Mental health awareness resources

The Home Builders Federation is working closely with construction charity, the Lighthouse Club to promote mental health awareness across the home building sector.

There are a number of resources and information available for employees who are experiencing mental health issues, which can be accessed below, please feel free to use and circulate these.

Free mental health awareness training for HBF members

About the sessions

We have partnered with the Lighthouse Club Construction Industry Charity to offer free mental health awareness training to those working in small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the supply chain. The training aims to ensure more people get the support they need and are equipped to facilitate meaningful conversations about mental health that will go some way towards breaking the stigma.

The course is delivered via zoom and usually £75 per person, but we’ll cover the costs for those working for our member organisations in small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the supply chain.

To book you will need the HBF member code. To view the code, ensure you are logged into your HBF account before visiting the event pages.

If you are an employee of one of our member organisations, you can register for an account on our website using your work email address.

For more information. or if you are a member of the supply chain, contact skillspartnership@hbf.co.uk

Upcoming dates

Mental Health Awareness Toolbox Talk

About the talk

We want to help overcome the stigma of talking about mental health problems by raising awareness of the issue in our industry and have produced a toolbox talk in partnership with the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity to tackle the problem.

A Toolbox Talk is a fantastic way to deliver information to your workforce on mental health by educating them on the signs to look out for and how to start conversation. Talks can encourage positive conversation and reach the site-based staff who, due to the nature of construction work, may not be aware of the support available.

Our talk can be customised to fit your organisation’s needs and delivered in any format. Any work email address associated with one of our member organisations can register for a member account and download the talk.

If you are a member of the supply chain, please contact info@hbf.co.uk for a copy of the toolbox talk.

Download the talk

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Lighthouse HBF Mental Health Awareness Toolbox Talk May 2024 Member Only

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Other industry resources

Stress Awareness in Home Building

We have gathered some useful stress awareness resources to help employers in the construction industry support their workforce.

The Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity

The Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity is offering a number of self-paced e-learning modules in its wellbeing academy, which can be shared with employees or colleagues.

The e-learning has a module on Managing Stress, which explores:

  • The five key topics of managing stress, including Causes, Responses, Individual, Load and Balance.
  • A scenario exercise, where participants are given a stressful situation that needs to be resolved.

Registering for the e-learning is free and learners have up to 28 days to complete the modules. If more time is needed, this period can be extended.

Register for the e-learning via the Wellbeing Academy.

Health and Safety Executive (HSE)

HSE’s Working Minds Campaign provides employers in the construction industry with resources to better understand stress in the workplace and support employees experiencing stress:

  • The Stress Indicator Tool is an online survey which gathers anonymous data from employees to identify areas of improvement for preventing and managing work-related stress.
  • HSE’s Talking Toolkit is designed to help employers prevent work-related stress in the construction industry.

Mental Health UK

Mental Health UK have a number of resources available which can be shared with employees. Visit their Stress and how to cope with it guide for downloadable stress management tips and wellbeing workplans.

Increasing Mental Health Awareness in House Building

Home builders can support workforce through mental health awareness training, employee assistance programmes (EAP) and toolbox talks.

These documents illustrate the mental health crisis facing the industry and outline how organisations can raise awareness and support those in need.

Mental Health Awareness Campaign - 2023 update.pdf

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Mental health Awareness in Home Building

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HBF Mental Health Awareness Campaign

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Mental health apps

There are a number of free mental health apps available that can provide individuals with accessing support nearby and help with self care.

Hub of Hope believes that no matter what you're going through, you shouldn't have to do it alone. Find services local to you using geolocation technology.

Woebot - Your friendly self-care expert. Woebot can help to think through situations with step-by-step guidance or learn about yourself with intelligent mood tracking

Get Construction Talking

Get Construction Talking is a global initiative to normalise conversations around mental health. The toolkit contains further information on how to take part in the initiative, connect with charity partners, and spread the word.

Get-Construction-Talking-Toolkit-V2

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Construction Helpline Promotional Video

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A 24/7 construction industry helpline is available to provide employees and their families with support on 0345 605 1956.

For those that do not feel comfortable discussing their feelings or personal circumstances, a construction industry helpline app has been created to give individuals information, advice and guidance on how to relieve the long term effects of stress, anxiety, depression. To find out more and to access the app visitwww.constructionindustryhelpline.com/our-app.html.

To actively promote the helpline and the support that is available to your employees, helpline packs and stickers are available to purchase. Providing your offices with posters and cards. To purchase your helpline pack visit www.constructionindustryhelpline.com/store/c2/Construction_Industry_Helpline_Packs.html

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Andy's Man Club

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The risk of suicide amongst male labourers, particularly in construction, is 3 times the male national average. Andy’s Man Club is a volunteer led service, currently with meeting places across the North and South Coast.

It offers a safe, welcoming space for men to meet and talk in an informal, supportive environment. Its popularity has grown hugely since it was started in memory of Andy, who died from suicide in 2016.

For more information and to find your nearest meeting point visit http://andysmanclub.co.uk

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MHFA England: My Whole Self

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My Whole Self Day is a celebratory day that aims to create a culture where people have the safety and freedom to choose which parts of their identity they share at work, without fear of judgement. MHFA England host the event and have created some helpful resources to support employees too.

My Whole Self MOT - This free guide helps individuals check in and on other's mental health and wellbeing. It can be a useful tool to talk about mental health during any one-to-one sessions with direct reports,

Run a My Whole Self activity- Over 2,000 employees surveyed found team building activities the best wellbeing support. MHFA England has created three activity ideas to help build deeper connection among teams

Supporting your mental health while working from home - As many people continue to work from home, MHFA England has created some guidance for ways to support your mental health while working from home.

Health and Safety Executive Resources

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Tackling Work-Related Stress: A step by step workbook - Stress is a major cause of sickness absence and costs organisations £5 billion a year in the UK. This workbook will help organisations to assess risks to employees and give practical advice and guidance on how to manage work-related stress.

Prevent Work-Related Stress: Talking Toolkit - The Health & Safety Executive has joined forces with the Construction Leadership Council to encourage the whole industry to start a conversation about employee stress. To ensure that every business has the support it needs to look after its employees, this toolkit provides guidance on how to prevent work related stress in construction.

The Stress Indicator Tool (SIT) - The Indicator tool is free to pilot for a maximum of 50 employees. The tool is online and measures the attitudes and perceptions of employees towards work-related stress and then provides anonymous feedback. It is a quick and easy way to determine the extent to which work-related stress is a problem.

MIND - Wellness Action Plans

Mind, the mental health charity, has created some helpful guides for employees and line managers to address and support employees wellbeing at work. The guides provide different approaches to managing the mental health of staff and tackle the causes of work-related mental health issues.

Employees Wellness Action Plans

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Line Managers Wellness Action Plans

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Becoming a Mental Health First Aider

A Mental Health First Aider is the dedicated person to go to for anyone experiencing some form of mental health issue. They are trained to recognise the symptoms of mental health and can guide those in are in need before it issues escalate.

To become a Mental Health First Aider for your organisation, there are a number of companies you can contact for training by visiting https://www.buildingmentalhealth.net/resources.html#training. A number of resources on Mental Health First Aid for employers and employees are available for you to use below.

Guidance for Employers

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Guidance for Mental health first aiders

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Line Managers Resource Screen.pdf

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The Recovery Village

The Recovery Village® aims to improve the quality of life for people struggling with a substance use or mental health disorder with fact-based content about the nature of behavioural health conditions, treatment options and their related outcomes. We publish material that is researched, cited, edited and reviewed by licensed medical professionals. To find out more visit www.therecoveryvillage.com/mental-health/.

Protecting mental health during the coronavirus pandemic

Rehab 4 Addiction, an advisory service founded to assist those affected by substance misuse, has produced a new infographic outlining the steps individuals can take to protect their mental health during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The infographic is a helpful resource with tips on:

  • Recognising mental health problems in others
  • Statistics on the impact of remote working arrangements on the mental health of employees
  • A confidential helpline
  • Looking after your mental health during the pandemic.

For further information, please view the infographic here.

Managing Mental Health: Supporting your employees webinar

This webinar helps smaller businesses to understand mental health conditions and to provide some of the tools needed to create their own mental health strategies that fit their business. Providing advice on where to start, common mental health issues and communicating with employees, this webinar includes speakers from a number of major home builders who sharing their learning through industry case studies.

Be Kind movement

Be kind- you don’t know other peoples story. #bekind #kindnessmatters #theonemovement