Let’s Talk About Mental Health, and Let’s Keep Talking
Poor mental health has been described as a silent killer in the construction industry. It’s actually an issue for all business sectors, with nearly 16 million working days lost to stress or mental health issues every year. But construction is more affected than most. Risk of suicide among those working in construction trades is 1.6 times higher than in the general population.
Stressful working conditions, shifts, working away from home, project deadlines and financial insecurity are a potentially toxic mix. What we’ve also had is a male-dominated culture where people haven’t felt comfortable talking about how they are feeling, or where they’re not confident that admitting that they are struggling will be met sympathetically.
Mental health problems affect one in four of us, yet people are still afraid to talk about it. That’s the culture we are determined to change and are working hard to alter. Whatever help and support we put in place can’t be effective until everyone feels able to talk with the confidence that they will be listened to, supported, and not judged.
Time to Talk Day
Osborne was proud, therefore, to take part in Time to Talk Day on February 7. This was a day when everyone was encouraged to have a conversation about mental health.
The day was all about bringing together the right ingredients to have a conversation about mental health. Whether it‘s tea and biscuits with close friends or a room full of people challenging mental health stigma. The most important thing was to talk.
To promote the day we shared posters, tips cards and suggested activities to support Time to Talk on our sites. Rather than dictating how discussions should happen, we aimed to empower people to do it their own way.
Once you start talking it’s amazing how many people are suddenly able to open up and say that they’ve experienced some of the feelings and anxieties expressed. You then realise that your not on your own or unusual. At some point, stress, anxiety and mental health problems will be experienced by most of us to some degree.
Conversations about mental health help break down stereotypes, improve relationships and aid recovery. Talking takes the stigma out of something that affects us all. There are lots of different ways to have a conversation about mental health, and you don’t have to be an expert to talk – that’s the basic message we want everyone to embrace.
Of course, we will never change the culture is a single day. The effort will continue year-round to keep reinforcing the message that it’s always a good time to talk.
