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With over 1.1 million people employed by the Australian construction industry, making up around 8% of the nation’s GDP, the physical health and safety of industry workers are of utmost importance. A topic that is rarely talked about, however, is the mental health and safety of industry workers.
A study commissioned by beyond blue discovered an elevated prevalence of depression and anxiety in the construction industry. Additionally, according to recent reports from MATES in Construction and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC); construction workers are more than twice as likely to attempt or die by suicide than other individuals in Australia.
Image source: AMSJ.com.au
These findings are confronting; however, they are the reason why we need to have a chat about industry related mental health issues. Not only is it important for workers to be aware of symptoms and rehabilitating pathways; it is also important for leaders to understand that statistically, a portion of people they employ have experienced mental illness at a point in time. From here, leaders can further their expertise and and educate themselves on supportive techniques.
Ignoring Mental Illness Costs The Construction Industry
Unsurprisingly, mental health in the construction industry costs Australian businesses that ignore mental illness in the workplace nearly $11 billion annually. If these businesses invested a single gold coin towards programs that assisted in awareness of mental health in the workplace, they would experience a return of more than double what they spent.
So, where do we start?
A percentage of employees tend to ignore their mental illnesses in their workplace, primarily due to fear of potential discrimination, harassment or reduced opportunities for career progression. If you want to implement an open environment, where mental health is discussed openly, you can start with ChessConnect’s Six Pillars of Support:
- Reduce Stigma,
- Increase Awareness,
- Make a Commitment,
- Support Employees,
- Building Skills and Confidence,
- Education on Workplace Bullying.
By making this framework available to your team, you are already progressing on reducing the stigma, and increasing awareness.
Who can assist in promoting mental wellness in construction?
Heads Up is a fantastic starting point to learn more about how you can assist employees who may be struggling. It is primarily run by beyond blue and The Mentally Healthy Workplace Alliance. They also provide education, training and online programs so you can build your expertise and skills of your employees.
MATES in Construction is an industry based charity with an aim to reduce the high levels of suicide among construction workers. They have found their program on the simple idea that “suicide is everyone’s business.” This organisation provides advocate positions, training, fundraising events, and partnerships.
Support TradeMutt by making mental health an unavoidable conversation in your workplace. TradeMutt creates funky work shirts to start conversations about mental health. They’ve had overwhelming support from communities all over Australia, extending far beyond the building site. TradeMutt workwear has been embraced as a conversation starter in schools, childcare centres, corporate offices, hospitals and emergency services, as well as making it to some of the most remote places in the world including Mt Everest and Antarctica - so you can see this problem resonates and it’s a necessary challenge to tackle, globally, not just here in Australia.
How to enable the team to seek help with their mental health
There’s also plenty of tools to share with your organisation or team generally that assist in education around the Six Pillars of Support. See below a few examples of easy ways for your team to gain support both privately and share in their situation with others to increase awareness and reduce the stigma.
Suggested mental health Podcasts to promote listening to:
- Black Dog Institute
- Open Minds
- The hilarious world of depression
- Mr Feels
- Invisibilia
- Bryony Gordon’s Mad World
- The Struggle Bus
Access to mental health support both long distance and face to face:
- Beyond Blue NewAccess Support - free and confidential mental health coaching
- Medicare has increased the mental health care plan from 10 to 20 sessions
- Mens Shed
- Lifeline now offers a discreet text message option in lieu of calling the hotline.
Meditation and mindfulness apps:
Smiling Mind and Headspace are apps you can use to maintain your mental health through calm and meditative practice, at your convenience.
So what's next?
By supporting and promoting good mental health, you will ensure higher workplace morale, high efficiency work and increase confidence and enjoyability at work. You will create a diverse workplace, encourage openness and even help someone who wasn’t aware they needed help. The previously mentioned statistics are shocking and confronting, but the more we talk about it, the more we can effect positive change.
What conversation will you start today to make a change in your business?
To find out more about Latham products, please visit www.latham-australia.com. To talk to a Latham product expert, call 1300 LATHAM (528 426) or email sales@latham-australia.com.
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