As an inclusivity champion for construction company Wates, Will Bayley discusses the real power of public leisure facilities in helping people and communities come together and break barriers through sport.

In this blog, John Dunne, Group Safety Health Environment and Quality Director at Wates, outlines why he believes the rise in reported absenteeism due to poor mental health is a positive thing.

As highly technical and complex clinical environments, science facilities require a very meticulous and collaborative approach to construction.

People are the lifeline of our industry. With industry growth must come more investment in the future workforce. Read more on why training is so vital to our industry.

Much like the rest of the UK, the construction industry is weathering a significant period of economic uncertainty, derived from our impending exit from the European Union.

Whether a commercial office development, new school or leisure facility, the schemes we build ultimately take root within the surrounding local community and have a tangible impact upon the built environment and local economy.

The matter of transferable skills is the first question that anyone will ask themselves when they change careers and I was no exception when I took the decision to leave the Army in 2004. It had been my life for 17 years and it had undoubtedly shaped me as a person.

There is a really strong culture for giving back at Wates and I’ve really enjoyed the past few months of getting to know the teams and seeing their genuine enthusiasm for making a positive difference.

Listen to a 20-minute EY podcast with James Wates CBE from the Wates Group, Mala Shah-Coulon from EY and Elizabeth Bagger for Institute for Family Business, for their insights and guidance.