Walkers launch ground-breaker, ‘WalkersBalance’, to combat driver shortage

Walkers Transport have launched a first-to-market employment scheme, Walkers Balance, which offers flexible working patterns to suit employee lifestyles.

It is the first time that a logistics provider has made a four-day Monday to Friday working week available to their employees. Traditionally, LGV drivers have never been able to balance their work-life split evenly but here at Walkers, we are changing the game.

The logistics industry has faced a driver deficit of 30,000 – 50,000 over the past five or more years, but the latest Logistics UK estimate is a deficit of 76,000. It is therefore time for the biggest recruitment drive the industry has ever experienced and Walkers want to be the driving force behind this, quite literally.

By taking control of the hours they work during the week, our drivers have the choice of continuing to work a base of five days a week or moving to the new four-day system. Another brilliant aspect of the Balance programme is that the scheme incorporates Walkers’ Elite Driver rewards, meaning drivers can still earn an extra £4,000 a year on top of their salary.

The announcement comes just weeks after the launch of Warehouse to Wheels, Walkers’ new apprenticeship scheme.

With marketing-leading pay structures and benefits such as the BUPA medical scheme, we truly care about our drivers. With Walkers Balance offering 23 holiday days and an additional 52 non-working days a year, this has never been more apparent.

Group Operations Director, Scott Hobman, believes that the new employment programme is a landmark moment in the logistics industry.

“Walkers Balance takes us away from the industry norm and focuses on the importance of a balanced lifestyle for our employees. This new approach will allow drivers to spend more time with friends and family to do things that they enjoy, naturally leading to an improvement in wellbeing.

“As you can imagine this is a huge investment for the company and we need to ensure that it not only benefits employees, but also the business through improvements in absenteeism, morale, performance, and retention. 

“We are really excited about this and believe it will make a significant difference to working at Walkers Transport.”

 

Want to earn more for working less? Contact us via email at joanne.archer@walkers-transport.co.uk, or call your local depot on one of the following numbers today!

Leeds Depot: 0113 733 6612

Manchester Depot: 01706 619 171

Midlands Depot: 01543 220 420