Manufacturing & Logistics

Developing new management skills and capabilities to encourage mental health discussions within male dominated teams

Manufacturing & Logistics

The Manufacturing & Logistics sector has been under significant pressure for some time to deliver better service at lower cost.

At the same time, work-related mental ill health is rising and that is only the reported cases. Given the sector is heavily male dominated, the reality is likely far greater. Mental health challenges in men are often hidden or underdiagnosed, with many feeling pressure to simply ‘man up and carry on’. For some, the embarrassment or perceived consequences of asking for help feel too great.

Whilst many organisations now provide wellbeing support through Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) and other services, these are often accessed late, once problems have escalated, rather than as an early source of support. Making support available is important, but it does not always mean employees feel comfortable using it.

This means managers working in male-dominated teams need to be especially skilled at spotting early warning signs, having supportive conversations and creating cultures where people feel safe to speak openly about mental health and wellbeing. These are not skills traditionally developed within many operational management teams, which is why the need for practical, proactive wellbeing training has never been greater.

Mediterranean Shipping Company

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Terry and his team at Oakwood took the time to understand who we are as a Company, before delivering a powerful and popular series of training days which spoke to the heart of our values; to care for people in a high-performance culture. Terry helped our people understand that, to stay champions in the race, we have to take our recovery and recuperation as seriously as we do the end performance.

Dan Everitt

Managing Director, MSC, UK

Supporting a world leader in global container shipping with wellbeing and mental health training Programmes in the UK

Colgate-Palmolive

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We particularly love the bite-sized, fun, and interactive way the eLearning is constructed which keeps the learner hooked and the unpretentious dialogue creates psychological safety and opens discussions.

Susanne Vang

Talent Acquisition & Learning Manager - Northern Europe, Colgate- Palmolive Company

LKQ Corporation

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See how we helped LKQ Corporation. Building a culture with employee wellbeing at the heart.

Men are three times more likely than women to take their own lives, and are more likely to die from alcoholism or drug abuse

41%

In 2020/21, 41% of all work-related ill health was reported to be due to stress, depression or anxiety and it is on the rise

25%

Only 25% of the workforce are women and most managers are men

77%

77% of manufacturers are preparing for ongoing difficulties in attracting and retaining workers

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People sat round tables looking at a big screen at a mental health champion training session

Colgate-Palmolive

Sainsbury’s

A Wellbeing Partnership

Hear what our clients have to say

The programme has been a great success with incredibly high participation on both the virtual instructor-led sessions and the eLearning modules. We love the bite-sized, fun, and interactive way the eLearning is constructed which keeps the learner hooked. The equal and unpretentious dialogue creates psychological safety and opens up discussion, vulnerability - and the opportunity to proactively take responsibility.

Susanne Vang

Talent Acquisition & Learning Manager - Northern Europe, Colgate-Palmolive Company

Unipart has already invested significantly in wellbeing programmes for our people. In an online workshop with our leadership team, it was important to work to a brief that brought together existing activities, harmonised with our culture, and yet created challenging thinking for our leaders. Oakwood achieved this and created a compelling event that was rated highly by the audience.