Work Mind Matters hosted a Connect Session on mental health in Construction, the Built industry. Following on the success of the first Connect Session, Mike Trehearn introduced this Connect Session, with a personal story of his journey toward mental health. Mike is the Contracts Director of World of Windows. His personal, authentic, experience highlighted the mental health struggles which people endure in a high-pressured, deadline driven industry. As a great example of a professional who is dealing with mental health issues, Mike’s story provided a solid foundation for the discussion of Mental Health in this industry. We outline the main points we learned in this session.
Panel speakers on the subject of Mental Health:
The panelists who navigated the path through this discussion included: Sue Kilian, Vuyolethu Badi, David Elliott, Paul Bowen and Luyanda Mpahlwa. Each participant has a depth of knowledge and experience in Construction, the Built industry, in South Africa. Listed below, is a brief breakdown of their respective experiences:
- Sue Kilian: is a Stress Management practitioner to the Construction industry where she has 30 years experience in the Built industry. After a career as a Quantity Surveyor, Sue has used her experiences to provide support to people in the Construction industry.
- Vuyolwethu Badi: is a Quantity Surveyor and Executive Director at RLP Pentab Quantity Surveyors. Vuyolwethu is an experienced executive in the areas of construction and property development.
- David Elliott: is General Manager at M2G Jansen and has 25 years’ experience in the construction industry.
- Dr Paul Bowen, Emiratus Professor of Construction Economics and Management at UCT, and a research scholar in Workplace stress and wellbeing of South African construction professionals.
- And Dr Luyanda Mpahlwa joined the panel to give an insight into workplace stress caused by design. Dr Mphahlwa has a depth of experience which is drawn from his personal apartheid struggle and international design experience. Dr Mphahlwa is the founding Director of DesignSpaceAfrica.
Issues in the Construction Industry affecting Mental Health
Dr Paul Bowen outlined the main contributors of mental illness which affect Construction – the Built Industry. Drawing from his research experience, he highlighted the main contributors to mental health are:
- A propensity for porous work boundaries because industry does not respect boundaries between work and play or work and family.
- Long working hours
- Tight financial budgets
- Deadline driven environments
- The demands of various project stakeholders
Following a study of these individual points, we clearly see how over a sustained period of time, individuals will experience symptoms associated with mental illness.
Furthermore, Dr Bowen identified two main groups in the industry, which are affected by mental health issues: the professional workers and the outside workers.
Professional workers in the Construction Industry
The identification of the Professional workers category raises a further two sub-categories which we believe exist in the industry. The Professional workers in the Construction industry, we can divided into two sub-categories which include: The Corporate Professional worker and the Domestic Professional worker.
The Corporate Professional Worker in the Construction Industry:
The corporate professional works in an established construction building firm in South Africa. This person will typically fulfill the role as an executive, manager or professional. The role which the professional plays in the organization, demands a high degree of dedication and motivation. With so much focus, the professional ensures that the business secures large projects, fulfills major contracts and completes these projects timeously.
Due to the pressured environment of the professional, we believe that the type of mental stress which results depends on three broad factors: the vibrancy of the economy and the business, the management skill of the project leaders and professionals, and the actions of the labour force that delivers the finished product.
The Domestic Professional Worker in the Construction Industry:
The second professional which we identify is the domestic professional worker. This professional arguably has less impact on the Construction industry. But, it is no less stressful because so many roles hang on the shoulders of this professional. The domestic professional worker, is mostly a sole proprietor or medium-sized business owner. Through the multiple roles that this professional plays, many mental health issues may go undetected. As a result there may be an underlying trend of mental illness through this category of worker.
The Mental Health of the Outside Worker in the Construction Industry
With respect to the second major category of worker in the Construction industry, we turn to the world of the Outside Worker. The Outside worker is the skilled and unskilled labourer in the Construction industry. While they play a significant role in the industry, particular circumstances influence the mental health of these people. The first noticeable influence is that the work, by nature, is physical and tiring. In addition, sometimes the work is complex. Furthermore, the worker has varying skills, level of experience and education which impacts their ability to be effective. The result is that because of varying degrees of skill, a worker may experience mental health issues. Lastly, there are additional circumstances which influence Outside workers’ performances in South Africa including language, nationality and personal culture. In conclusion, these factors all have an impact on the mental health of workers in Construction, the built industry.
Noticeable symptoms of Mental Health issues in Construction
Over a period of time, the symptoms relating to mental health issues become noticeable. Typical examples of symptoms which Dr Bowen outlined are:
- Psychological distress
- Sleep disorders
- Work and family conflict
- Elevated suicide rates
- Eating disorders
- Alcohol and Drug abuse
- Burnout
These chronic symptoms performance-driven life. It is not unlike the life experienced by those involved in the Restaurant Industry, which was discussed in the in the first Work Mind Matters Connect session – Work Mind Matters Episode 1. There are strong similarities between the two industries. Both industries are: deadline driven, performance based, have a high mix of professional and less skilled labour, and both industries are public-facing. By this we mean that the results are in full view of the public. The symptoms which are therefore similar, are: broken families, increased absenteeism, variable motivation to work, a propensity to find unhealthy habits to de-stress, multiple sexual partners, and increased financial pressures.
The panelists reported that there is a great amount of ignorance of mental health issues, in the industry. The result of mental health issues going undetected, is that the suicide rate is five times higher than the disability rate, in the Construction industry, says David Elliott. He further reminded us that families are affected most by the adversarial conditions of the industry. Mike Trehearn added his comments that, it is an industry associated with a masculinity and a “big-boys don’t cry mentality”, which means that mental health issues are low priority.
Solution suggestions to improve Mental Health
The panelists offered a number of solutions to improve Mental health. Vuyolwethu Badi, suggested that greater investment in mental health needs to be factored into the industry budgets. So, this proposal highlights the issue and brings it into focus in the boardroom because it demands financial attention. Following an investment in mental health programmes, the employer is able to take the initiative to help employees remain productive. The result of this a priority of mental health and wellness of employees.
Vujolwethu added that once budgets are approved, that programmes, where third-party service providers – like Occupational Therapists – are involved, will help improve the mental health of employees.
After that, Sue Kilian weighed in on the discussion about solutions for this industry. Her insights included three keys to help employees remain productive: awareness, education and intervention. Most importantly, Sue recommended that there needs to be a change in the workplace environment to reduce the stigma associated with mental health issues. Following that, Sue outlined key actions which help improve the current situation. The points which Sue outlined are the following:
Steps to mental health improvement
- Create awareness of mental health, because it is a key factor to the performance of your employees and the performance of your business.
- Educate your staff on mental health issues so that they are aware of how to manage themselves and help others.
- Identify and train key people to be first responders in case of mental health issues
- Support employees which are experiencing mental health symptoms, so that they get the assistance that they need
- Introduce training programmes because this elevates the profile of the problem
- Engage with third-party service providers in order to get the best skills to assist your business
- Recognize the skills and talents within your own organization so that they can help bring about management change
- So that you provide a positive environment for mental health change, use a “Less Stick, More Carrot” approach.
- Inspire Mentors because you want to provide partnerships between employees to improve mental health.
The contribution of workspace solutions to improve mental health
Dr Luyanda Mpahlwa’s contribution to the discussion highlighted the influence of workspaces to mental health. Because of his training and experience, Dr Mpahlwa’s approach varied from the other panelists. He focused on the impact of design, as it applies to mental wellbeing. As a workspace designer, Dr Mpahlwa is critically aware of the impact which design, use of material and working environment have on mental health. Just take a look at his portfolio of projects, in order to see his vast design experience.
In relation to mental health issues, Dr Mpahlwa’s comments highlight the impact which design makes. The architect needs to design quality work environments. The role of design is followed by construction of buildings which need to contribute to mental strength. Factors that impact on mental strength through design are: choice of building materials, availability of natural light, access to fresh air and open windows. These factors all contribute to the work and living spaces of the future.
Conclusion
This discussion opened the conversation about Mental Health in Construction- the Built industry. The main issue, remains, the ability for these entities to genuinely diagnose and treat Mental Health issues within the employee base, or contractors that they use. As Sue Kilian suggests, a major change in the workplace has to take place in order for mental health to change and for the industry to take a different direction. It’s no easy task, and it starts with this conversation.
