Despite the ongoing mental health crisis, recent talk of how builders are “waking up” is now reversing what little progress the industry had made in addressing its high rates of suicide and cases of poor mental health. Citation’s Lee Mills discusses the Building Minds campaign, which aims to equip construction managers with the tools to help the struggling workforce
no wonder that Construction workers face mental health issues. – They work long hours, work outside the home and often have short employment contracts, adding to the existing pressures of work. When coupled with long shifts and unpredictable weather conditions, it seems obvious that the workforce would be under a lot of pressure with their mental health. Despite this, little is currently being done about it among managers and business owners in the industry.
With current charity data Mates in Mind shows that men in the construction industry are three times more likely to die by suicide than the average man, recent Citation research found that 71% of companies believe there is a stigma around talking about mental health.
As one of the main reasons why low mental health rates in the industry don’t speak up when they’re struggling, companies need to make it easier for construction workers to talk about their feelings. This means that managers and bosses must step up and change their work culture.
While this won’t happen right away, there are ways to start making a change, and this comes from things like implementing new policies around mental health and improving management training around the topic.
Dedicated mental health policies
Research conducted by Citation has found that 72% of companies in the sector admitted not having a dedicated policy to provide mental health support.
Although mental health manager With training being one of the most effective ways to reduce employee mental health issues, the research highlighted that over 70% of managers in the industry are unsure what support they can offer struggling workers. This comes as more than 80% of construction managers agree that trained managers can help manage existing mental health issues in the industry.
To help those struggling with mental health, bosses can set specific policies to help. This could be having dedicated mental health trained employees or having clear guidelines on sick leave for your mental health.
Change of work culture.
Employers believe that the reasons for the high rates of mental health problems are due to the perceived stigma around talking about mental health.
Citation research shows that 78% of construction employers say staff are uncomfortable talking about mental health, and 77% say their staff avoid talking about it because they believe it shows “weakness.”
These numbers show that employers need to do more to foster a more empathetic culture and create an environment where employees feel comfortable speaking up if they’re struggling.
Managers aren’t expected to be mental health experts, but they do have the authority to set the right work culture, provide support and adjustments to those who are struggling, and use tools to help improve the workplace. All of this can help change workplace culture, promoting a healthier workplace.
Training of construction managers in mental health
In addition to the perceived stigma around mental health, industry bosses agree there are other factors contributing to low rates, including general life stress (64%) and working long hours ( 52%).
It is the employer’s responsibility to create an environment where staff can talk about their mental health issues, and while most managers do not currently provide mental health training, over 82% agree that more training and support is needed.
To create a more open discussion about mental health, bosses and managers should try to understand the different factors that can contribute to poor mental health. Things like money worries, poor physical health, and relationship problems can all be factors that lead to poor mental health. It’s also important to know and understand the different ways poor mental health can manifest: unexpected work mistakes, being late for work, and poor concentration can all be signs.
Mental Health Training Resources
There is a lot of work for employers to do in the construction industry. The dire rates of mental health problems in the industry cannot continue, and the most effective way to address them is through training.
To support bosses looking to deliver more mental health support in your workplace, there is a downloadable webinar. Endorsed by industry bodies, the webinar highlights the current state of mental health in the industry, while looking at how employers can support mental health at work.
A download webinar visit building minds on dating website here.
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