Our team of mental health first aiders support our people to manage their mental wellbeing and work to change the stigma around the issue in our industry.
An estimated ten percent of the global population will suffer from a mental health illness. While the focus on health and safety in construction has helped to turn up the dial on physical health, challenges around mental health are still rarely understood and are on the rise.
The wellbeing of our people has always been at the forefront of our people strategy. Our promotion of employee wellbeing spans from formal training and access to support from the medical profession to awareness-raising campaigns and employee networks and collaboration.
We became a primary partner of Mates in Mind to raise the challenges around mental health in our industry and support collaborative action for change.
We also have a well-established network of mental health first aiders across our offices comprising volunteers who receive regular, formal training.
These volunteers, like Mark Boorman, a project director in Birmingham, are trained to spot the symptoms that suggest people are experiencing poor mental health and to provide support and guidance.
Mark says:
As colleagues, we understand work pressures and will make time to provide support and listen if anyone wants to discuss how they are feeling confidentially.
"We can then signpost them to relevant resources provided by the business including professional help and its employee assistance programme.
“In our office, we issue monthly mental health advice and hold discussions to explore issues, encourage discussion, challenge stigma around mental health, and share experiences and steps we can all take to enjoy positive mental health.”
It’s a great programme to be part of. I am of the view that the more we encourage discussion to raise awareness, the better.
"The fact that we now have a network of mental health first aiders and that senior leaders are engaged demonstrates that the mental health of our people is at the top of the agenda.”
This case study is part of our annual review 2019-2020.