Randstad Construction, Property and Engineering (CPE) continues to shine a light on mental health through donations to its charity partner, the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity who provides financial and emotional support to the construction community for those suffering with mental illness.
The donation of over £4,500 was presented to Lighthouse Club chairman Bill Hill earlier this month by Sarah Sidey, Head of strategic accounts at the Randstad CPE headquarters, based in Whiteley. The CPE team work alongside the charity to raise awareness by promoting a mental health supportive culture and encouraging those who think they could be affected to speak to the Lighthouse Club’s team of experts. The funds were raised through sporting days, raffles and team engagement events.
Recognising the severity of mental illness, last year Randstad CPE published some alarming statistics following a survey carried out of 3,400 construction workers. The report revealed that more than a third (34%) admitted that they experienced a mental health condition in the last year, and their mental health state was prompting them to consider changing career.
Historically, Randstad have been committed to promoting the importance of mental health through a series of findings, initiatives and campaigns. The award-winning Returning to Work campaign created by the recruiter last year, featured a construction worker whose serious mental health illness resulted in him being out of work. Dave, a construction industry employee of 25 years who held a high-pressure management position, developed mental illness and even considered taking his own life due to work pressures. After seeking help, opening up and receiving expert advice, Dave was able to return to his role and continue to support his family. His emotional story can be found here.
Owen Goodhead, Managing Director of Randstad Construction, Property & Engineering said: “With construction workers three times more likely to take their own life than the rest of the population*, it's crucial that we highlight the importance of this problem and encourage individuals to open up about mental health, an illness which affects one in four people.
“We're honored to help those in need of expert advice through our continued support and latest donation to the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity. It’s heartwarming to know that our contribution to the charity, who rely solely on the goodwill and support of the industry, will assist with the rehabilitation of construction employees who have suffered from mental illness.”
Bill Hill, CEO of the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity, said: “We receive no public finance and rely on the support from within the industry to help us provide vital support services to our construction families in need, so we are delighted to receive this ongoing support from Randstad.
“We are receiving an increasing number of calls to our construction industry helpline for financial and wellbeing support and with two construction workers taking their own lives every day, we need to ensure that we develop our ‘Building Mental Health’ programme so that people know where to turn to in times of need. We can only achieve this with the help of organisations like Randstad.
With almost three quarters of construction workers (73%) feeling that their employers do not recognise early signs of mental health deterioration*, Randstad CPE ensures that employees have access to the help and support they need via Lighthouse’s 24-hour helpline. The Lighthouse construction industry helpline last year supported over 1,500 construction families in crisis and over 400 families were granted over £700,000 of emergency financial help. Those seeking advice or support should call 0345 609 1956 to speak to the team of experts.
Notes to editors
*Randstad mental health in construction report 2017
About Randstad
The Randstad Group is a global leader in the HR services industry and specializes in solutions in the field of flexible work and human resources services. We support people and organizations in realizing their true potential. Our services range from regular temporary Staffing and permanent placements to Inhouse Services, Professionals, and HR Solutions (including Recruitment Process Outsourcing, Managed Services Programs, and outplacement). Randstad has top-three positions in Argentina, Belgium & Luxembourg, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States, and major positions in Australia and Japan. At year-end 2017, Randstad had 38,331 corporate employees and 4,858 branches and Inhouse locations in 39 countries around the world. In 2017, Randstad generated revenue of € 23.3 billion. Randstad was founded in 1960 and is headquartered in Diemen, the Netherlands. Randstad N.V. is listed on the NYSE Euronext Amsterdam, where options for stocks in Randstad are also traded. For more information, see https://www.randstad.com/.
About The Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity
We are the only charity that provides financial and emotional support to the construction community and their families who have suffered an injury or long term illness or simply need a helping hand. Shocking statistics show that there is still much work to be done to improve the safety and emotional wellbeing of our construction community.
Last year, the Construction Industry Helpline supported over 1500 construction families in crisis and over 400 families were granted £735,000 of emergency financial help. Of the 1500 calls into the helpline, 1100 of these were given advice and support on issues ranging from stress and depression to legal, debt management and taxation advice.
*Huffington Post: Suicide Rate Three Times Higher Among Construction Workers, Union Warns