‘Don’t keep it under your hard hat’ – why we must build better mental health in construction

For World Suicide Prevention Day on Sept 10th, Lynda Thwaite at Sir Robert McAlpine reviews how we must build better mental health in construction.

While leaps and bounds have been made in recent years, it cannot be disputed that the construction industry still maintains something of a ‘macho’ image.

Sadly, this culture plays a large part in dissuading men from discussing their feelings – be it workplace stress or personal life challenges – meaning that too many suffer from mental health illnesses in silence.

With stress, anxiety or depression responsible for 27% of all work-related illnesses in our industry, there is an urgent need to break the stigma surrounding mental health and encourage open conversations. The emphasis is on employers to act.

World Suicide Prevention Day is another reminder of the importance of talking openly to those around us about how they are feeling and, crucially, for employers, it’s a time for us to reflect on what steps we can take to support the wellbeing of our staff.

Opening the dialogue

By no means is it the case that steps are not already being taken to address mental health in our industry.

Organisations such as Mates in Mind, which helps employers to address the stigma of mental ill-health at work, and the Lighthouse Club, which provides emotional, physical and financial wellbeing support to construction workers and their families, work with a number of businesses in the sector.

However, more needs to be done internally. Businesses cannot forever depend on third-party support to help support their own workers.

At Sir Robert McAlpine, we have been encouraging more conversations through our campaign – Don’t Keep it Under Your Hard Hat.

Through this campaign we work to combat the stigma by creating a safe space for men and women on site to discuss any worries, fears or stresses they may be having in their work or personal life.

While some may view these conversations as initially uncomfortable, it is vital that conversations around mental health become more commonplace.

Embedding mental health training

Encouraging these conversations is a crucial step, but will need to be supported by other measures to transform the way that men in construction view mental health.

For instance, putting measures in place that help your workforce become mental health first aiders is a sensible initial step to ensure that there is qualified support within your company and those who have taken on board the gravity of the mental health crisis that we are facing.

There are further preventative measures that companies can take too. For example, we have been working with Acting Out Productions, which provides a unique experiential and practical approach to mental health training.

These sessions present real-life scenarios to help people spot the signs that others are struggling and feel more confident in the ways that they can support them. These workshops ensure that more employees feel empowered to support each other and can then refer to those qualified in mental health support for further guidance on the best next steps.

Work-life balance

Above all, the last two years have demonstrated that life is hectic and many of us are struggling to keep all the necessary plates spinning.

With school parents’ evenings, running our homes, work events, caring for elderly relatives, and organising social gatherings with friends, or trying to fit in that workout, employees are now calling out for their companies to allow a level of flexibility that will help them balance these responsibilities.

Despite what many think, flexible working is not synonymous for working from home. It can be flexible hours, days of the week, and location that can allow employees to better balance their day-to-day lives and help reduce the strain on their mental health caused by incorporating a regular working week.

As one example, a survey from FlexJobs found that a staggering 84% of respondents believed flexible working would help them to better manage their mental health.

The construction industry is facing a profound, and profoundly worrying, challenge, so why would any business not look to every tool in the box to help fix it?