Mental Health Awareness Week: Let’s Get the Construction Industry Talking!

The cost-of-living crisis, anxiety, illness and grievance are just some of today’s pressures on an employee’s mental health, and that’s before taking on work-related responsibilities. The construction industry in particular faces a hidden crisis of neglected mental wellbeing. In fact, recent research has shown that 82% of builders in the UK suffer with mental health problems due to work-related issues. As a further cause for concern, 10% of tradespeople also say they are worried about what their colleagues would think if they disclosed their mental health problems. 

As Mental Health Awareness week begins on 13th May, we at Harrison & Clough want to get the industry talking and supporting mental health concerns.

Why Supporting Mental Health is Important

Poor mental health has been the silent epidemic of the construction industry. Physically demanding work, long hours, exposure to the elements and risk to personal safety, are all factors that can take a toll on a worker’s mental well-being. With high focus on the physical aspects of construction roles, mental-health challenges are often overlooked. 

What doesn’t help is that the construction industry is a largely male dominated field. Stereotypes of a ‘macho’ and ‘tough guy’ culture are still tied to the field and make talking openly about mental health issues significantly more difficult. 

The Most Common Causes of Stress for Tradespeople Are:

• Cost of living crisis
• Rising cost of materials
• Finances
• Ensuring customer satisfaction
• Job security
• Tension with suppliers
• Risks of making mistakes at work
• Poor work-life balance

Whether working on-site or in the office, taking care of an employee’s mental health is the right thing to do and should be held as priority. In fact, having the right wellbeing support in place is shown to boost productivity, drive staff retention, build a strong ethos and help employees feel heard and valued. 

Steps to a Supportive Culture On-Site and in the Office

• Create Awareness: The first step towards improving mental health in construction is to create awareness. Organising training sessions and workshops on mental health issues can help to reduce stigma and make it easier for employees to seek help where needed.
• Allow Flexible Work Schedules: Flexible and remote working schedules in construction may seem impossible. However, leading with an out-put based approach allows employees to have a healthy work-life balance and, in turn, increase motivation. 
• Recognise and develop skills: Recognising talent and helping employees to reach their personal and professional goals via the likes of an apprenticeship scheme or training courses is key to making staff feel valued. 
• Set Clear Policies: To achieve a comfortable environment where employees can speak up about their mental wellbeing concerns, outlining clear procedures and available resources is imperative.

The Take 5 Room 

At Harrison & Clough we wanted to create a safe space where colleagues feel they take a break and relax at any time of the day without having to provide an explanation. 

Our Take 5 room was created in October 2022 and is a vibrant and cosy space where our employees are welcome to gather their thoughts, take doctor’s appointment calls, talk to mental health trained colleagues, or simply kick their feet up for a short while. With our ‘no questions asked’ policy, the Take 5 room has total confidentiality of attendance unless someone is seeking out advice or looking for someone to talk to. 

Take a look at our Take 5 Room in full swing here!

Visit the Harrison & Clough’s website to find out more about our range of fixings and fasteners.