Persimmon Homes priority on mental health for staff
One of the UK’s leading housebuilders is putting the mental health of its staff at the very top of its agenda by training 60 employees to become dedicated mental health first aiders.
Persimmon Homes has launched a national programme to train two employees from each of its 31 regional businesses, plus the company head office, to become fully qualified mental health first aiders.
Research published by the Home Builders Federation (HBF) and conducted by the Construction Industry Charity Lighthouse as part of the HBF’s mental health awareness week shows that the construction industry as a whole is one of the worst-affected by mental health due to the number of high-risk jobs.
The research showed that a high proportion of employees have experienced mental health issues and many of them said that they have hidden the real reasons why they have been absent, illustrating that there is still a stigma around mental health.
Paul Curry, Persimmon’s national training manager, is a fully qualified mental health first aid trainer and he will be leading the programme across England, Wales and Scotland.
“In the UK we are facing huge mental health challenges at work,” explains Curry. “Mental health covers a wide area and can include our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.”
