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Christmas stress: parcel carriers fight against heavy loads and time pressure!
Parcel couriers experience extreme stress in the run-up to Christmas. High workloads pose health risks and demand better working conditions.
Christmas stress: parcel carriers fight against heavy loads and time pressure!
The Christmas season not only brings a festive atmosphere, but also immense challenges for the parcel couriers in Cologne. According to a report by fr.de The workload for the delivery staff is enormous in this busy time. DHL delivery driver Steve Josch delivers over 200 packages on peak days - a clear increase compared to the usual 150. This overload is particularly common in apartment buildings without an elevator, where heavy lifting is commonplace. The messengers carry over 30 kilograms a day, which is not only strenuous but also risky to health.
Josch, who has been working as a parcel delivery person for 16 years, describes his job as competitive, but also as a fitness program. But the physical strain and the pressure to deliver everything on time are becoming more and more difficult for him. His contractually agreed working hours are 7.5 hours, including a modest time buffer of 45 minutes. These requirements are not always adhered to during the most stressful periods, such as the run-up to Christmas.
Stress and lack of appreciation
The ongoing demand during the Christmas season means that many parcel couriers have to work beyond their strengths. A survey by n-tv shows that many delivery workers regularly exceed the permitted working hours and miss breaks. This has a negative impact on the quality of their work - an impressive 79 percent of those surveyed report compromises in delivery quality. Parcel couriers who work for subcontractors, where the conditions are often even less favorable, are particularly affected.
Severe physical complaints are another dark side of the job: According to a study by AOK Rheinland/Hamburg, 8 out of 100 delivery workers are unable to work every day due to illness. The majority of these failures are due to musculoskeletal disorders, a fact that is also alarming in the context of the high physical demands on delivery workers.
Demands for better working conditions
The Verdi union is not idle and has been calling for political measures to protect parcel delivery people for some time. Proposals such as a ban on individual deliveries of heavy parcels over 20 kilograms and improving working conditions are on the agenda. She also complains about the lack of appreciation from customers, with small tokens such as tips and thanks often being in short supply. Josch's colleague, Kerstin Klein, responded to the sometimes dismal customer reactions by wearing a Grinch-style hat, and her Christmas joy suffered considerably.
To combat the stress, DHL has already hired 10,000 temporary workers to better manage the flow of parcels during the holidays. These measures could alleviate at least some of the burden on permanent employees.
But despite the challenges, many parcel carriers are optimistic about the future. For proper thanks, they go out of their way to deliver. After all, they know that the Christmas season in particular should be a time of joy, not only for the recipients of the packages, but also for the hard-working deliverers. Positive feedback from older customers and small gestures of gratitude give the parcel carriers a lot in return and are a ray of hope in these hectic times.