The Double Glazing and Conservatory Ombudsman Scheme (DGCOS) has launched a series of podcasts discussing what’s happening in the window and door industry. The first in the series is a conversation between Faisal Hussain, the DGCOS’s chief executive, and Thom Emerson, a DGCOS member from Ideal Window Solutions, about mental health.
Faisal said: “Mental health in the sector has been on my mind for some time, brought about by a frank and honest conversation I had with an installer at the end of last year. Instead of talking about a successful year in business because of the home improvement boom, he was suffering both mentally and physically from the stress of juggling staff shortages and increased workload; admin, sales and credit control; delays in lead times and consumers literally shouting for their installation dates.
“This led me to think: There must be many more installers in the industry in a similar situation. This was further backed up by an article I read recently that said 30% of tradespeople have taken time off due to mental health. But how many tradespeople don’t talk about it, and instead are in a vicious cycle of keeping the wheels turning as efficiently as possible? The article suggested this could be another third – that’s 64% of tradespeople whose mental health is affected.
“In the podcast episode, Thom and I discuss mental health in the industry. Thom shares the positive steps his business is taking to support staff. In his words: ‘If nothing else, Covid has made us focus on individual people.’ The days of just providing good facilities, employment and wages are long gone.
“Anxiety became a real issue throughout the pandemic. There was concern over the health of loved ones and families; children couldn’t go to school; and, at first, we were unsure if we could we visit people’s houses to work. Two years on, much of these struggles remain. The conversation with Thom is reassuring; pastoral care is more important than ever in our businesses, and could be just as simple as asking your colleagues how they are, and listening to the response.
“It may be difficult to talk about your mental health, and it may make you feel vulnerable. At the DGCOS, we want to open up the conversation with the industry. That’s why we’ve launched a glass and glazing industry mental health survey. It’s confidential, and will only take five minutes to complete. We want to understand the thoughts and experiences of mental health in the fenestration sector over the last two years. The survey will close on 12 April 2022 and we will be releasing the results in the weeks following.
“DGCOS invites you to be part of the conversation. Listen to the podcast on the DGCOS installer website, or on the DGCOS Podcast page on Spotify. You can also take part in our survey.”
