Mental health issues costing motoring industry £1.2bn a year, says report

Mental health problems could be costing motoring industry employers up to £1.2 billion a year, according to a new report.

Automotive industry charity Ben surveyed 563 people in its study, finding that mental health is still one of the biggest issues affecting the industry’s workforce – but the subject is still considered a ‘taboo’.

The findings say that more than half of the requests it received in 2018 were regarding mental health issues, while 53 per cent of industry employees surveyed by Ben said that mental health and wellbeing issues had the ‘biggest impact’ on them in the past 12 months.

The survey also revealed that a quarter of automotive industry companies said that their employees had been unable to work because of mental health issues – with the problem more apparent in businesses with 100 employees or more.

As a direct result of the issue, the charity estimates that mental health problems are costing the sector between £900 million and £1.2 billion.

Rachel Clift, health & wellbeing director at Ben, said: “We have put our learnings into action by partnering with automotive employers to support their people through relevant training and workplace initiatives.

“I urge employers to read Mental health in the automotive industry: moving up a gear as it offers great insights into the mental health of the automotive industry. It’s insightful but it’s also a great resource to help employers support their workforce and promote positive mental health in their workplace.

“We’re here to look after the health and wellbeing of automotive people because they are the lifeblood of our industry.”