Guest Blog from Marc Preston BA(Hons) Dip Adj MRICS MCIOB MBACP
Foreword from Mates in Mind.
By inviting guest authors to share their thoughts, it does not necessarily mean that we share their view, but we do share their commitment to improve the impact of work on workers’ mental health and are keen to find opportunities for collaboration that will benefit those most at risk of suicide. So, please enjoy Marc’s blog and the thinking it provokes, and, if you would like to share your professional perspective, please get in touch.
At Mates in Mind, we work with organisations of all sizes to educate, train and support workers (whether employee, contractor or subcontractor) to ensure everyone has the skills, knowledge, tools and confidence to talk about their own mental health, and the mental health of others; to ensure there is a continuous and comprehensive solution in place, so that no-one reaches crisis point and mental health becomes everyone’s responsibility.
By encouraging people to learn how to spot the signs of mental ill-health, to have the confidence to start a conversation about it, and to know how to signpost support if it is needed, we create working environments that are safer for workers.
INTRODUCTION
I am writing this blog to highlight the difference between speaking to a mate and seeking help from a professionally qualified counsellor with specific industry knowledge. We highlight the causes of poor mental health and the critical need to make changes to improve the well-being of all those working in our fantastic but challenging industry.
Even in today’s more knowledgeable world where the benefits of talking to deal with personal issues are more widely expounded it remains difficult to persuade people working in the construction environment to take a step into the counselling room.
Counselling provides a safe, professional and supportive environment in which the Counsellor holds the hope of the brave whilst they come to understand their feelings and work out the way in which they will change or cope with their troubles.
Counselling is a deeply personal experience, emotional and difficult at times. However, the professional, qualified counsellor will use trusted techniques to help the person seeking help to explore challenges, gain self-awareness and personal emotional strength. Learned coping skills and strategies in counselling is aimed at improving mental well-being and improving relationships with oneself, others and with life in general.
By proactively seeking counselling, you invest in your future self, addressing problems and enabling lasting positive change. This is achieved through increased self-esteem and discovery of the ability to be happy perhaps by removing automatic negative thoughts. Outcomes of counselling include:
- Finding and/or improving a relationship.
- Improving career and job-situation.
- Improved happiness.
- The elimination of negative thinking and improved potential for thinking more positively.
- Discovery of inner peace.
- Finding and living with increased passion.
- Improved ability to focus.
This is all very encouraging in nature, but the fact remains that whilst cases of stress anxiety and risk of death of suicide experienced by those working in the construction environment remains unacceptably high, there is no evidence those entering into the counselling process is at a higher rate than those working in other industries.
For those outside our industry and as a reminder to us within, the factors in construction that impact of a negative mental health are:
- Limited-term contracts.
- Long hours.
- Lengthy commutes.
- Time away from family.
- Pressure to complete work on time and within budget.
- The ‘macho’ culture that exists within the industry. This impacts women in the industry who are less likely to report or discuss mental health issues which is the opposite than in other situations.
- Late and uncertain payments for work done.
- Uncertainty over pipeline of work.
- Unrealistic programme requirements.
- Lack of control and say in work methods.
- Exposure to extreme or poor weather.
- Exposure to noise and dusty environments.
- Exposure to potentially dangerous situations.
- Poor on site welfare provisions.
- Lack of a supportive structure.
Whilst only speculative, the factors above may contribute to the creation of a physical barrier to reaching out to a counsellor. For example, working away from home and / or in multiple locations and long working hours are not conducive of finding the time to explore the possibilities of counselling, combined with a lack of encouragement and an ignorance about counselling itself.
More controversially I wonder about the essence of the now commonly adopted wisdom of “it’s good to talk to a mate”. Clearly, in a crisis scenario talking to anyone is a key suicide prevention tool, however, as a long-term solution the unqualified, but well-intentioned friend can make matters worse. For example, I refer to cases of PTSD where, without professional intervention, the person seeking help may be driven back into a personally harmful and horrendous situation for them. The frequently inadvertent flippant advice “just get over yourself, “snap out of it”, ” there are plenty more fish in the sea”, “get a grip” and a million more such pieces of advice, is potentially dismissive of people’s struggles and crucially lack empathy which is an important factor in the professional counsellor's healing strategy. Trying to compare others' stories with your own experience can be belittling.
A major plus in professional counselling is that you should never be judged. The counsellor will not issue direct advice but through a tailored, skilled approach in which you will truly be listened to, possibly in a way never before experienced. You will be encouraged to find your own solutions and build inner confidence and resilience.
We have a perfect storm in construction for burnout [1], high incidence of risk of death by suicide, high rates of addictions, stress and anxiety. All these factors can lead to presenteeism, absenteeism, increased risk of accident and poor-quality output.
It is worth stating that despite the conditions in our industry, the presenting well-being issue can well emanate from outside the workplace or from a long-standing issue. Common problems outside the workplace include grief, life transitioning issues (starting a family, ill-health, ageing), self-esteem and confidence matters. However, putting it simply, there are few safe harbours in construction to protect the blue- or white-collar worker from the inherent working practices and structure of the industry. Additionally, the help available can be unfortunately seen as mere tick-boxing or not be as effective as intended. Even more challenging is that helpful strategies such as taking regular exercise, improved diets and creating a healthy work-life balance, creating a close network of friends and family is difficult to achieve in a practical sense.
The good news is that we know more about the importance of creating working cultures and environments where addressing well-being is considered important and encouraged. We are also more able now to understand the causes of stress and the impact of the fragmentation of the industry. We know the prevalence of poor mental health and barriers and stigma that prevent the issues from being effectively addressed. We are also better at seeing the signs of workplace stress and anxiety by recognising burnout symptoms, changed behaviours and physical signs of problems shown by tiredness caused by reduced sleep. We also understand more about how brave an individual is to face their fears and demons in entering the therapeutic counselling process.
This is a sound baseline from which we can take action to make a real difference.
Marc Preston
Conclusion from Mates in Mind.
Marc’s capture of the challenges of working in construction and the bravery demonstrated by those choosing counselling reflect the communications that we receive from so many of you that engage with us on social media and at events. Please do share your thoughts on Marc’s blog and let us know if you’d like to see a particular topic covered or can recommend a guest contributor.
If you need help, you can find a detailed list of support services, including counselling services, on the Need Help page of this website.
Notes:
[1] Burnout is recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an occupational phenomenon and defined as a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has resulted in feelings of energy depletion, or exhaustion, feelings of distancing from one’s job, increased negativity or cynicism and reduced professional efficacy (Mental Health UK Burnout 2024)