In an industry known for its tough exterior, where silence often masks struggle, something remarkable has taken root at Phillips 66 Humber Refinery. It’s called All Ears – a mental wellbeing initiative born not in the boardroom, but on the job.

It all started with two KAEFER employees, one being Alec Hotchin. After completing their Mental Health First Aider training, they noticed that a number of scaffolders wanted to talk. For a trade known to keep their cards close to their chest, this shift was powerful. “If scaffolders are opening up,” thought Alec, “there has to be others on site who want to talk too.”

“All Ears” was officially launched in May 2023 starting with a poster campaign, helmet stickers and gate handouts to raise awareness. “We thought people would be more comfortable saying, ‘I’m going to use All Ears rather than a mental health first aider or naming a person. We thought it sounded more welcoming.” explained Alec.

While sessions are held on Mondays 15:30–16:30 in the site’s wellbeing room, the All Ears team make it clear that support isn’t limited to that weekly session – anyone can reach out at any time. This has given peace of mind to everyone on site that there is a safe space to go and have a conversation, knowing it will be treated with respect and confidentiality.

The impact has been huge. The stigma around mental health has begun to shift and everyone on site – all contractors and P66 staff – know that support is available. Alec said, “The biggest thing for me is the brave individuals who’ve had the courage to come forward and use the service. That’s what makes it all worthwhile.”

Emma Crake, Training Coordinator for P66, helped formalise and embed the programme. She echoed Alec’s sentiment: “Although we don’t get the footfall in every session, we have been told that just knowing the drop-in session is available gives great peace of mind. We don’t do this for awards or recognition. It’s about making sure people are safe in all aspects of their lives.”

Still, recognition did come. In 2024, All Ears was honoured with a Special Recognition Award at the P66 Contractor of the Year Awards. While the team accepted it with gratitude, they remain grounded in their mission: to be there, to listen, and to help.

With the continued support from KAEFER & P66 management, and the passionate All Ears team, the programme is set to grow further – the aim is to embed All Ears deeper into site culture and in turn support staff retention while hopefully attracting new staff.

Emma went on to say: “I am very proud to be part of All Ears and extremely grateful to Alec for bringing the idea forward.”

This is an amazing initiative! Thank you to Alec Hotchin for sharing this story with us and for his enthusiasm and passion for mental wellbeing. We hope that by sharing we can inspire other Mental Health Champions around the KAEFER UK & Ireland business to spread awareness of what a Champion can offer or even implement something similar on other sites. 

Testimonials from site operatives:

“All Ears has been my safe space, my savior. Speaking in a relaxed, non-judgmental and welcoming environment has been immensely helpful.  I have struggled at times but with All Ears the door is always open. I will always be grateful – they have helped more than they will ever know.” A KAEFER Operative

“For me personally, All Ears has given me someone to talk to, and that reassurance that it shall pass. My mental health journey started pre-covid after a major break up, something I didn’t deal with correctly at the time. I can say now looking back, I was one of the non-believers when it came to mental well-being. The old school “lad’s lad” brought up in the “man-up” world. How wrong was I?I spiralled and what went from feeling a bit down, situational depression then turned into clinical depression. But I’m one of the lucky ones, I realised and got help – I reached out to my closest and got the support I needed. However I still have bad days now, and All Ears gives me that opportunity to get things off my chest – and ultimately get a pat on the back, a hug, and see a smiley face in a non-judgmental safe place.” An Employee Working for a Different Contractor

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