Ben, the not-for-profit organisation that partners with the automotive industry to provide support for life to its people, has released its annual Impact Report which reveals financial health is the main reason why people contacted Ben for help
Of all the calls the organisation received in 2016/17, 49% were related to financial health, an 11% increase year-on-yea(YOY), with low income reported as the biggest financial challenge for those working in the automotive industry.
Perhaps the most telling statistic Ben reports is the 78% YOY increase in people asking for help with their mental health and wellbeing. This is a significant statistic for the industry to be aware of and shows there are some very serious challenges being faced by people, impacting directly on businesses and, therefore, the automotive sector as a whole.
This big surge in enquiries to Ben about mental health has also perhaps been driven by increased awareness about these issues in the news and by our own awareness campaign, Hats on 4 mental health, which launched last year. Ben’s mental health campaign (including Hats on 4 mental health day) is running again this year from October to December. As part of the campaign and to directly address these findings, Ben will launch a new programme of mental health training for the automotive industry. So, watch this space for more information.
To read the full report, click here
During April 2016 to March 2017, the organisation has helped over 3,000 people working in the automotive industry with their financial, social, physical and mental health, which is 14% more than the previous year.
Furthermore, Ben reports 6.5% repeat cases (people requesting help with the same issue more than once) in 2016-17, compared to 32% repeat cases in 2015-16. This is an impressive 25.5% decrease in repeat cases YOY, which shows how the support offered by Ben has helped people to find long-term solutions for their problems. Historically, people kept returning to Ben with the same issues, often because the root cause of the problems wasn’t being addressed. This latest set of results show how an increased focus on providing the relevant help, support and preventative advice produces meaningful and sustainable results for people. This is backed up by the feedback received from people who have been supported.
Thanks to the continued support from both companies and individuals in the industry, Ben’s fundraising income increased by 10% on the previous year. These additional funds will be used to further develop our support services for the industry.
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