Building a Wellbeing Culture On Site Pivotal to Men’s Health

Long-standing family business Neville Trust Group of Companies – which includes Neville Special Projects and Neville Joinery – are experts in craftsmanship and construction and take the wellbeing of their team members extremely seriously.

In January 2024, the Trust partnered with the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity (one of our Charities of the Year), to help support its campaign for promoting the emotional, physical and financial wellbeing of those working within construction and other allied industries.

So, when a BBC Radio 5 report found that construction workers were nearly 4 times more likely to die by suicide than the national average, Neville’s realised there was more they could to promote the importance of a Wellbeing Culture during Men’s Health Week.

Health is stigmatised in construction due to a ‘tough guy’ culture, which persists preventing workers from seeking help when they need it. Because of this stigma, Lighthouse estimates that men are 40% less likely than women to visit a doctor regularly.

Given the physical demands of the industry, and thus the increased likelihood of construction workers needing medical attention at some point in their career, this statistic underlines the urgent need for a culture change.

Here are some of things Neville’s has been doing to help establish a Wellbeing Culture:

-????? It trained 17 people as Mental Health First Aiders to join the 46 staff already trained as standard First Aiders across the Neville Trust Group of Companies. The Mental Health team provide a first-port-of-call for staff and are at hand to support everyone within the workplace.

-????? It has provided access to a free, safe, anonymous online peer community called Togetherall, which is designed to support our team’s mental health.

-????? It provides free annual hearing tests for all team members working on site and with any machinery. These take place at the company’s Luton headquarters.

-????? It provides free bereavement services through its sister company, Neville Funerals, which includes a monthly support group Talking Elephants, and an anonymous chat service allowing access to specialist grief counsellors.

As a prominent employer of construction and joinery workers across Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire, Neville’s have been looking at how to promote healthier habits, share information about local health services, and break down the ‘tough guy’ stigma around mental and physical health.

With help from the Lighthouse Charity and its own resources, the company is addressing these challenges and focusing on the wellbeing of the men who keep the construction industry thriving.

Find out more by heading to: https://www.constructionindustryhelpline.com/mhw.html.

For more information about Neville’s own wellbeing initiatives, head to: https://www.nevilletrust.co.uk/mhfa-resources”