Is your workplace culture ready?
In this column, I Am Here explores what it means to build a genuine culture of care in the furniture and fit-out industry, one conversation, one connection, one workplace at a time.
The workforce is changing. Generation Z now makes up nearly a third of employees globally, and they are bringing very different expectations with them. According to LinkedIn’s 2024 Workforce Confidence Index, 82% of Gen Z workers would accept a lower-paying job if it came with stronger mental health support.
Research from the Society for Human Resource Management finds that 61% would strongly consider leaving their current role if offered one with better mental health benefits. For industries already managing tight margins and skills shortages, that is worth paying attention to.
This is not just a recruitment conversation. It is a retention one. The businesses that will hold onto good people over the next decade are the ones building cultures where mental health and wellbeing is part of how they operate.
Wherever your organisation is on that road, there is a place to start.
Some businesses already have an Employee Assistance Programme in place. That is a solid foundation. The challenge is that EAP utilisation consistently sits below 3%. The support exists, but people are not reaching for it, often because it feels distant and disconnected from the reality of their working day. I Am Here works alongside an existing EAP to change that, building the kind of trust and confidence that makes people genuinely willing to pick up the phone.
For organisations earlier in the process, I Am Here offers something more grounded from the outset. Real people. Regular visits. Faces your Team Members recognise and trust. That human presence is what makes the difference between a wellbeing conversation that happens once a year and one that is woven into the everyday rhythm of how a business operates.
That presence takes different forms. Toolbox talks on site. Live sessions with the team. Ambassador training that puts capable, trusted people inside your organisation. Activation that keeps mental health and wellbeing visible and relevant week to week.
That is the thing about having a mental health and wellbeing partner that focuses on early intervention and prevention. The skills people build at work don’t stay in that setting. They can be applied in all walks of life. This ultimately makes it easier to reach out when someone is struggling. Or know where to go if they ever need help and support themselves.
If you’d like to explore what that could look like in your organisation, reach out to Jim Breen at [email protected]
Jim Breen, Founder and Executive Chair, I Am Here
