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New webinar available that tackles loneliness in the construction industry

Posted: 27th April 2023

A new must-watch webinar, titled ‘Combatting Loneliness in the Construction Industry’, is now available to watch here

The webinar gives insights, tips and practical solutions around what those in the construction sector can do to help facilitate better wellbeing in the workplace. This comes following new data* from NESCAFÉ that reveals nearly half of construction workers feel lonely at work. With 3million working in the construction sector, it means that millions of people experience loneliness at work.

The webinar was Chaired by CIC Deputy Chair Dr Wei Yang and she was joined by:

  • Bill Hill, Chief Executive at the Lighthouse Club charity, which provides financial and emotional support to the construction community and their families
  • Andrew Outram, Chair, CIC 2050 Group
  • Nadia Roberts, Brand Manager at NESCAFÉ at Nestlé Professional, who is leading the ‘Make Chat Work’ campaign which aims to help businesses create a culture that nurtures their employees’ wellbeing through encouraging interactions, connections and engagement between workers.

The webinar covered a lot of ground, with some of the highlights including:

  • The six key services the Lighthouse Club offers to help construction workers not feel alone in a crisis, including a 24/7 helpline, text service and a wellbeing academy;
  • How networking and connection with colleagues plays an important role in the workplace, and how informal chats and discussions can help keep work-related stress in perspective;
  • Ideas on how to create time in the day for breaks and how to create a better work/life balance;
  • Better understanding mental health along with signs and behaviours to look out for to recognise if a colleague is suffering from stress or burn out;
  • The importance of breaks in the workplace and making time to connect and talk with colleagues;
  • Free resources such as the ‘Make Chat Work’ Guide and ideas on how to make the most of the coffee break in the workplace, including the ‘Icebreaker’ and ‘Conversation Starter’ suggestions, designed to help ignite chat and interaction with co-workers;
  • The importance of creating an awareness of all the tools that are available to the sector that help with wellbeing; and
  • The Lighthouse Club’s mental health charter; the first step in helping companies get a wellbeing programme in place.

The importance of breaks in the workplace, and the positive impact this has on loneliness and wellbeing, is further backed up with findings from the NESCAFÉ research which revealed that eight out of ten (79%) of construction workers agree that having opportunities to talk to colleagues around coffee breaks would make them feel less lonely. In addition, nearly all (99%) of respondents said that getting together for a coffee break is important for team morale and 94% look forward to a coffee break with colleagues.

The webinar also touched on services and support available for the self-employed and contract workers within the industry.

For further information on the NESCAFÉ Make Chat Work campaign or to download the free Make Chat Work Guide click here

*The research was conducted by 3GEM on behalf of NESCAFÉ Make Chat Work and surveyed 350 UK construction workers / tradespeople in SME companies of 5-250 employees, October 2022