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Patron News
MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS: HOW TO BE
ENGAGING AND FUN IN THE PROMOTION OF A “DEADLY” SERIOUS TOPIC
Lunchtime arts and crafts, pets in the office, indoor and outdoor games, stress toys and other activities across the business rounded off a month highlighting mental health awareness in the workplace for Liverpool City Region based company Blok ‘N’ Mesh.
Typically, the construction industry has piled a variety of extra pressures onto workers; long hours of frequently manual labour, managing budgets, strict contracts, and for some, time spent away from family and friends. All this before tackling the day to day worries that affect us all such as the spiralling cost of living.
In addition, the construction industry has been known to suffer from a “macho” culture which may prevent workers from seeking help and support, further impacting their mental health and wellbeing. No wonder then that men working in construction are three times more likely to die by suicide than the national average for men. *
It was on the back of statistics like this that temporary fencing and site hoarding manufacturer and installer, Blok ‘N’ Mesh, decided to make the whole month of May “Mental awareness month”.
Martyn Jiggins, Safety, Health, Environment and Quality (SHEQ) supervisor explained, “the statistics that come out of our industry are shocking. Two people working in construction in the UK die by suicide everyday. As we are equally part of the construction supply chain and onsite contractors ourselves, we decided that this year, we shouldn’t simply devote a single day or week to mental health awareness, but a series of events spread over the month.” Martyn and his team began by delivering several presentations, both in-person and online, to colleagues across the business, “Making colleagues aware of the breadth of symptoms which might indicate poor mental health was the primary goal” he said, “the list of warning signs range from obvious and well-known clinical conditions such as bipolar disorder through to less obvious symptoms such as increased anxiety or sleep problems.” “Encouraging colleagues to discuss their problems or to take notice if a workmate seems withdrawn and ask them if they’re OK may seem obvious but talking really can save lives.”
“We also discussed strategies which can help prevent problems in the first place and what help is available, both within the company and externally, when problems do occur” he added.
Help from within the company had been boosted by the SHEQ and office management teams taking courses in mental health first aid and the office managers threw themselves into creating a series of events designed to encourage colleagues to consider their mental health and have some fun along the way. Posters were put up each week on notice boards of what activities were available and regular internal emails circulated.
“I wish we could do this every day” said one colleague, taking advantage of some lunchtime arts and crafts whilst talking about their day. Some painted, some made bracelets for colleagues, and some just enjoyed the conversation as an alternative to lunchtime alone with their mobile.
“It was amazing” said Runcorn Office manager Jodie Waldron, as normally shy colleagues took part in an impromptu lunchtime game of indoor egg and spoon races. “We had some locations bringing in pets, nothing relieves stress more for an animal lover to make a fuss of a dog for a short while.”
“We handed out journals for colleagues to record their thoughts, whether or not they wanted to share, and the stress toys created a sense of fun, laughter of course being a stress reliever in itself!”
Blok ‘N’ Mesh’s COO, Simon Worsley thanked the SHEQ and office management teams for their efforts. “I can’t thank the team enough for their enthusiasm and creativity.” he said. “They took the promotion of a serious issue, one that too often isn’t discussed, and made it both thought provoking and fun.”
*Source: Mates in Mind
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