Healthy express couriers: Tackling stress at work in a digital era
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Manchester
Department Name: School of Health Sciences
Abstract
Evidence shows that digital surveillance for the purpose of performance monitoring at work can exert a negative health impact on the monitored workers. Nevertheless, workplace surveillance is becoming the norm in a fast growing new job sector called Online-to-Offline (O2O) that is closely associated with surging global online consumption. A prominent feature of this sector is a digitally optimised operation that sorts and shifts a massive amount of goods and services highly efficiently with each step timed and tracked. Express delivery, including express parcel delivery and takeaway delivery is the key to connecting the last mile between the online platform and actual delivery addresses. O2O is also loosely termed as gig economy or platform economy, typically structured as an online consumption platform employing a large, precarious workforce. The rising O2O sector has seen a significant increase in monitoring practices with new characteristics, e.g., tracking with wearable sensors that intensify the relationship between the system and the monitored. These features add up to a stressful working environment that contributes to physical and mental ill-health. Indeed, media reports on Amazon, Uber Eats, Deliveroo, Eleme and Meituan continue to surface in many countries, revealing health implications due to excessive workload, work-related stress, which may also lead to injuries, suicide attempts and death. However, there is currently little or no evidence from observational and intervention research about the impact of workplace surveillance on occupational stress in this new sector to provide support to industry and policy makers. To understand and define the problem, we choose express couriers in China as the targeted population to develop a system-level intervention program. We do so for two reasons. First, China is the global leader of O2O e-commerce with $877.00 billion online sales in 2017, which grew by 28% compared with 2016. Industry evidence compiled by the largest online Chinese platforms Alibaba and Meituan suggests at least 6.5 million express couriers were employed in 2016. We conducted preliminary qualitative research in March 2019 in China and found that current working practice may present multiple health hazards; forcing young couriers to leave their jobs after only a few years due to stress and mental ill-health, musculoskeletal disorders, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, injuries and other chronic and acute conditions. They typically work to digitally optimized time and route schedules that are pushing human boundaries. Especially for takeaway couriers, with the expectation of 30 minutes lead time and route complication, e.g., high-rise building blocks, achieving optimised efficiency during peak hours is a particularly stressful task. In addition, the system in China include rewards and penalties for speed and quality of service. This has the potential to add significantly to the stressful nature of the job. Second, occupational health and mental health research have been identified by China's National Health Commission as two under-researched priority areas. Therefore, the main aim of this early phase project is to develop and pilot an intervention program to reduce work-related stress and associated health outcomes among express delivery couriers caused by surveillance systems to optimize delivery operation and monitor performance and record customer feedback. Our ultimate goal is develop protocols in the main study for workplace surveillance using wearable sensors to inform policy and practice in a way that it will ameliorate the long and short-term health consequences on monitored workers. It is undoubtedly a global and growing phenomenon and the outcome of this research will benefit working populations that are constantly tracked and monitored in both developing and developed countries, including the UK.
Technical Summary
The intervention program (main study) will likely comprise an improved operation and surveillance system that adjusts rate of order dispatch when excessive workload is detected, a performance incentive system that limits penalisation and a customer review system that prevents malicious comments without foundations. This system level digital intervention programme will be developed based on the Learning Health System methodology that guides incremental development and accumulative progress. The early phase study will develop the intervention programme in collaboration with an Advisory Board that comprises the express and/or takeaway couriers and other stakeholders as well as with the algorithm engineers of the platform companies. Subsequently, we will apply the intervention in a small-scale pilot study to test acceptability and fidelity by couriers and the platform companies. While the digital platforms are mainly based in Beijing or Shanghai, the intervention program can be rolled out to most cities in China through their system. The pilot study will compare baseline data with during and after intervention data to evaluate likely impact for progression and enable next stage of evaluation. Criteria for progression shall be grounded in the analysed results of process, impact and outcome evaluation of the pilot study, including the likely effectiveness of the intervention (as assessed by researcher and AB) and the acceptability/fidelity of the companies and couriers. Should all be positive and feasible, we will work with the AB to define the most appropriate trial design (RCT, step-wedge) and study population with sufficient power for evaluation of the intervention in the main study.
Planned Impact
1. Impact on Knowledge
This research addresses an important knowledge gap around effective interventions that aim to reduce occupational mental ill-health amongst workforce involved in delivery services associated with surging global online consumption, in particular the additional stress due to digitally optimised operation and costumer feedback systems associated with bonuses and penalties. Findings have the potential to be published in top peer-reviewed journals in the areas of global health, health psychology and occupational health.
2. Impact on Policy
The evidence will support the establishment or revisions of internal company practices, national policies and, if necessary, regulatory standards for digitally optimised operation involving performance monitoring of the workforce with wearable devices involved, such as used within the takeaway delivery and other courier services. Our starting point is with CHEA , which is an influential policy advisor and the China CDC , which is a policy making agent and runs national health data bases and surveillance system.
3. Impact on Practice
Large takeaway platforms in China have expressed interests in participating the research. They are keen to work with digital health experts from Manchester and China CDC to improve the algorithm to incorporate the health perspective.
4. Economic impact
A reduction in the cost of work-related mental ill-health and injuries
5. Social impact
To create a fairer working environment for workforce in this sector
How to realise the impact:
a) Building a collaborative research network with the China CDC, CHEA, and BNU as key members and reach out to industrial partners, technology developers and NGOs.
b) Publishing findings in peer-reviewed journals
c) Continue applying for large grant to fund the main study
d) An online tool for evaluating work-related stress in Chinese O2O context
e) A database to collate data from GSR sensors for evaluating stress levels at work
f) Engagement events to ensure participation and contribution from local stakeholders.
This research addresses an important knowledge gap around effective interventions that aim to reduce occupational mental ill-health amongst workforce involved in delivery services associated with surging global online consumption, in particular the additional stress due to digitally optimised operation and costumer feedback systems associated with bonuses and penalties. Findings have the potential to be published in top peer-reviewed journals in the areas of global health, health psychology and occupational health.
2. Impact on Policy
The evidence will support the establishment or revisions of internal company practices, national policies and, if necessary, regulatory standards for digitally optimised operation involving performance monitoring of the workforce with wearable devices involved, such as used within the takeaway delivery and other courier services. Our starting point is with CHEA , which is an influential policy advisor and the China CDC , which is a policy making agent and runs national health data bases and surveillance system.
3. Impact on Practice
Large takeaway platforms in China have expressed interests in participating the research. They are keen to work with digital health experts from Manchester and China CDC to improve the algorithm to incorporate the health perspective.
4. Economic impact
A reduction in the cost of work-related mental ill-health and injuries
5. Social impact
To create a fairer working environment for workforce in this sector
How to realise the impact:
a) Building a collaborative research network with the China CDC, CHEA, and BNU as key members and reach out to industrial partners, technology developers and NGOs.
b) Publishing findings in peer-reviewed journals
c) Continue applying for large grant to fund the main study
d) An online tool for evaluating work-related stress in Chinese O2O context
e) A database to collate data from GSR sensors for evaluating stress levels at work
f) Engagement events to ensure participation and contribution from local stakeholders.
Description | Gig workers: unsung heroes and a strategic role in the UK national response to the COVID-19 pandemic |
Amount | £362,283 (GBP) |
Funding ID | MC_PC_19083 |
Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 03/2020 |
End | 10/2021 |
Description | Healthy, resilient and flexible: Co-developing a mental health intervention for and with frontline gig workers: a systems approach |
Amount | £149,788 (GBP) |
Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 03/2022 |
End | 06/2023 |
Title | Burnout scale for Chinese couriers |
Description | We aim to develop a burnout scale that is culturally adapted to the Chinese couriers population. At this moment, a stimulus scale has been developed for a think-aloud study. The next steps are to revise the stimulus scale to be ready for factor analyses and validation. |
Type Of Material | Physiological assessment or outcome measure |
Year Produced | 2020 |
Provided To Others? | No |
Impact | The stimulus scale has not been released to any couriers for testing. It will be tested by 5-10 couriers by April to collect feedback for improvement. |
Description | Collaborative partnership with NCNCD, China CDC |
Organisation | Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) |
Department | National Center for Chronic and Noncommunicable Disease Control and Prevention |
Country | China |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | We are contributing to the development data collection tools, including the provision of Empatica E4 wristbands and associated data collection form, study protocol, acceptability interview schedule and informal discussions with potential business participants. |
Collaborator Contribution | The NCNCD has been leading the engagement of potential business participants, development of data collection tools, including Empatica E4 wristbands data collection form, study protocol, acceptability interview schedule and informal discussions with and visits to potential business participants. |
Impact | Not yet. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | AI in Education conference in Zhuhai, China |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | We presented at the AI in Education conference that was held in Zhuhai, China in June 2023. The conference was international and attracted audiences from broad geographic areas, including China, Southeast Asia, Russia, and Norway etc. T. The presentation showcased our research about work stress and burnout among platform workers in both the UK and China. We also participated in the discussion in the workshop about the impact of artificial intelligence in work and education. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://ccie-cef.bnu.edu.cn/english/news/e9c06c356c7f478cb42d3637a2663962.htm |
Description | Announcement of reward on WeChat Moments |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | A brief announcement of award was made in Chinese through Dr. Hua Wei's personal WeChat account in April 2020. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | COEH seminar |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | We held a COEH seminar on 2nd Feb to introduce research progress on the gig worker theme, including both the UK COVID-19 project and the China couriers burnout project. It sparked a few questions and discussions among the interested audience. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Division of Population Health showcase presentation |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | We gave a presentation at the research showcase event of the Division of Population Health, Health Services Research and Primary Care, University of Manchester under the title of "Does AI at work stress us out?". More than one hundred researchers and students participated at the event. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
Description | Engagement activities with delivery platform company |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | Initial talks were held between the research team, including the Chinese partners, with JD.com, one of China's largest online shopping platform and delivery company. Two representatives from operation and health and safety participated. NCNCD, one of the Chinese partners that is leading this part of the study has also paid visit to JD Beijing branch and sites. The research purpose of the project was introduced to the company and their feedback on research design and introduction about their operation were discussed. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | International Conference of Digitization and Management Innovation (Beijing) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | An online presentation was given to the International Conference of Digitization and Management Innovation on 26th Nov 2022 with about 80 participants. It sparked several questions and discussions. Interest in how the UK logistics sector responded to the COVID-19 outbreaks was increased among the audience. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Interview by Global Futures |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Martie van Tongeren and Hua Wei were interviewed by the Global Futures magazine on the topic of "Exploring the health of global gig workers". The magazine is published by the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, the University of Manchester, and its readership is broad, diverse and international. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://www.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/connect/global-health/ |
Description | Interview by Global Futures for International Women's Day |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Hua Wei was interviewed by the Global Futures magazine for a special feature on International Women's Day. She talked about her position, research ambition and the platform workers projects during a 10 minutes interview and a short video for posting on Instagram and TikTok. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
Description | Public display of posters |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Publicized the project and recruited subjects by posting posters in public in September 2021. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Work and Equalities Institute (WEI) Fifth Fairness at Work Conference |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Outcomes of two gig worker research projects was presented at the WEI Fifth Fairness at Work Conference: Fairness and Work Futures on 24th January 2023. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |