How employers in construction can lead the way

As we enter our second year of action, Mates in Mind remain committed to empowering employers across the construction industry to be the change that is needed to improve mental wellbeing within the sector. 

At our core, Mates in Mind are vocal advocates of employers taking direct action to proactively improve the mental health of their workforces. We know that the steps made by employers to address mental ill-health are essential to embed meaningful, positive change.

The cost to business 

When we were established in 2017, our work was focussed on addressing the stark and shocking cost that mental ill-health is having on the construction industry. 

In 2019, the HSE found that depression and anxiety accounted for 44% of all work-related ill health cases and 54% of all working days lost due to ill-health. The report highlighted that the total number of working days lost due to this condition in 2018/19 was 12.8 million days, equating to an average of 21.2 days lost per case.

Furthermore, Deloitte reported that poor mental health cost is costing employers more than £43bn (2018). This tangible cost is impacting the overall productivity and health of businesses- and employers have a duty to address this. 

Beyond this, employers also have a moral duty to tackle this issue.  

The human cost 

The effects of mental ill-health on the individuals who make up the construction workforce are confronting. In 2017 Randstad reported that, of those surveyed, 34% of construction workers had experienced a mental health condition in the last 12 months. Moreover, 73% felt that their employers do not recognise the early signs of mental health problems.

Mates in Mind are committed to breaking the silence and stigma around mental health within the construction sector and supporting workforces to know how, when and where they can get the support they need. 

How employers can lead the way 

Employers and workplaces are part of a community’s social fabric and play a vital role in addressing this wider public health issue.

It is the leadership within organisations who have the influence to prompt structural changes, create open environments and alter the way employees are managed in order to promote the positive mental health of their workforces.

With the support and commitment from employers, developments to company cultures can begin and embedded into an organisation working environment. 

By creating an open and inclusive culture, employers can empower their workforces to have difficult but important conversations about mental health and suicide. If a workforce has the awareness and understanding of how and where they can get support, in an environment where they feel listened to and treated with respect, they will feel more able to get the support they need.

Mates in Mind supports employers to do just this, providing a complete and joined-up approach to mental health, enabling them to change the way their organisation thinks, talks and tackles mental ill-health. 

Working in partnership with over 350 organisations, reaching more than 235,000 individuals across the UK, we are transforming workplaces across the UK. By providing organisations with an approach supported by dedicated Support Managers, communication materials, a suite of tools and resources, technical support and more, we are striving for long-term change. 

For more information about how Mates in Mind can support your organisation and managers in improving mental health at work, get in touch with the Mates in Mind team at [email protected]