About this programme
Recent BRANZ research has shown there is reason to be concerned about the well-being of those working in the New Zealand construction industry (SR411, 2018). This work showed there is more research to be done to understand what is contributing to this poor state of well-being. We also need to know what can be done to improve it. The term ?well-being? is used here to mean good mental health as well as positive outcomes for people (refer CDC definition of well-being found at https://www.cdc.gov/hrqol/wellbeing.htm). The New Zealand definition of well-being defines it as how people feel about their lives. We need to understand where well-being is poorest and why, as well as where the opportunities for making the most impact by improving well-being are. Low levels of well-being within industry potentially impacts on the quality, profitability and productivity of the construction sector as a whole as evidenced by recent research such as Chesterfield 2019 https://www.brinknews.com/its-past-time-to-build-better-mental-health-in-the-construction-industry/ and Whitfield’s 2014 publication of employee well-being and working life. Based on our work to date in our scoping study on mental health in the building and construction industry, more primary research on small business owners has been identified as a priority area for attention. Our research brought to light serious issues amongst owners and operators of small businesses in our sector. Subsequent engagement with the industry has reinforced this as an area of need. The specific research question this research project will address is ?How can support improve mental health and enable small business owners (SMEs) to thrive in the current climate?? This proposed research is the first stage of more work in the general area of well-being in the industry, with proposals for work focused in other areas to follow.