Life can be stressful, and many people believe that stress is something we should all just ‘be able to deal with’. But stress can have a huge impact on daily life and our overall wellbeing.
Construction is disproportionately affected by this. In our industry, a third of self-employed construction workers live with severe levels of anxiety and have some of the highest rates of suicide in the country, at 3.7 times higher than the national average.
Stress, anxiety and depression accounted for 46% of work-related ill-health and 55% of all working days lost due to ill health in 2023/24.
But what can we do as an industry to combat this, from spotting the signs to providing real-world solutions, let’s take a look at what we can do about our stress
Spotting The Signs Of Stress
It’s not always easy to recognise when stress is the reason you’re feeling or acting differently. According to the NHS, here are the key signs that you may be suffering from stress.
Physical Symptoms
- Headaches or dizziness
- Muscle tension
- Stomach problems
- Chest pain or a faster heartbeat
Mental Symptoms
- Difficulty concentrating
- Struggling to make decisions
- Feeling overwhelmed
- Constantly worrying
- Being forgetful
Behavioural Changes
- Being irritable and snappy
- Sleeping too much or too little
- Eating too much or too little
- Avoiding certain places or people
- Drinking or smoking more
Stress can manifest itself in different forms, which may not be listed here. If you feel that you are suffering from any of these symptoms or notice these signs in a colleague, then ensuring you or your colleague gets the relevant help from either the NHS or other key mental health charities is crucial.
A difficult period for the industry
It’s no secret that the industry as a whole is going through a very tough period at the moment. Labour shortages, rising material costs, legislation changes and the cost of living are having an effect on every business, from sole traders all the way up to big contractors.
And these issues can lead to stress, and no one is immune. It’s not just operatives that can suffer from these issues, but also office staff and those ‘off the tools’ who keep our industry ticking along outside of the physical work. It’s important that everyone can access the support they need, no matter their job role
We may not have all the solutions to these problems at present, but that doesn’t stop us from moving forward to try and solve them the best we can. There are some fantastic initiatives popping up across the country, which we should all look to support as best we can.
From our perspective, over the past 3 years, we have been implementing staff support through Embassy Academy to ensure everyone in our business has the right support to succeed. This includes personal development and career planning, health and well-being support and regular refresher training and courses.
And whilst the future may look rocky, we all must support each other through his period of uncertainty. This, in turn, will hopefully reduce the stress of our working lives, meaning we are free to enjoy life across the board.
What are we doing to help our colleagues?
Here at Embassy, we take mental and physical health very seriously. As a business that works at height, it’s crucial that everyone who steps foot on our scaffolding is physically and mentally capable of completing work safely.
We work closely with Rapid Health & Wellbeing to conduct regular health and well-being checks with all our staff, to ensure everyone can work safely and effectively.
We all suffer from stress and anxiety from time to time, and it’s important to us that our staff highlight any issues they may have. These issues may not be directly related to work, but life in general, and whilst we all try to separate this as much as we can, health and family must come first in all situations.
Our staff conduct work from a height that is inherently dangerous, so if they need to take a break from work or need any extra support, we will ensure that this happens…
After all, it’s everyone’s responsibility to look after each other.
If you are struggling to manage your stress, please know that you are not alone – far from it. There are some excellent resources available to help you:
Stress Management Society offer support and provide free online resources: https://www.stress.org.uk/free-resources/
Construction Industry Helpline is an industry-specific charity and available 24/7:
Call 0345 605 1956 or text HARDHAT to 85258 to talk over text instead