How do you spot the signs of someone having a mental health crisis? How do you start a conversation with someone in your company you think might be struggling? Even in a small company where you work with the same people every day, it can be hard to take the first steps to talking honestly and openly about mental health.
Unique challenges for SME builders
Large contractors have entire teams to support their staff and training for managers on how to look after team members. FMB members are often managing multiple jobs, working on the tools, running a business and working with clients and suppliers. Checking in on how individual team members are coping with the pressures of the job can often be difficult and people struggling will not always raise the alarm themselves.
Free mental health resources for builders
Get Construction Talking have published a free toolkit available to download on their website, with strategies on how to start conversations with team members and advice on how to put in place a strategy to look after the mental health of teams.
This includes:
- How to spot the signs of someone who might be having problems.
- Ways to start that first conversation.
- Tips on how to make mental health an issue people feel comfortable talking about.
- Where to go for further help.
Representing the SME perspective
On the 30th of September FMB London President David Gutierrez and London Hub Director Tom Peardon will join industry leaders at the Get Construction Talking summit to discuss how to tackle mental health issues and to put across the unique challenges SME business owners face on this front.
If you’d like to make your voice heard on these issues you can register for this free event here.
Authors
Tom Peardon
Tom represents the London membership of the FMB championing their interests to key industry stakeholders in London and providing a support to the membership.
Tom has eighteen years of experience working commercially in construction media including fifteen years on the CIOB publications Construction Management and BIMplus. Tom has also worked on the Architects’ Journal, the Architectural Review and the Association for Project Safety publication the Project Safety Journal.
Tom holds a degree in English and Philosophy from the University of Roehampton.
