A leading business coach for the Trades industry has called for more support for tradespeople who are at greater risk of suicide than the general population.
Alison Warner, known as the Trades’ Coach, helps business owners in the trades and construction industries to manage the stress of running their own company including managing cashflow, long hours and the rising threat of tool theft.
Alison said:
“I often see tradespeople in complete overwhelm; their business is growing quickly but they don’t have the skills or resources to cope. Men in particular are more vulnerable and find it difficult talking about their problems with a partner or colleague.”
Working in the trades offers fantastic career prospects, but it can be very isolating if people are self-employed and shouldering all the tasks involved in running a business.”
Skilled trades have a 35% higher risk of suicide than the male national average while plasterers, and painters and decorators have more than double the risk of suicide. (source ONS 2017). In addition, the majority of business (70%) in the trade and construction industry have just one employee without a wider team to support them.
Alison continues:
“As a business coach I enable trades to work smarter and run a more efficient and profitable business, however, mental health support should be available to tradespeople from an earlier stage. I believe mental health support is one of the most important tools a trades person can have and this should be a key part of apprenticeship training as well as provided by employers on the job.”
Alison Warner has written a bestselling book’ Build and Grow’ to help trades people make the transition to managing director, providing support with business planning, and implementing systems and processes, to order a copy go to https://www.amazon.co.uk/Build-Grow-Tradesperson-Construction-Industries/dp/1781332789