The importance of well being and the application of a healthy mind set within construction has recently been the subject of several news articles in the industry. Ian feels this is an essential area of interest and in this episode will discuss the definition of well being, context, factors effecting wellbeing, awareness, mental health resources and key actions. KEY TAKEAWAYSThe World Health Organisation defines well being as a state of mind in which an individual is able to realise his own abilities, cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community. Substance abuse, anxiety, depression, suicide, physical and mental abuse can all be symptoms of poor mental health. Early signs are restlessness, sleep problems, statements of self worthlessness, poor concentration, extreme mood swings and high emotions, lack of energy and unsociability. Well being is made up of two key elements, feeling good and functioning well. Resilience is the ability to cope with the stresses, changes and adversities in our day to day lives. Because of the male dominated nature of construction, the need for discussion of mental health issues is often under assessed due to the emotionally repressive nature of current masculinity.   A caring organisational structure, inclusive and supportive can circumvent the pressure felt in construction particularly as it currently has the highest suicide rate of any industry. An employee support program can be offered and it needs to be absolutely confidential. An organisation should make clear and open up about the issues of mental health, implement clear policies and have those visible and accessible, accept vulnerability, share stories and create empathy.  BEST MOMENTS‘It's really about the overall state of mind of an individual and their well being, and I believe there are a lot of tools that can help your state of mind in whatever walk of life you are, and also whether it's in your personal life or your work or business environment.'‘There are many more signs I just wanted to make awareness of some of the most obvious ones and we may all suffer from these from time to time it doesn't necessarily mean we have a mental health issue. These are just indicators there may be something more pressing that needs to be looked at within an individual.'‘We just need to be aware that there's no ‘one size fits all' solution in identifying this.'‘The industry values toughness and strength. Mental health conditions or seeking help may be seen as a weakness.'‘We need to create a sense of connection between peers so that people are furthered with a team culture of which mental health is very much a part.'‘Mental health has become an endemic issue in my opinion in society at large, not just in the construction industry. We really need to grasp this and get hold of it and support each other.' VALUABLE RESOURCEShttps://www.ianjrogers.com/ ABOUT THE HOSTIan Rogers is an entrepreneur running businesses in the Real Estate, Construction and Facilities Management arena. Ian has over 40 years' industry experience, as he was effectively born into construction with his father having his own building company and Ian spending time working on sites from the age of 11!. As a result Ian has seen the industry from a trades person perspective, as a chartered quantity surveyor working on large commercial projects, as a project manager and then working on structured project finance through PFI/PPP deals. This has given Ian a unique whole life approach to any project by considering the end game at the beginning. CONTACT METHODhttps://www.ianjrogers.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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