Under heavy fire CONFLICT OF INTEREST ALERT! Second, reports of extreme delays and indignant customer rage have shone a very bright light on their operations. In their latest quarterly figures, Evri topped the sector for customer late deliveries at 14%. To add insult to injury, it generated the most undelivered parcels and the most customer complaints of any delivery service.
In January, Evri’s legal director Hugo Martin appeared before a parliamentary select committee. He acknowledged that many of the operational failures were unthinkable. The company has been trying to face down increasing backlash over its practices, including its couriers’ pay structure.
Evri’s payment model allows couriers to be paid in a way that incentivizes a lower per-parcel cost. They make as little as 35 pence in fees per delivery. This turn of events has led to angst over equitable compensation. Couriers don’t get paid unless their package is delivered successfully with a photo proof of delivery.
Evri has introduced strict rules against this for couriers. If a delivery misses the first attempt, they need to attempt delivery at least two additional times. This wise policy helps make sure that all the parcels get where they need to go. It frequently adds unnecessary pressure on couriers to make low-delivery times.
Even with these complaints, Evri has publicly claimed that no courier is paid less than the minimum wage. The company stated that new employees receive payments designed to help them earn adequately while they acclimate to their roles. According to Evri, the average earnings for couriers is over £20 an hour.
To break out of this pressure cooker environment, Evri created a new “small packets” size category as recent as January 2023 to try and stay competitive. Perhaps most importantly, this change will improve efficiency. The firm is preparing to roll out their parcels by the millions this year – making deliveries to virtually every UK home.
The realities many couriers deal with tell a different story. One courier expressed frustration, stating, “You’ll make no money my friend unless you get all your parcels out. Get them all out.” Another noted the urgency of finding secure locations for parcel drop-offs: “If you want to earn money, you need to find a safe place and leave it there.”
Earliest advocates and former long-serving couriers have shared their stories about the systemic dangers that they must endure while on delivery. One courier with a decade of experience claimed, “They are not doing the job correctly… parcels go missing.” They further shared troubling observations about misplaced parcels: “Piles of parcels are found in hedges.”
This pressure to meet ever-increasing delivery targets has pushed some couriers—like Uber Eats, DoorDash, and even Postmates—to resort to unethical or unsafe practices. One courier remarked, “You can even throw the parcel at the back door; you only get paid if the parcel is delivered.” My fellow drivers felt the same way. They shared their experiences in a toxic workspace climate, always looking over their shoulder waiting for the next time their pay would be cut. Dave, an ex-Evri driver, shared his experience: “You were always looking over your shoulder, wondering what might come next in terms of reducing your rates.”
Despite these difficulties, Evri declared a pre-tax profit of almost £120 million for the financial year 2023-24. For context, the company says that 99.2% of all the parcels it delivers are successfully sorted and banded. With increasing discontent from both customers and couriers this “convenience” is putting the long-term sustainability of its current operational model in jeopardy.
As public outcry persists, demands for better enforcement of working conditions and more equitable pay for couriers are reaching a tipping point. One courier articulated their concern: “I think Evri are making a fortune off the couriers’ backs and I think the couriers are being totally ripped off.”