ACP Plumbing Solutions shut the tools down for a day and put the whole team in one room.
The plumbing and construction industry has a mental health problem. Blokes in trades are among the least likely to talk about how they are travelling and among the most likely to be lost to suicide. Toolbox talks cover working at heights and confined spaces. They rarely cover what a bloke is carrying in his head on the drive to site.
So, for the second year running we built a team day around three things: moving, breathing, and talking. All designed to make conversations around wellbeing and mental health a little easier.
We started the morning with a friendly game of futsal – two teams, all wanting to take the title. With minutes to go we nearly had a worker’s comp claim as two of our biggest units collided and shins locked. Luckily, no one was seriously injured and, as intended, the movement and laughter set up the rest of the day nicely.
Afterwards we were treated to a guided breathwork session, something most of us had never done. Practical and accessible — we learnt a set of tools for down-regulating when you are stressed, wound up, or lying awake at 2am.
Beyond the Banter. After lunch Jack from It’s Cool to Cry delivered a workshop that took the day somewhere more serious. As tradies, banter is the language we use, and it is genuinely one of our strengths — but it can also be the thing that stops a bloke saying the real answer when someone asks if he’s alright. Jack gave the team language for getting past the surface level talk, and simple ways we can have meaningful conversations with family, friends and workmates.
The annual wellbeing day is a highlight on the ACP calendar. We love seeing the flow-on effects and positive impact it has on our business now and into the future.
“The wellbeing day offers our team the opportunity to disconnect from work for the day and focus on our wellbeing. It also demonstrates to our employees that we value their mental health, and instead of just talking about it, we actually engage in programs that foster wellbeing as part of our culture”
