep, do not try to force it. If you’re tired and enjoying the feeling of resting, then sleep may naturally take over.

If not, get up and do something relaxing for a bit, like reading a book or listening to quiet music, and go back to bed when you feel sleepier.

Source: NHS