Logistics really is the lifeblood of our day-to-day lives – without the people working in the warehouses, distribution centres and transporting products across the country we would have no food, medicines, living essentials, clothes – it would all come to a grinding halt without these services.
According to Statista1, at the start of 2025 there were over 1.5 million people employed in the transport and storage sectors – of which 1.25 million were men (67%). Whilst there has been a small rise since 20202 where only 13.4% of the workforce in this sector were women, the majority of people working in the logistics sector remain male. Traditionally, men’s mental health has been brushed under the carpet. Men have long been told to hide their emotions, deal with their problems privately – literally told to ‘man up’! Shockingly, men are three times more likely to die from suicide than women, however even more shocking, only 36% of all NHS referrals for psychological therapies are for men3. 52% of men would be concerned about taking time off of work for mental health related reasons, while 46% would feel embarrassed or ashamed to tell their employer4.
We took a look into the world of logistics to see how people who work within that sector were feeling, what support they are given, and how businesses could address some of this feedback5. First things first – of the 500 people we surveyed, who work within the transport and distribution sector, nearly half (47.4%) said their mental health had been negatively impacted by their job. Of those affected, nearly 20% had never spoken to anyone about it, with the majority of those who have spoken about it choosing to speak with a family member or friend (74.9%), as opposed to their manager or someone else at work.
Whilst conducting our research, we really wanted to delve deep into how people were feeling, so we gave all our survey respondents the opportunity to share their thoughts with us, rather than simply answer set questions. This provided real insight into the emotions behind the statistics and highlighted the stigma that many men feel, and the need to fit into the ‘masculine’ stereotype within the workplace. Could music be the answer?
On the topic of working environment, our survey also asked workers how they felt about music within the workplace, with over 55% saying music was played whilst they were working in the warehouse and nearly 30% saying music is played in other areas around the business. When asked how music being played at work makes them feel, just over 55% said they felt happy with relaxed and energised coming in just behind at 49.9% and 44.8% respectively. It has been shown through previous research6 that music can improve concentration, and in a warehouse setting where there is high repetition of actions, music can not only increase the rate of work, but it can improve motivation, reduce stress and relieve fatigue. Finally, we also spoke to someone who understands the science behind music and its benefits to our mental health, Music Therapist Marianne Rizkallah. She told us, “It’s no secret that music is the key to helping many of us unlock our productivity and feel more focused. It can also help us when we’re feeling unmotivated, stuck, or stressed.”
If you want to use music in your workplace or want to increase your current music usage, you can visit TheMusicLicence on pplprs.co.uk or call us on 0800 0868 820 (8am-6pm Monday to Thursday and 8am- 3pm Friday) to speak to one of our agents.
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