International Men’s Day is a time to promote conversations surrounding men’s mental health and wellbeing. In recognition of this, Sutcliffe is raising awareness about the importance of mental health and promoting positive conversations in order to impact the wellbeing of men.

As a busy and fast paced industry, the construction sector has been associated with high levels of mental health problems due to the way it operates and the nature of the work involved. A survey conducted by Mates in Mind found that a third of construction workers suffer from elevated levels of anxiety every day, and over 700 people working in this industry commit suicide every year. 

Mental health is just as important as physical health and therefore should have the same support in place. Within our society, the stigma surrounding men talking about their feelings or seeking help if they are struggling is very prominent, especially within male-dominated industries such as construction. This discourages men from speaking up when they are struggling and may cause them to suffer in silence. 

At Sutcliffe, mental health and well-being is our top priority. Our communications director, Jacqui Johnson recently completed a two-day mental health first-aider course to learn more about what can act as a negative trigger for mental health and well-being as well as how to identify signs of poor mental health and has since brought her learnings back to the office to implement across our teams.

Jacqui has learned how to confidently reassure and support individuals who are struggling with their mental health and effectively signpost an individual to the appropriate support and resources that can help them. 

“Mental health can affect anyone, at any time, it does not discriminate. It is my desire to ensure our team knows it’s ok not to be ok. To me, being an active listener is the greatest form of communication. Being trained as a mental health first-aider has equipt me with the tools necessary to be able to support my colleagues and develop the empathy and understanding that is needed to help those in need feel at ease without any judgement” – Jacqui Johnson

If you are struggling with your mental health or you are worried about someone else who may be struggling, you can use the resources below to support you and your loved ones. 

• James’ Place
• Sean’s Place
• Shout
• Mind