In this episode of Build & Thrive, Jennie Armstrong is joined by Jo Yarker, Professor of Occupational Psychology and Co-Managing Partner at Affinity Health at Work, to explore what it really takes to improve mental health in the workplace.

Together they unpack why many organisations are still stuck at “awareness”, and what a more practical, evidence-based and preventative approach looks like in construction. Jo shares insights from research and real-world consultancy on psychosocial risk, line manager behaviours, how to choose wellbeing products without wasting budget, and why implementation and evaluation matter as much as good intent.

What we cover:

• Why workplace mental health efforts often stall at awareness, and how to shift into prevention
• How construction can apply risk management thinking to psychosocial and mental health risks
• The line manager behaviours that reduce stress, support return to work, and improve retention
• Why inconsistency from managers can be more damaging than getting it wrong occasionally
• How to choose wellbeing tools and services based on evidence, not gloss
• What meaningful evaluation looks like, and how organisations can prove what is working

Jo also shares a powerful perspective on the role of senior leaders, clients, and project-wide consistency, plus what is coming next from Affinity, including new frameworks to support wellbeing professionals and better research engagement across industry.

🎧 https://www.buzzsprout.com/2431164 (or search your podcast app)

📺 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEoibJLDuFnnT3qSQw37LKPG6xlyvCj7B

🔹 Thank you to our sponsor, GKR Scaffolding, for supporting this series and helping us share our mission of improving health and wellbeing in construction.

Episode Links:

Jennie Armstrong: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniearmstrong/

Construction Health & Wellbeing: https://constructionhealth.co.uk/

Affinity Health at Work:

• Website: https://www.affinityhealthatwork.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/affinity-health-at-work-ltd/
  
  
  

Jo Yarker:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joyarker/

Supporting Occupational Health and Wellbeing Professionals

• Website: https://www.som.org.uk/som-buyers-guide-wellbeing-products-or-services

GKR Scaffolding (sponsor): https://gkrscaffolding.co.uk/

Are you investing in a healthier and happier workforce? Take our quick, free assessment to uncover how your organisation measures up in occupational health & wellbeing. Get personalised insights and actionable steps to make a real difference.

👉 Check Your Score Now

In this eye-opening episode of Build & Thrive, host Jennie Armstrong is joined by Stu Drinkwater, co-founder of TAL (Take A Leak), and Andrea White, Managing Director at A W Fire Ltd, fire engineer and passionate advocate for better welfare in construction.

We talk about toilets but this is far more than that!

For years, mobile construction workers have normalised dehydration, discomfort, and unsafe workarounds simply because adequate welfare isn’t available between sites. From rationing water to eating lunch on stairwells, the stories shared are both familiar and unacceptable.

Stu explains how Take A Leak was founded after he and co-founder Nathan realised just how widespread this issue is and how a simple, scalable solution could transform workers’ health, dignity and productivity. Through TAL’s growing network of host venues, mobile workers can access clean toilets, hot water, seating and microwaves within minutes, at no personal cost.

Andrea brings a powerful perspective as both an industry professional and someone who has lived the problem first-hand. She highlights how welfare is not just a compliance issue, but a barrier to inclusion, retention and safety - particularly for women in construction.

Together, we explore:

• Why welfare is the foundation for wellbeing, safety and performance
• The hidden health impacts of dehydration and restricted toilet access
• The “unspoken culture” that prevents workers from raising welfare concerns
• How TAL works, and why employers and venues are rapidly getting on board
• Why fixing welfare is a strategic opportunity for recruitment and retention
• How leaders can take action now and why they must

This episode shines a light on a problem hidden in plain sight across the industry and offers practical, immediate solutions.

If you care about people, productivity, or the future of construction, you’ll want to hear this.

🎧 https://www.buzzsprout.com/2431164 (or search your podcast app)

📺 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEoibJLDuFnnT3qSQw37LKPG6xlyvCj7B

🔹 Thank you to our sponsor, GKR Scaffolding, for supporting this series and helping us share our mission of improving health and wellbeing in construction.

Episode Links:

Jennie Armstrong: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniearmstrong/

Construction Health & Wellbeing: https://constructionhealth.co.uk/

TAL - Take A Leak:

• Website: https://talservices.co.uk/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tal-services-uk/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tal_services
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575799996641

A W Fire Ltd:

• Website: https://awfire.co.uk/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/awfire/

Stu Drinkwater:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sdrinkwater/

Andrea White:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-white-fire-engineer/

GKR Scaffolding (sponsor): https://gkrscaffolding.co.uk/

Sleep is often treated as a personal problem - something people just need to “sort out” in their own time. In this episode of Build & Thrive, host Jennie Armstrong sits down with GP and sleep specialist Dr David Garley, Director of The Better Sleep Clinic, to explore why sleep is actually a critical health and safety issue for construction.

Drawing on his clinical work with patients and organisations - from major employers to elite sports teams - Dr Garley unpacks how poor sleep and fatigue drive accidents, long-term illness and performance problems. Together, Jennie and David look at what this means for construction employers: from shift patterns and long hours, to workers away from home, to the “badge of honour” culture around pushing through tiredness. Most importantly, they explore what can realistically be done - at both organisational and individual level - to help people sleep better and work more safely.

What we cover:

• The difference between tiredness, sleepiness and fatigue - and why it matters for risk on site
• How poor sleep links to heart disease, diabetes, mental health and even dementia - in real-world, practical terms
• Why construction workers may have particularly high rates of insomnia and obstructive sleep apnoea - and the signs leaders should look for
• The hidden safety impact of fatigue: from an eight-fold rise in industrial accidents to one in five road collisions involving poor sleep
• What a sensible workplace sleep strategy looks like: anonymous assessment, targeted education, and clear referral routes for proper diagnosis and treatment
• Practical steps supervisors, H&S teams and workers themselves can take to protect sleep around shift work, long hours and life outside of work

Throughout the conversation, Dr David Garley makes a clear case that sleep is not a luxury or a sign of weakness - it is one of the three core pillars of performance alongside nutrition and exercise. For construction leaders who care about safety, productivity and long-term health, bringing sleep into the conversation is no longer optional.

🎧 https://www.buzzsprout.com/2431164 (or search your podcast app)

📺 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEoibJLDuFnnT3qSQw37LKPG6xlyvCj7B

Episode Links:

Jennie Armstrong: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniearmstrong/

Construction Health & Wellbeing: https://constructionhealth.co.uk/

The Better Sleep Clinic:

• Website: https://www.thebettersleepclinic.co.uk/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/better-sleep-clinic/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebettersleepclinicuk/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBetterSleepClinicUK

Dr David Garley:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-garley-tbsc/

GKR Scaffolding (sponsor): https://gkrscaffolding.co.uk/

Are you investing in a healthier and happier workforce? Take our quick, free assessment to uncover how your organisation measures up in occupational health & wellbeing. Get personalised insights and actionable steps to make a real difference.

👉 Check Your Score Now

In this episode of Build & Thrive, host Jennie Armstrong is joined by Andy Mitchell, CEO of Tideway, and Steve Hails, Director of Business Services and Health, Safety & Wellbeing, to explore how one of the UK’s most ambitious engineering projects became a benchmark for culture, care, and collaboration in construction.

Together, they discuss how the £4.6 billion Thames Tideway Tunnel - or “Super Sewer” - didn’t just clean up London’s river, but redefined what it means to build with purpose. From designing health and wellbeing into every contract, to creating the now-famous “RightWay” culture and industry-first Epic Induction, Tideway proved that profitability and people-first values can thrive side by side.

Jennie reflects on her own seven-year journey with the project, as Andy and Steve share the honest lessons, challenges, and decisions that shaped one of the most progressive safety and wellbeing programmes in the sector - including how genuine care from leadership created trust, loyalty, and lasting change across thousands of workers and suppliers.

What we cover:

• How Tideway combined world-class engineering with a culture of care
• The vision that set new benchmarks for health, safety & wellbeing
• Building “one team” across client and contractors through trust and respect
• The role of leadership in designing a healthy culture from the start
• Why caring isn’t a cost - and how client-led change transforms outcomes
• Lessons on fatigue, mental health, and the legacy of transformational leadership

Andy and Steve show that when a project starts right - with purpose, people, and partnership at its core - it becomes more than infrastructure. It becomes a legacy.

If you want to understand how culture, health, and leadership can transform construction projects - this episode is essential listening.

🎧 https://www.buzzsprout.com/2431164 (or search your podcast app)

📺 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEoibJLDuFnnT3qSQw37LKPG6xlyvCj7B

🔹 Thank you to our sponsor, GKR Scaffolding, for supporting this series and helping us share our mission of improving health and wellbeing in construction.

Episode Links:

Jennie Armstrong: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniearmstrong/

Construction Health & Wellbeing: https://constructionhealth.co.uk/

Tideway:

Website: https://www.tideway.london/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tideway-london/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tidewaylondon/

X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/tidewaylondon

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TidewayLondon

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/tidewaylondon

Andy Mitchell:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-mitchell-cbe-b1239424/

Steve Hails:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-hails-4083a118/

GKR Scaffolding (sponsor): https://gkrscaffolding.co.uk/

Are you investing in a healthier and happier workforce? Take our quick, free assessment to uncover how your organisation measures up in occupational health & wellbeing. Get personalised insights and actionab

In this episode of Build & Thrive, Jennie Armstrong speaks with Kevin Bampton, Chief Executive of the British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS), about one of construction’s most overlooked challenges - protecting workers from ill health caused by work itself.

They explore what occupational hygiene really means, why health has lagged behind safety in the industry, and how prevention-focused design can help create a construction sector that doesn’t just build structures - it sustains people. Kevin explains the role of BOHS in shaping standards, research, and advocacy across the UK, and shares why managing workplace health is both a moral duty and a major business advantage.

What we cover:

• Why safety dominates attention while health risks remain hidden
• How long-term illnesses like respiratory disease, asthma, and vibration injuries develop - and how to prevent them
• The economic cost of poor health management (including a 15% hit to labour costs)
• Why planning for health at design stage changes everything
• How construction can learn from other sectors and countries that treat their workforce like skilled athletes
• The future of occupational hygiene - from policy to practice

Kevin’s message is clear: no one should be made ill by their work. Real progress means moving beyond reactive care and embedding prevention at the heart of every project - because healthy workers build better, safer, and more sustainable futures.

If you’re serious about creating a construction industry that values people as much as projects, this episode is essential listening.

🎧 https://www.buzzsprout.com/2431164 (or search your podcast app)

📺 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEoibJLDuFnnT3qSQw37LKPG6xlyvCj7B

🔹 Thank you to our sponsor, GKR Scaffolding, for supporting this series and helping us share our mission of improving health and wellbeing in construction.

Episode Links:

Jennie Armstrong: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniearmstrong/

Construction Health & Wellbeing: https://constructionhealth.co.uk/

Kevin Bampton:

• Website: https://www.bohs.org/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-bampton-6b55441a3/ │https://www.linkedin.com/company/bohs/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bohsworld
• X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/BOHSworld
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BOHSworld
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0pTnkODfIHad5s9dpuPrpw
• https://breathefreely.org.uk/
• https://www.bohs.org/app/uploads/2025/07/Mens-Health-Response-BOHS.pdf

GKR Scaffolding (sponsor): https://gkrscaffolding.co.uk/

Are you investing in a healthier and happier workforce? Take our quick, free assessment to uncover how your organisation measures up in occupational health & wellbeing. Get personalised insights and actionable steps to make a real difference.

👉 Check Your Score Now

In this episode of Build & Thrive, host Jennie Armstrong brings together two specialists tackling addiction through different lenses: Nick McMurray (Positive Matters) on drugs and alcohol, and John Fenna (Bet Know More UK) on gambling harms. We explore why “zero tolerance” alone doesn’t change behaviour, how addiction intersects with mental health and money stress, and what a practical, prevention-led approach looks like on real construction sites.

You’ll hear lived-experience insight, the realities behind “present but not present” at work, and the steps supervisors and leaders can take to move from tick-boxes to tools that actually help people and protect projects.

What we cover

• Why testing and sackings aren’t a strategy and what works instead
• The link between substance use, gambling, mental health and suicide risk
• Younger workforce trends (e.g. cannabis, cocaine, ketamine) and tailored messaging
• The “three A’s” for organisations: Awareness, Acceptance, Action
• Practical moves: policy with compassion, manager confidence, meaningful signposting

Nick and John share evidence, insight, and compassion - showing how construction can move from tick-box policies to meaningful action that saves lives and strengthens workplaces.

🎧 If you want to understand the real story behind addiction in construction and what your organisation can do about it - this episode is essential listening.

📺 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEoibJLDuFnnT3qSQw37LKPG6xlyvCj7B

🔹 Thank you to our sponsor, GKR Scaffolding, for supporting this series and helping us share our mission of improving health and wellbeing in construction.

Episode Links:

Jennie Armstrong: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniearmstrong/

Construction Health & Wellbeing: https://constructionhealth.co.uk/

John Fenna:

• Website: https://www.betknowmoreuk.org/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/betknowmore-uk/ │ https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnfenna/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/betknowmoreuk/

Nick McMurray

• Website: https://positivematters.co.uk/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/positive-matters-ltd-uk/ │ https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-mcmurray-06b14628/

GKR Scaffolding (sponsor): https://gkrscaffolding.co.uk/

Are you investing in a healthier and happier workforce? Take our quick, free assessment to uncover how your organisation measures up in occupational health & wellbeing. Get personalised insights and actionable steps to make a real difference.

👉 Check Your Score Now

In this episode of Build & Thrive, host Jennie Armstrong is joined by Jacqui Wallis, CEO of Genius Within, to explore a topic many in the construction industry are only just beginning to understand: neurodiversity at work.

With over 25 years of experience and her own lived perspective as a neurodivergent leader, Jacqui brings insight, empathy, and practical solutions to a conversation that’s long overdue. Together, Jennie and Jacqui unpack what neurodiversity really means - covering both lifelong and acquired cognitive differences - and how these impact productivity, communication, safety, and wellbeing in high-pressure, fast-paced environments like construction.

You’ll learn:

• What neurodiversity is (and isn’t)
• Why construction may have a higher prevalence of neurodivergent workers
• What the latest CITB-backed research says about prevalence and disclosure
• How workplace design, communication style, and onboarding practices affect performance
• Simple, no-cost strategies to better support your people
• Why awareness is no longer enough - and where to go for free training and tools

Jacqui also shares a powerful case study from a suicide prevention charity, offering a sobering reminder of the real human cost when mental health and cognitive health are overlooked.

🎧 If you’re ready to build a more inclusive, productive, and resilient workforce - this episode is essential listening.

🎧 https://www.buzzsprout.com/2431164 (or search your podcast app)

📺 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEoibJLDuFnnT3qSQw37LKPG6xlyvCj7B

🔹 Thank you to our sponsor, GKR Scaffolding, for supporting this series and helping us share our mission of improving health and wellbeing in construction.

Episode Links:

Jennie Armstrong: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniearmstrong/

Construction Health & Wellbeing: https://constructionhealth.co.uk/

Jacqui Wallis:

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacquiwallis/ / https://www.linkedin.com/company/genius-within-cic/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacswol/
• Website: https://geniuswithin.org/
• Linktree: https://linktr.ee/GeniusWithinCIC
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@geniuswithincic
• Genius Finder: Welcome | Genius Finder

GKR Scaffolding (sponsor): https://gkrscaffolding.co.uk/

Are you investing in a healthier and happier workforce? Take our quick, free assessment to uncover how your organisation measures up in occupational health & wellbeing. Get personalised insights and actionable steps to make a real difference.

👉 Check Your Score Now

In this powerful and honest episode of Build & Thrive, host Jennie Armstrong sits down with Nick O’Shea – construction professional, podcast host, and person in recovery – to talk about the role addiction plays in the construction industry.

With over a decade in construction and a personal journey through drug and alcohol addiction, Nick offers a deeply human perspective on the workplace culture that normalises excessive drinking, dismisses mental health, and enables risky behaviours. He opens up about how his own addiction was shaped by the industry, the badge-of-honour attitude towards pub culture, and why drug and alcohol testing isn't enough.

They explore:

• Nick’s personal story of addiction, recovery and sobriety
• The impact of construction culture, long hours, and being away from home
• Why awareness alone isn’t enough – and how organisations need to take real action
• The difference between policy and lived experience
• What the future of wellbeing in construction should look like – and how Nick’s Hard Hat Reset programme aims to support that shift

Whether you're in leadership, HR, boots on site or simply care about your colleagues, this episode is a must-listen. It's about breaking the stigma, challenging assumptions, and building an industry where wellbeing is more than a checkbox.

🎧 Available as a podcast and video:

🎧 https://www.buzzsprout.com/2431164 (or search your podcast app)

📺 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEoibJLDuFnnT3qSQw37LKPG6xlyvCj7B

🔹 Thank you to our sponsor, GKR Scaffolding, for supporting this series and helping us share our mission of improving health and wellbeing in construction.

Episode Links:

Jennie Armstrong: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniearmstrong/

Construction Health & Wellbeing: https://constructionhealth.co.uk/

Nick o’Shea:

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-o%E2%80%99shea-2146541bb/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getsoberwithnick/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@G_S_W_N
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7liv2xGkqO2ETZjs1jPsLV?si=0f5815609d464a8e

GKR Scaffolding (sponsor): https://gkrscaffolding.co.uk/

Are you investing in a healthier and happier workforce? Take our quick, free assessment to uncover how your organisation measures up in occupational health & wellbeing. Get personalised insights and actionable steps to make a real difference.

👉 Check Your Score Now