Mental health awareness: how we should learn to value ourselves and others
Illustration by Siân Rearden
Associate Director Matt Jones talks about his experience of mental health and the AEC industry
The annual Mental Health Awareness Week provides an opportunity for the Architectural, Engineering and Construction Industry to broaden the discussion beyond recognition, understanding and support of mental health to more fundamental questions about the way our industry functions and how it could be improved to reduce the stress it innately creates.
Over the course of my 25 year architectural career I have seen the topic of mental health rise from obscurity, shed its unwarranted stigma and become a key topic openly discussed across the construction industry. There are great initiatives by charities, governing bodies, industry bodies and the HSE – with an array of resources to encourage discussion, support, and openness within the workplace. There is clearly much more to be done, but there appears to be a cultural understanding that good mental health is, well, good for everyone.
However, research by the CIOB shows that mental health issues within the construction industry are more prevalent than the national average, with 1 in 4 stating suicidal thoughts in the previous year. The annual Architects Student Survey has shown an alarming trend in the number of students in architecture reporting mental health issues, rising from 25% in 2016 to 45% in 2021 It would therefore appear that whilst our understanding and awareness of mental health is improving – the prevalence of mental health issues is increasing. This could simply be a result of raised awareness leading to more reporting coupled with the impact of COVID lockdown, or it could be that merely being aware at an individual and singular business level is only part of the story.
More generally, our industry has become increasingly good at analysing the cost of what we each do and seeing where costs can be cut. Where we fail is in analysing and appreciating the value of what we each do. This is due to the often intangible nature of value – how do you quantify good working relationships without reducing them back to a relative ‘cost’? In addition to this, the complex process of designing and constructing buildings greatly benefits from the mutual respect and valuing of all parties involved. Appreciating what each person can bring to the table and seeing their ‘value’ rather than ‘cost’ would go a long way to improving cross-discipline relations and understanding (yes, this does include contractors and sub-contractors). Perhaps the dream of a true participatory / collegiate approach to creating a building is not possible yet - but maybe we should start asking why not? How could we get to that?
During this mental health awareness week, as we consider the steps our individual workplaces are taking to improve mental health, we should also consider how we help the mental health of others through our outward relations; how we work with others outside our workplace. We can start this process by looking at - and genuinely appreciating - the value everyone provides, including yourself!
Thank you for taking the time to read this small note, I hope it has started to raise some thoughts and ideas that you can take forward with your colleagues and the people you work with. There is one last thing that I would ask of you. Be they a client, consultant, contractor, sub-contractor, office cleaner or receptionist, pick one person you have a professional relationship with and spend 30 seconds quietly thinking about them positively, in your mind wish them well, picture them having a good day, smile and be happy for them.
Thank you and have a lovely day.