Did you know that in the UK two construction workers take their own life every working day and over 20% of work-related absence is caused by stress, anxiety, or depression?
One life is too many, and that’s why Kier is putting its support behind the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity (Lighthouse Club), the only charity that provides independent emotional, physical and financial wellbeing support to construction workers and their families.
All colleagues at Kier will benefit from Kier becoming an annual Company Supporter of the Lighthouse Club, so it can continue to provide vital support.
Due to this partnership, support provided by the Lighthouse Club is also more accessible to people working within Kier’s wider supply chain, meaning thousands more people will have access to support when they need it.
The construction industry is made up of a diverse and multinational population and one of the unique services the Lighthouse Club offers is a 24/7 confidential helpline with free translation for any language, meaning that anyone can access help when they need it without a language barrier. For those who aren’t comfortable reaching out for help on the telephone the charity also offers a free text support service.
The Lighthouse Club also has a network of over 350 Lighthouse Beacons which utilise existing support groups to offer a safe space to share and socialise with like-minded people face to face. The beacons are facilitated by individuals with lived experiences who are able to encourage those struggling with life’s problems to share their issues and if necessary, signpost to additional support.
Kier Group’s health, safety, wellbeing and sustainability director Chris Lilley said: “We want to ensure our people and supply chain go home safely every day. By looking after the wellbeing of our people and those from our valued supply chain, we’re supporting them to bring their best selves to work and encouraging them to make safe decisions.
“By supporting the construction charity, the Lighthouse Club, we’re ensuring our people and supply chain have direct and immediate access to support that is adapted to their needs, tackling issues they may be facing and giving them the best support possible. This includes access to mental, physical, financial and emotional wellbeing support 24/7 through the Lighthouse Club. We’re delivering joint webinars and toolbox talks alongside the Lighthouse Club for our operative and management colleagues, to help raise awareness of the support available.
At Kier, we prioritise wellbeing in the same way as health and safety. We currently provide mental health support through a network of over 500 mental health first aiders and our employee assistance programme. This charity support is the latest way we’re supporting our people and our supply chain.
Bill Hill, CEO of the Lighthouse Club said: “We’re absolutely delighted to have Kier on board as a Company Supporter. It’s vital that every level of our construction community knows that we have a huge variety of free and easily-accessible wellbeing support, and we are really looking forward to working together to help improve our workforce wellbeing”.
Additional support the charity offers include a variety of free construction-focussed training programmes ranging from self-paced e-learning, tutor led online masterclasses and MHFA England accredited Mental Health First Aider courses.
