McKeon Group: Building Resilience

McKeon Group: Building Resilience

05/06/2020

Earlier this week, the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) hosted a webinar to help launch a free and confidential, 24/7, helpline dedicated to supporting members of the construction industry, you can read more about this here: https://cif.ie/2020/06/03/introduction-of-free-24-7-employee-assistance-programme-and-wellbeing-app-for-all-construction-workers-in-ireland/

The Lighthouse Club

Developed by the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity, this helpline and supporting wellbeing app aims to help construction workers cope with the extraordinary challenges brought about by the global pandemic. There is wide acknowledgement and a growing understanding of the negative impacts the past few months have had on mental health for all members of society, and this is particularly true for those working within the construction industry.

Speaking about the launch of this vital service, Lighthouse CEO, Bill Hill explained:

“One of the charity’s key objectives is to reduce suicides of those working in the construction sector. The 24/7 Construction Industry Helpline delivers an EAP to all workers and is complimented by an supporting helpline app. This App is available on both Android and Apple devices and is packed full of information, advice and guidance on mental, physical and financial wellbeing matters.  By making all the services free and confidential, the charity aims to remove two of the key barriers to people seeking help. The final barrier to overcome is the stigma of using such services often inherent in stoic masculine belief.”

For many, the impact of the crash more than a decade ago is still deeply felt. People tend to recover at a slower pace than the economy and the very real trauma experienced back then is still quite raw. There was a period of recovery before the pandemic situation unfolded and cast fresh doubt and concern over the livelihoods of 150,000 people. Irish construction is renowned for its resilience but, the truth is, any industry is simply a collection of people and maintaining a state of resilience for your employees or employer, for your teammates and work colleagues, for your family and loved ones, can take a toil. There needs to be some sense of relief and hope that things can and will improve. And it needs to be okay not to be okay, help is available.

It is great to see the CIF promoting such a service to its members and to the wider industry. Over the past few years, positive mental health has featured heavily in the annual Health & Safety Week line-up, bringing forward a whole new conversation about wellbeing.

McKeon Group Table Quiz

Earlier this year, prior to lockdown restrictions, McKeon Group hosted a staff table quiz. €600 was raised by our team on the night and the company matched that sum, bringing the total donation to €1,200. We were proud to hand over that donation to the Ashbourne Suicide Awareness and Prevention (ASAP) charity. The organisation provides critical support to the local community here in Ashbourne and, like most people living and working in the area, we are grateful for the dedicated services provided and keen to support ASAP.

About McKeon Group:

Established in 1950, this year marks the 70th anniversary of McKeon Group, which remains a family business. ISO certified for more than two decades, McKeon Group offers expert construction, fitout and building services. The Group delivers projects, services and maintenance across a range of sectors for State, local authority, FDI and private clients. For more information, contact: www.mckeon.ie