Employers still have a lot of work to do in addressing mental wellbeing concerns
Employees throughout the construction industry revealed their mental health has been dwindling, according to a new survey, which indicates that the wellbeing of employees is "still in crisis."
According to this year's MATES in Construction Wellbeing Survey, 47% of workers in the construction industry reported their mental health being much worse than usual, higher than last year's 43%. The report also found that 66% of employees feel down, depressed, or hopeless in 2022, while 41% said this has been the "most difficult time" of their life.
"While it is positive that we have not seen a significant increase in the wellbeing issues experienced by those working in our industry since the arrival of the Omicron variant, the results do demonstrate that we have significant work to do to support our most important asset – our people – to ensure that their mental health is adequately supported while they are at work," the report read.
Read more: WorkSafe renews calls for safety on construction sites
The number of people who felt like they could manage stress went down to 74% from last year's 79%. Employees considering suicide increased to 5.5%. In an effort to prevent suicides in New Zealand's construction sector, MATES in Construction partnered with the Ministry of Education to implement a programme that will improve employees' workplaces.
"We know that there are many young people out there who are keen to pursue work in construction. This initiative helps make sure that we are setting up a safe work environment for them to thrive," said Scott Evans, leader (Hautū) infrastructure and digital.
It comes as the report also saw that majority of the respondents who admitted to seriously taking their own life were site-based workers - but it noted that the responses were too low to make a conclusion.
Read more: Education Ministry, MATES in Construction aim to prevent more suicides
To further help employees' wellbeing, employers could check on their staff more and seek ways to address their following concerns:
- Physical health
- Sleep
- Time for self-care
- Relationship
- Worries about job loss
Aleksandr Volodarsky, chief executive officer (CEO) of Lemon.io, previously told HRD that being transparent with staff is the key to make them feel secure about their jobs.
"In our experience, transparency is key, no matter the circumstances, and your best bet is to proactively communicate how the business is doing, and what your plans, challenges and wins are. Whether you're scaling or saving your business, strive for full transparency at all times," said the CEO.
Read more: New Zealand's construction industry takes first step to tackling lack of diversity
Anyone who wishes to access support or counselling in relation to suicide and loss can reach out to one of the following resources:
- Free call or text 1737 any time for support from a trained counsellor.
- Lifeline - 0800 543 354 (0800 LIFELINE) or free text 4357 (HELP)
- Suicide Crisis Helpline - 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)
- Healthline - 0800 611 116
