Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50 in the UK! Men working in construction in England are up to three times more likely to kill themselves. Long hours, lack of job security, loneliness, poor wages and a macho atmosphere are often blamed. Working in construction is a male dominant environment, as we know men don’t often talk about their feeling and issues and therefore are less likely to seek help.
A Men’s Health magazine survey of 15,000 readers revealed that 56% admitted to having suicidal thoughts and 70% of the men surveyed said they would not describe themselves as “living with high levels of positive mental health”. Social media has also played a significant part in poor mental health with 80% of men comparing themselves to people on Instagram and 81% of men feeling self-conscious about their bodies.
There is 22 times more funding for each cancer patient than for mental health problems! In August alone four men in their 20s and 30s have been found dead in Devon. More needs to be done to better support men’s mental health and stop them suffering in silence!
Educate your staff about mental illnessesMental Health First Aid Training is a good first step to equipping your workforce with the knowledge to recognise mental health problems. Every company has a physical first aider so why should it be different for mental health? A mental health first aider is just as important and especially with the construction field where you will have a lot of staff working independently, a mental health first aider would be able to spot the signs of mental illnesses and provide support. According to the charity MIND, 1 in 4 of us are likely to experience a mental health problem each year which is likely to impact on our ability to work. Mental Health First Aid Training will arm your employees with the skills and confidence to recognise and support anyone dealing with mental stress, and guide those suffering towards seeking appropriate professional help.
Work from the top down and provide management trainingManagers need to become competent, confident and compliant in dealing with stress and mental health issues in the workplace. Despite the awareness of mental health issues within the workplace and growing evidence surrounding it, there is still a certain mental health taboo and a lack of support. A review commissioned by Theresa May in 2017 found that about 300,000 people with a long-term mental health problem lose their jobs each year. Working conditions and environment can have a significant impact on an employee’s mental health, the HSE states there are 526,000 workers suffering from work-related stress, depression or anxiety. Stress and Resilience Training provides managers with the knowledge about mental health awareness, understanding the relationship between pressure and performance, stress within the workplace, managing change, and developing resilient teams and developing personal resilience for leaders. All topics can be customised to meet your organisations needs and what your employees are facing.
Incorpore believes every employee in the British Isles should have a company organised fitness and wellness programme as it is vital to a productive, satisfied and happy workplace. Therefore, we have created Your Wellness Hub to help provide the working population with wellness solutions to encourage employees to Live Fit, Work Fit and Think Fit.
