working conditions in food retailing

BIBB/BAuA 2018

Essential and stressed:

working conditions in food retailing

33 baua: Facts

Essential and stressed: working conditions in food retailing

Crises such as the coronavirus pandemic shine a particular spotlight on the occupations that are

“essential”. For example, the public has become more aware of the importance of work in the food retail sector. Around three million people work in the German retail sector, of whom more than one million are employed in the food sector (Federal Statistical Office 2017). In the light of the coro- navirus pandemic, the working conditions of individuals in food retailing occupations have come under greater scrutiny. Results from the BIBB/BAuA Employment Survey 2018 show that individuals employed in food sales are primarily exposed to physical but also to mental work demands. This is also reflected in the health complaints of food salespersons.

Of the more than 17,000 employees who took part in the BIBB/BAuA Employment Survey 2018, 194 employees in the retail sector work in food sales. They are described in more detail in the Federal Employment Agency’s "Clas- sification of Occupations 2010" under code 623 and in

“NACE Rev. 2”, a Classification of Economic Activities, via Division 47, "Retail trade". This occupational group inclu- des salespersons in supermarkets and grocery stores, as well as workers selling bakery, confectionery, meat, and sausage products. The analysis compares individuals employed in food sales to individuals employed in other occupations.¹

With regard to working hours, employees in food sales turn out to be 37 % more likely to work outside normal working hours (between 7 am and 7 pm) than workers in other occupations (24 %), partly because of long shop opening hours. In food retailing, it is mainly part-time em- ployees who work outside normal working hours (56 % vs.

25 % in other occupations). Furthermore, almost all food salespersons work on weekends (93 %, other occupations 37 %).

Physical work demands

Compared to other occupations, working in food sales is particularly characterized by physical work demands such as frequently working while standing (89 % vs. 53 %) and doing manual work that requires great dexterity, fast sequences of movements, or greater strength (51 % vs. 38 %). In addition, frequently lifting and carrying heavy loads is reported by almost twice as

many respondents in food sales as in other occupations (42 % vs. 22 %). One of the reasons is that salespersons in food stores frequently need to move goods or refill shelves.

0 % 20 % 40 % 60 % 80 % 100 % Working while standing

Doing manual work that requires great dexterity, fast sequences of move- ments or greater strenght

Lifting and carrying heavy loads

89 53

51 38

42

22 Food retailing

Other occupations

Fig. 1 Frequent physical work demands of employees (in %)

Mental work demands

With regard to the mental work environment, monotonous demands such as repetitive work processes (76 % vs. 46 %) and highly specified work routines (42 % vs. 26 %) are more common in food sales than in other occupations.

Certain characteristics of work intensity, such as working very quickly (50 % vs. 33 %) and managing multiple tasks at the same time (67 % vs. 61 %), are reported more fre- quently in food sales. On the other hand, strong pressure to meet deadlines or perform is reported less frequently than in other occupations (38 % vs. 48 %).

baua: Facts Essential and stressed: working conditions in food retailing

Impressum | Publisher: Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA), Friedrich-Henkel-Weg 1–25, D-44149 Dortmund, Phone: +49 231 9071-2071, E-Mail: info-zentrum@baua.bund.de, Internet: www.baua.de | Authors: M. Lück, Dr. L. Hünefeld, Editor: Dr. G. Meilicke, Design: S. Graul | doi:10.21934/baua:facts20201006 | Oktober 2020

33

Weiterführende Informationen

1 Mindestlohnkommission. Zweiter Bericht zu den Aus- wirkungen des gesetzlichen Mindestlohns. Bericht der Mindestlohnkommission an die Bundesregierung nach

§ 9 Abs. 4 Mindestlohngesetz. Berlin: MLK 2018 2 Bundesanstalt für Arbeitsschutz und Arbeitsmedizin.

Gefährdungsbeurteilung bei physischer Belastung – die neuen Leitmerkmalmethoden (LMM). 1. Auflage.

Dortmund: BAuA 2019

3 T. Bleyer, U. Hold, H. W. Müller-Arnecke, A. Windel.

Ergonomische Gestaltung von Bedientheken in aus- gewählten Arbeitsbereichen. Eine Bestandsaufnahme in Theorie und Praxis. 1. Auflage. Bremerhaven: NW Verlag 2005

0 % 20 % 40 % 60 % 80 % 100 %

Same process repeated in every detail Work performance prescribed down to the last detaill Working very quickly Managing muliple tasks or processes at the same time Great time pressure or pressure to perform

76 46

42 26

50 33

67 61 38

48 Food retailing Other occupations

Fig. 2 Frequent mental work demands of employees (in %)

Decision-making latitude and social support

Resources such as a high degree of decision-making latitu- de or extensive social support are important when dealing with high demands. However, decision-making latitude in food sales is smaller than in other occupations. For examp- le, only 41 % of food salespersons state that they are often able to plan and manage their own work, whereas 65 % of employees in other occupations say they can do so. When asked about social resources such as a sense of community (75 % vs. 80 %), support from colleagues (74 % vs. 79 %) and from direct supervisors (55 % vs. 59 %), food sales employees are less likely to have access to these resources than their counterparts in other occupations.

Health complaints

High work demands can lead to health problems. The frequency of psychosomatic complaints - such as general fatigue or stomach and digestive problems - hardly differs between the two groups: Two and more frequently occur- ring complaints are reported by 52 % of food salespersons and 54 % of employees in other occupations. Musculos- keletal complaints - such as pain in the lower back, arms, or legs - are much more common among food salesper- sons. For example, 67 % of food sales workers and 52 % of employees in other occupations report two or more complaints.

Conclusion

Compared to other employees, food salespersons are more often exposed to both physical work demands, such as working while standing, and mental work demands, such as monotony and a fast work pace. This is also re- flected in their reports on health complaints. Sustainable prevention strategies focus on providing a healthy work environment - not only in times of crisis such as the co- ronavirus pandemic. In addition to the current focus on anti-virus protection, the ergonomic design of service and checkout counters³, as well as behavioural preventive actions on topics such as "lifting and carrying", are also fundamental in these times to maintaining the health of employees in the long term. Risk assessment is helpful to identify areas for improvement (§ 5 labour protection law). Practical procedures and instruments such as the Key Indicator Method² (e. g. for assessing and organizing physical demands when manually lifting, holding, and car- rying loads and in manual work processes) offer concrete assistance in risk assessment. Decision-making latitude and social support can help employees manage their daily work more easily. Among other things, a corporate culture embracing mutual support instead of seeing it as an anno- ying additional task is conducive here.

English translation. German original version available:

doi: 10.21934/baua:fakten20200505