________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Why do you think the construction industry struggles with mental health issues in general ? Fundamentally , you see this in most male-dominated industries . There is a pattern of behavior where males don ’ t seek medical or mental health support , they delay care , and they don ’ t do intervention early enough . I think it ’ s seen as a sign of weakness , not strength . Historically , people were concerned that they would be passed over for promotion , be the first to be laid off and not be hired in the first place if they admitted that weakness . So , it became a very stoic , tough guy , tough gal culture . Multi-generations of construction workers from the same families probably pass that belief down . It becomes a standardized norm . It ’ s the way we do things .
Then , you work long hours in construction with physically demanding labor and deadline pressure . Many workers travel to do their work , so they don ’ t get the benefit of a short commute , and sometimes that work is out of town , away from family and regular support .
Do you think small contractors struggle more to address wellness on the job ? Larger companies have been able to address the issues involved faster and implement solutions quicker . Smaller contractors have probably slipped through the cracks . They don ’ t have HR and safety professionals , risk managers , etc . People wear a lot of hats in small companies . They ’ re probably spread pretty thin .
The areas where I remain concerned are the areas of substance abuse and not having enough strategies around addiction , treatment and recovery for workers and families . That impacts everyone . Then , the opioid crisis continues to affect construction adversely . I spend a lot of energy working for solutions in that area .
How does introducing new technology on the job impact these issues ? It usually means there ’ s a change , and people respond poorly to change in any industry at any level . When change is introduced without a proper introduction , when it ’ s not being rolled out strategically and when it feels dumped on people , you feel extra anxiety and stress .
How do you address that extra anxiety and stress ? The organizations that do a better job managing and even leading a technology change tend to get better results with mental health concerns . I ’ ve seen organizations that have been willy-nilly with technology changes , installing them at the last minute and not being strategic . That causes a ripple effect of adverse consequences . You have to be very intentional . You must have a communication process , a strategy , and a timeline .
You have a business to run . If you don ’ t implement and adopt change , you could be left behind as a business . People will be more confident about a new technology by communicating the why , when , how and who . Otherwise , they ’ ll start to worry about their job security : Is the boss trying to replace us ? Am I going to get left behind because I ’ m not tech-savvy ? Tap all your available resources to create a coherent , implementable strategy to avoid those feelings of uncertainty and stress .
12