January Blues: Mental health and silent discrimination in construction
Over 700 construction workers die by suicide per year in the UK — equivalent to two construction workers every working day.
Mental health is unfortunately a common struggle within the construction industry due to a range of factors including long hours, straining work, and financial issues. All of these are heightened in January when money is tight, the festivities are over, and we return to work.
Colemans looked into a range of aspects when it comes to mental health within the construction industry, including Silent Discrimination, which unfortunately can be common in the industry due to the ‘banter’ that typically happens on site. Research shows 21% of construction employees have experienced bullying in the last year, and almost 3 in 10 say the bullying was labelled as ‘banter’.
There are some ways employers can help battle this issue, and support employees:
- Training and educating employees, including managers, on mental health and how to support those struggling
- Implement mental health procedures in the workplace such as employee wellness programs, mental health first aiders, and check-in sessions.
Mark Coleman, Chief Executive at Colemans, shared his own experiences when it comes to mental health, and also how Colemans are implementing mental health education and procedures within their company: “Having experienced difficulties with my own mental health, I know how difficult this complex issue is for any modern-day business to understand and get right.
“For me and everyone here at Colemans, it started with cultural changes based around education, openness and understanding where it is necessary to have team members who are empathetic with high levels of emotional intelligence. We are working hard to change our own organisation’s attitudes and behaviours, even now after 10 years we are not there yet and I suppose we will never be perfect, making mistakes along the way. But as long as the culture, attitudes and behaviours are corrected as we go on, we will learn from our mistakes. We will improve and therefore have a positive impact on our people's wellbeing.”
For more information regarding mental health and silent discrimination within the industry click here.
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