Beyond the Fireworks: CarmichaelUK Supports Stress Awareness Day

As Bonfire Night lights up the skies, many of us stop and reflect—not just on tradition and fireworks, but on what else is happening beneath the surface. For years, 5 November has also come to mark Stress Awareness Day (the first Wednesday in November) – a moment to pause, reflect, and act on mental health and stress in all its forms.

Stress is not a badge of honour. When left unchecked, it can erode productivity, relationships, physical health, and morale. In professional settings—especially in industries that face high pressure, tight deadlines, and safety risks—stress is an often hidden challenge.

At CarmichaelUK, we recognise that our industry (civil engineering, recruitment, project-based work) brings unique pressures for both our team and the candidates, contractors, and clients we engage with. This Stress Awareness Day, here’s how we’re working to combat stress and foster resilience.

What is Stress Awareness Day?

Stress Awareness Day is part of International Stress Awareness Week (typically early November) and serves to raise public and workplace awareness of stress and strategies to manage it.

It encourages organisations and individuals to:

• Recognise signs of excessive stress (fatigue, irritability, sleep problems, etc.)

• Encourage open conversations about wellbeing and mental health

• Introduce or reinforce stress-management tools, policies, and support systems

• Reduce stigma around seeking help or adjustments in workload

Why Stress Matters (Especially in Our Sector)

In recruitment, project work and construction-related roles, stress can be exacerbated by factors like:

• Uncertainty or volatility in project timelines and budgets

• High expectations, strict safety protocols, tight schedules

• Frequent travel or remote site work

• Pressure of reputation, performance targets, and retention

• Candidate / contractor challenges – delays, conflicting demands, scarce resources

Unchecked stress can lead to burnout, reduced engagement, loss of focus (which is especially dangerous in safety-critical environments), and higher staff turnover.

What CarmichaelUK Is Doing

While CarmichaelUK’s public site does not currently list a formal “Wellbeing Strategy” page, here are existing

and proposed initiatives we can highlight or formalise:

1. Embedding Mental Health into Our Culture

We aim to cultivate an environment where people feel safe discussing stress, mental health, or overwhelm. That means:

• Encouraging regular check-ins between managers and team members

• Normalising “how are you doing?” beyond just project updates

• Sharing stories or resources internally (especially around Stress Awareness Day)

  
  

2. Training & Awareness

• Providing mental health / stress-management workshops or webinars (e.g. breathing techniques, resilience training)

• Equipping line managers with training to recognise signs of stress and support their teams

• Sharing tips, articles or micro-learning on stress reduction

  
  

3. Practical Policies & Flexibility

• Ensuring workloads are balanced and realistic

• Allowing flexibility (where possible) in hours, remote work, or rest breaks

• Reviewing project planning well in advance to reduce last-minute stress spikes

• Promoting rest and time-off culture (encouraging use of holiday, discouraging overwork)

  
  

External Support & Signposting

• Providing access to external counselling, employee assistance programmes (EAP), or mental health professionals

• Sharing helplines, mental health charities, or partner resources with candidates, contractors, and employees

• Encouraging a network of peer support or “buddy systems”

  
  

Leading by Example in Recruitment & Client Relations

Because CarmichaelUK is a recruitment partner:

• We can advocate to clients to build psychologically safe project environments

• Encourage clients to factor in wellbeing when planning resourcing or deadlines

• Advise candidates to recognise red flags in roles or workplaces that might exacerbate stress

• Where we have influence, we can push for best-practice wellbeing in projects we support

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How We’ll Mark 5 November & the Week Around It

To make Stress Awareness Day more than symbolic, here is what we plan (or suggest) for this 5 November:

• Host a lunchtime virtual session or brief talk: “Recognising & Managing Stress”

• Share daily micro-tips or infographics on stress and wellbeing via internal channels (email, Slack, Teams)

• Encourage everyone to take short breaks (stretching, walks, mindfulness) especially mid-week

• Invite feedback: anonymous surveys on stress levels, “what’s stressing you?” and suggestions

• Highlight and share external resources: guides, helplines, apps

• Senior leadership to send a personal message acknowledging stress, reinforcing support

  
  

Tips for Reducing Stress — Whether You Work With Us or Independently

Here are practical strategies we and our partners find helpful:

• Mindful breathing: pause for 1–2 minutes, take slow deep breaths

• Micro-breaks: short movement, stretching, stepping away from screen

• Prioritisation & boundaries: focus on what matters, say no to overload

• Physical self-care: sleep, nutrition, exercise

• Talk it through: candid conversations help offload pressure

• Disconnect time: limit after-hours work, carve out non-work zones

• Use tools: apps, checklists, journaling

• Seek professional help early: counselling or therapy isn’t a last resort

  
  

Looking Forward: What Success Looks Like

We don’t just want to “do something” for stress awareness. Our goal is to make wellbeing sustainable. Indicators of success:

• Increased openness and comfort talking about mental health

• Fewer incidents of burnout or resignations attributed to stress

• Better productivity, engagement, retention

• Healthier relationships between clients, contractors, and our internal teams

• Positive feedback in internal surveys about work-life balance and stress levels

  
  

On 5 November—while fireworks may light up the sky, it’s worth shining some light inward too. Stress Awareness Day is a call to pause, listen, and act. At CarmichaelUK, we believe that performance and wellbeing go hand in hand: by tackling stress head-on, we build stronger, safer, more resilient teams and partnerships.

If you work with CarmichaelUK (or are thinking of doing so), we want you to feel supported—not just in your role but as a person. This November, let’s commit to seeing stress, naming it, and working together to reduce its grip.