How the construction industry can improve the health and well-being of their workers in a post COVID-19 era

UK Construction industry employs 2.7m employees and can lead the economic recovery by adapting to the current crisis. It accounts for a 6.02% share of the GDP and was hit strongly by the COVID-19 pandemic. Research has revealed that construction workers are at an increased risk of suffering from mental health conditions and data shows that male construction workers are three times more likely to commit suicide than the average male in the UK. Job insecurity, long hours, time away from families, lack of support from organisations and late payments are all known to contribute to this crisis. This paper explores how the construction industry can improve the mental health of its work force in the post pandemic era and what measures organisations can take to tackle the mental health crisis that the industry is facing, and which has been exacerbated by the pandemic. The research methodology used is a qualitative systematic literature review of published material including research journal papers, government and industry reports and articles that explore mental health challenges faced by the construction industry before and after the pandemic. The paper identifies the indicators of mental health and the existing initiatives currently operational within the construction sector and examines how mental health issues can be mainstreamed and be incorporated into construction industry policies and programmes to result in a healthy and balanced workforce.

Payment gridlocks in selected mining and energy production companies in Poland

The subject of this article is the problem of payment gridlocks and their significance for the enterprise sector and the risks they cause. The authors’ attention is focused here on presenting the essence of payment gridlocks, their consequences, as well as the causes on the sides of both the debtor and the creditor. In the empirical part of the article, the authors focused on assessing the problem of payment backlogs in selected mining and energy-production companies in Poland. A study on selected companies from this industry was conducted, the purpose of which was to show the scale of delayed payments with the particular identification of those that are payment backlogs (i.e. a delay of at least 60 days). Five major companies from the energy industry in Poland were selected for the study, representing both the mining and energy production sectors. These companies are Polska Grupa Górnicza SA, Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa SA, ENEA SA, Energa SA and TAURON Polska Energia SA According to the available data, payment terms in this sector are the longest in the European Union compared to other sectors of the economy. In Poland, the situation is no different in this respect. This is especially visible in the mining industry, which is perceived as very risky when it comes to timely payments. Undoubtedly, reducing payment gridlocks in this industry is a difficult task, which results from its specificity and the number of problems it is struggling with, which have been additionally reinforced by the Covid-19 pandemic. © 2022. The Author(s).