Women in Construction Group

Q & A WITH PIP SELDONFounder of the Healthy Tradie Project

PHOTO BY LYNDON MARCEAU PHOTOGRAPHY

WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION

How did you get into the building and construction industry?

It is no surprise that construction is in my blood, with a father and two brothers all working in the industry.

My career in construction began in 2009 with an opportunity to join a local Canberra construction company. Whilst I didn’t have tertiary building or construction qualifications, I was filled with curiosity and an eagerness to learn. I’d spent my 10 years’ prior working for an importer of luxury yachts. So when I shifted from managing the construction of boats to managing the construction of buildings, I did so with the mindset that I would show up, do the work and commit to learn what I didn’t know.

My 10+ years in the industry has been an incredible journey. As a Project Manager I spent time in both Australia and New Zealand working with some fantastic clients and contractors. Many in our industry are driven by the desire to work on large scale projects, but for me, the most memorable was building the Australian Memorial in Wellington, New Zealand to honour the ANZAC Centenary. The opportunity to be part of such a significant project ignited a spark within me to dive deep in to discovering how I could be of service to others.

What wellbeing measures have Kane Constructions put in place?

The health and wellbeing of our employees is always front of mind and our ACT team led by myself and General Manager, Jo Farrell, support our team in adopting the following:

1. Flexible Work Structures We are outcome focused, encouraging our teams to leave work each day and have time for life. We support employees in attending significant and/or scheduled family events and for those with children, we encourage them to attend special school events and be active in child pick up / drop off.

2. Me Days We offer all employees 2 ‘Me Days’ per year.

3. The 5-Day Working Week Our construction sites operate Monday to Friday, with weekend work an exception to the rule. We believe it is important for every worker to have a weekend.

4. Equal Conditions for both Men and Women Whether it’s pay, training and development, on-site conditions or our gender diversity target, we are firmly focused on equality at Kane (ACT).

You’re the founder of the Healthy Tradie Project, what is the project all about?

The construction industry can be stressful with long working hours and constant pressure to provide quality outcomes to tight programs with not much time for self-care.

It took the loss of my brother, a carpenter, to suicide for me to recognise the need for change in our industry. Turning my attention to suicide prevention, I learnt just how many people die by suicide every year. In the construction industry alone, every second day a construction worker takes their own life.

I wanted to take a proactive approach to suicide prevention which led me to creating the Healthy Tradie Project. My mission is to support construction industry workers in living healthier with movement, mindfulness and the right nutrition. Unfortunately, most people don’t realise how much nutrition, exercise and the lifestyle behaviours like sleep and play, affect our physical, mental and emotional health.

Our team now delivers our flagship workshop, ‘The Healthy Tradie’ to organisations as well as breath training, mindfulness and pre-start movement sessions in workplaces and on construction sites. We like to say that our Toolbox Talks are a little different to the norm!

What would be your advice to employers looking to assist their employees with the difficulties they may be facing during this time?

Human connection is important for every single one of us. For those who may be isolated because of a need to work from home, employers can maintain that human connection between their team with daily online catch-ups.

Setup a Teams or Zoom meeting each day to allow all employees to connect and chat about what’s happening for them.

Another great idea could be to do a workplace challenge. Something that includes a healthy activity like a 30 Day Nutrition Challenge. We love to connect + sweat so why not bring together your team for an online Yoga or ZUU class with the Healthy Tradie Project!

What are some mindfulness techniques that we could all practice from home?

Breath is like the remote control to your mind. We all have access to our state of mind and nervous system at any time just by using our breath. A really simple mindfulness practice that anyone can do is to S.T.O.P.

PHOTO FROM A HEALTHY TRADIE WORKSHOP- BY KAEL DA COSTA PHOTOGRAPHY

S…stop what you are doing

T…take three deep breaths. Breathe in for a 4 seconds, pause and breath out for 4 seconds.

O…observe the emotions or feelings you might be experiencing and your thoughts. Nothing to do here, other than just to notice them.

P…proceed with mindful action, choice and decision as a result of taking the mindful pause.

This simple practice can take just a couple of minutes and if we could all carve out time in our day to S.T.O.P. on a regular basis, it would be safe to say, we would all be more focused, productive and calm amongst the chaos.

To find out more about the Healthy Tradie Project you can head to their website.