The construction industry is known to be taxing on your physical health, but what about your mental health? As a business owner, it’s crucial to address mental health in the workplace as part of your health and safety. So, how can you help?

Start the conversation

In order to take a step forward and remove the stigma of mental health in the industry, leaders need to start the conversation and encourage their teams to share their thoughts and concerns. Not only should you encourage these chats with your team, but you should also make sure any of your managers in the business are doing the same.

Know your team

Depending on the size of your team, getting to know your employees can be a challenge – you might have to pass this on to your managers, department heads or leaders and have them find out what motivates and drives your crew. Sometimes all it takes is asking your team “how are you doing?” or checking in on a regular basis. Knowing your employees is important so you can recognise any behaviour that might be out of character.

Walk the talk

There’s no use talking about mental health if you don’t model that behaviour and encourage self-care and boundaries. Prioritise your own mental health and show your team it’s okay to take a vacation or go on an afternoon walk to get some fresh air. Many businesses implement ‘mental health days’ that promote self-care and give employees a chance to recharge.

Provide resources

Offering assistance programs for your employees can help them find the support they need. This can be either workshop sessions on mental health or using a specific employee assistance program (EAP). This enables your employees to reach out to a qualified professional to identify and resolve their problems and concerns.

How will you be prioritising your team’s mental health over the next few months?