Galliford Try has addressed mental health issues through a range of worker well-being and engagement initiatives, and its strategy is now delivering measurable success. By Tom Warne.
Seemingly overnight, mental health has become a huge concern for construction, as shocking statistics about the industry’s problems with worker stress emerged – construction workers are 10 times more likely to die by suicide than by an onsite accident.
One major construction group which has been tackling the problem is Galliford Try, which has over 5,600 employees, from office staff to onsite contractors. The firm’s strategy began with a meeting of the Health in Construction Leadership Group in 2016. Here, the construction industry mental health charity, Mates in Mind, was formed.
Representatives from Galliford Try were in attendance, becoming a partner with Mates in Mind, and the group launched its own ‘Be Well’ programme in 2017.
The company focussed efforts around a simple mission statement: “We recognise that the good health and wellbeing of our people impacts upon the sustainable success of our organisation and we will strive to improve and enhance whole person wellbeing and resilience.”
Five key objectives
Galliford Try created five objectives to measure their progress:
- Decrease sickness absence levels and improve employee retention.
- Introduce smarter, more agile ways of working to improve work-life balance and productivity.
- Improve utilisation of the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) and Occupational Health Service.
- ‘Start the conversation’ pertaining to mental health and introduce an awareness programme.
- Raise the profile of lifestyle choices that improve health and wellbeing.
The ‘Be Well’ programme
The benefits and support on offer to all employees were communicated in a comprehensive, yet simple, guide which set out exactly where and how employees can access their benefits. These are based around the ‘Five Ways to Wellbeing’, published by the Government following New Economics Foundation research: Take Notice, Give Back, Keep Learning, Be Active and Stay Connected.
One goal of Galliford try was to initiate 1,000 conversations around mental health within the workplace. Sixty internal facilitators have been trained and almost 400 conversations took place in the first three months of the programme.
As part of the ‘Be Well’ launch, the firm implemented a new policy which promotes the use of stress risk assessments, line manager awareness and wellness recovery plans. Direct access to mental health treatment is on hand, with no need to see a GP, as well as 24/7 access to an EAP.
Site level benefits
Site manager David Briggs benefited from this access to mental health services. He says: “Stress is a horrible illness which won’t get better on its own, you need help. My manager was fantastic, he told me not to worry, that he and the company would help.”
Having completed his talking therapy treatment and reaching a place where he was no longer struggling with stress, Briggs advises: “Don’t be afraid of asking for help as it is out there. If you don’t look after your mental wellbeing it will come back, you need to keep your mind fit and healthy just like your body.”
Voluntary work
In addition to access to treatment, all employees are encouraged to take two days’ paid leave to volunteer for a cause close to their heart. They also participate in ‘Stop. Make a Change’ days, where the business stands down for the day to take time to focus on themes, such as mental health.
Additionally, employees are encouraged to talk about any mental health issues they have and are directed to mobiles apps such as Headspace to help manage their stress on a day to day basis. An important part of the strategy was to ensure staff had easy access to tools that would give them the ability to control their own health and wellbeing.
Galliford Try has also used lunch-and-learn sessions, line manager training, tool-box talks, Wellbeing Yammer Groups, intranet, video conferencing and an internal mental fitness blog to ensure the message reaches all corners of the business.
The results
So far, the results of these initiatives have been very encouraging. Absenteeism is down, saving a significant sum of money for the business. There has also been a swing away from long-term absenteeism to short term.
There has been a reduction in staff churn, in part due to an increase in staff engagement, of 500 percentage points in the last two years.
The picture in terms of cost saving and increased productivity of the employee base shows that these strategies are playing a critical role in the business, both in terms of compassion for employees and business KPIs.
Galliford Try’s achievements have been recognised through an Employee Benefits Award for Best Mental Health Strategy in 2018 and the Mates in Mind Impact Award, also for 2018.
Tom Wavre is owner of mental health adviser The Working Mind.
