May is Mental Health Awareness Month, but your mental health is impacted year-round. Taking care of one's mental health looks different for everyone. For those in the transportation marketing industry, it can be difficult to maintain a positive work environment due to the diversity of the positions. Truck drivers are, by nature, not typically in the office. How can you make sure your entire team feels appreciated and empowered? Take a look at these tips for taking care of anyone on your team, plus some extra tips for truck drivers specifically and yourself!
Taking Care of Your Team
Whether you have remote employees or you see each other every day, it is important to build a good relationship with your team. A key theme of preventing burnout involves communication. A few things you can make clear with your team include:
Work/life balance is essential to corporate culture. Make sure that your team feels comfortable using their PTO. Even if they can't go on a vacation, encourage them to take some time off. On a day-to-day basis, make sure everyone leaves at a decent time and takes small breaks throughout the day. This leads to a better work environment and improves the quality of work.
Sometimes it feels like people only notice when you screw up, but they ignore all of the times you did your job right. Having the mentality that employees should do their job right every time with a paycheck as their only reward can lead to burnout. Why would someone be loyal to your organization if they're not seen as an individual? Make an effort to remind people how valuable they are. Simply telling someone "good job" can go a long way.
Make sure that you know where to direct your team if they need help. While some people are comfortable lending an ear and providing great advice, it is not your responsibility to do so. That being said, it's imperative to make it known that you are knowledgeable of the company's resources and will allow people to use them without judgment. Show your team that you are flexible and capable of providing coverage.
If you've ever been through a Truck Driver Appreciation Week, you've most-likely seen the memes and posts floating around that mock carriers for catering meals at the terminals while the drivers are on the road. Drivers are usually isolated, have limited access to healthy food/activity options, and have a high-stress job. How can you make sure they feel appreciated and taken care of?
Truckers would love to know that their employers care whether they live or die. Sure, safety is always a top priority, but sometimes it could feel like the carrier is more worried about their equipment and deadlines than the drivers themselves. Mental and physical health are certainly connected, so look for opportunities to help with both. Make sure drivers have access to health and wellness resources like these from the St. Christopher Trucker's Fund. If you give out promo items/swag, consider finding things related to health and wellness like water bottles, resistance bands, or hand sanitizer. The possibilities are truly endless, but the goal is to show drivers how much you care about their wellbeing.
Similar to the health and wellness opportunities, make sure drivers know who to call when they need something. For example, if they're in the middle of a family or medical emergency, they need to know who they can contact that will reliably ensure they get what they need. If they have questions on their insurance or want to know what resources are available to them, they will need a direct line instead of being transferred through different departments. Furthermore, if they are at risk of burnout or just have something bothering them, it's important to have someone they can talk to. It's lonely on the road, and it's nice to know that someone is looking out for you.
Moving freight is the name of the game, but that freight isn't going to move itself. There are actual human beings who have to leave their families for sometimes weeks on end to deliver that cargo. Sometimes, dispatchers plan out a route and something goes wrong - weather, equipment malfunction, Godzilla attack, etc. In that case, it may be in everyone's best interest to take a driver off of a load so they can spend their 34 at home. Also, home time is their time. Drivers are not on call for their reset or their home time.
It's time to practice what you preach! You can't take care of your team until you take care of yourself.
Make sure to get up every hour or so and move around. Take a walk, stretch, or simply stand up to get the blood flowing.
Don't forget to eat some food and drink some water throughout the day.
Throughout the day, make sure to check in on your breathing. Do a little meditation or take a little mental break every once in a while.
Here are some of our team's favorite ways to take care of ourselves:
"I love starting my day with a moment just for me, outside in nature. Whether it’s a run or a quick walk around the block, taking that time to move and breathe fresh air helps me clear my head and sets a positive tone for the rest of the day." - Kenzie Copeland, Senior Marketing Account Manager
"My favorite way to decompress is yoga. It's a perfect combination of mindfulness and exercise. After just a few minutes of stretching and mindful breathing, I'm able to reset and conquer any task." - Stacie Wiegman, Digital Marketing Coordinator
Take care of yourself and lift others up. Remember to familiarize yourself with resources at your disposal - even if it's just your personal support system.