Breaking Down Stigmas Around Mental Health in Construction?

In the world of construction, the industry moves quickly with many projects being worked on at once, in dangerous and physically demanding environments. There one area that can be often overlooked however, which is employees mental health. According to WTW, more than half, nearly 60%, of construction workers suffer from a mental health issue during their career, showcasing how many people are affected by bad mental health.

Everybody is aware of the significant physical impacts working in construction, due to the endless physical demands in complex work environments as well as the high risk nature. Over the years, this is bound to have an impact on workers reducing their productivity and workflow. It’s important to remember that physical and mental health are related, so a construction worker that is struggling with physical health may be impacted mentally too.

In this blog, we dive into the stigmas regarding mental health in construction and how they can be addressed successfully.

Addressing the stigma

One of the first steps is to address the stigma surrounding mental health. Because it’s overlooked, workers will automatically focus on prioritising physical health over emotional wellbeing, demonstrating that emotional vulnerability is a sign of weakness. There are a variety of ways the stigma can manifest itself in the workplace, with jokes around mental health, dismissive attitudes towards seeking help and the culture of “toughing it out”.

1As a result, many will keep their struggles quiet and not seek help when they need it, leading to a higher number of individuals taking their own lives. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), workers in construction are four to five times more likely to die by suicide than any other sector. This statistic alone is a sign that something needs to change.

How can the stigma be addressed? One of the key ways to address this is through talking openly about mental health, educating others and reducing the amount of negative comments surrounding mental difficulty.

Educating your team

It’s important to educate your team and train them to be mental health aware, promoting a positive mental health culture and willingness to open up at work. A first step could be to provide workers with information about common mental health challenges like stress, anxiety and depression. Training courses could also be provided to supervisors and managers so they can implement support when needed.

Self Care

Promoting self care across the team inside and outside work can help improve the mental wellbeing of employees, leading to better productivity and safety across the workplace. Especially in the construction industry, this would be normally pushed aside due to the need to meet project deadlines and completing physical tasks.

Disconnecting can be an effective way of promoting self care, and understanding the barrier between work and personal life. Workers can decide to take time off and go on a holiday, giving them time to revive and relax before returning to work.

If there is an attitude towards self care across the whole team, more employees are going to feel happier and work better together.

The Cost of Ignoring Mental Health

As well as the effect on your workforce, there is a financial cost to ignoring mental health in construction. Some of these impacts can include -:

Increased absenteeism -: Workers may have the need to take time off work due to mental health struggles

Presenteeism -: This is defined as reduced productivity thanks to workers being physically present but mentally checked out, due to feeling unwell.

Accidents -: Like mentioned above, mental health issues can have a negative impact on the way people act at work, reducing the level of concentration.

High turnover rates -: Industries with high levels of bad mental health are more likely to leave the industry altogether. With the construction industry critical for infrastructure, its vital employees are retained to complete projects.

Overall, we hope this makes it clear how important mental health is in the construction industry, as well as all workers across other industries.