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Four Things Every Construction Employer Should Be Doing to Promote Better Mental Health

Mental health charity, Mind has estimated that a quarter of us will experience a mental health issue each year. And worryingly, 30% of employees say they wouldn’t feel able to talk openly with a line manager if they were experiencing stress.

Poor mental health has an enormous human and commercial cost. And we know that construction is particularly badly affected owing to the stressful nature of the work, long hours and time spent away from home.

Work is far from the only cause of poor mental health, but it can be a significant contributor. Work is also a place where the changes in behaviour that might indicate a mental health issue can be noticed by colleagues. When it comes to prevention and providing a route to get help, employers are uniquely placed.

Many employers seem to recognise this fact but aren’t clear about what steps to take. Across all sectors 56% of employers said they would like to do more to improve staff wellbeing but don’t feel they have the right training or guidance.

Employers need to be more aware of the mental health support available. They must also encourage employees to make use of it – particularly in industries where mental health issues seem to be more common.

Here are a few steps that every employer should consider taking.

  1. Provide Training

Managers and supervisors should know the indicators of mental health issues and know how to have the right conversations with people at risk. They should also know the sources of help and support they can direct people towards. Organisations like Mind provide excellent training and resources for employers.

  1. Encourage General Wellbeing

Simple steps include encouraging and helping people to exercise more and eat more healthily. Additional support could include meditation and mindfulness classes, stress management and help with managing personal finances. All employees would benefit from this support.

If it sounds expensive, just think of the number of working days lost to stress and the productivity hit from ‘presenteeism.’

  1. Offer Employee Assistance Programmes

Many EAPs provide support through 24/7 helplines and face-to-face counselling. This can be an important first step in getting help and may be seen as easier than talking to your employer directly.

  1. Create a Supportive Culture

Stigma around mental health is a major barrier that prevents people getting the help they need. Your workplace culture can go a long way to creating an environment that says: ‘we’ve all struggled at some point or another and it’s OK to talk about it.’

Our Journey

Since signing the Time to Change pledge, Osborne has achieved the Silver Achieving Impact award for the Mind Workplace Wellbeing Index. By being involved we are contributing towards cutting edge research on workplace wellbeing.

We have trained almost 100 Mental Health First Aiders across the business and added the AXA Stronger Minds mental health cover to our AXA Private Healthcare scheme. The mental health first aiders combined with the AXA Stronger Minds pathway provides prompt and direct access to mental healthcare support.

We still have work to do but we’ve made good progress on our journey to providing a supportive environment that takes care of the mental health and wellbeing of our people. We’re happy to share what we’ve learned with anyone it would benefit.

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