Battling the Stigma

Mental Health in Construction

TODAY’S AGENDA

01 Introductions

02 Statistics

03 The Stigma

04 Real life Examples

05 What can You do

01.

Introductions

Who am I?

David Skuppin – Process Improvement Specialist with Okland Construction

• Grew up in the Construction Industry
• First Job was slinging mud
• Ops Director for a small General Contractor
• Owner Operator of a small concrete/handyman company
• Project Engineer/Process Improvement Specialist with Okland Construction

02.

Statistics

Anxiety & Depression

Anxiety and Depression

A study by Clayco show’s that roughly 64% of the 1,000 construction workers surveyed have dealt with mental health issues. (Anxiety or Depression)

By Gender

The study showed 60% of men and 73% of women had experienced anxiety or depression over the previous year

By Generation

Gen Z reported 69%, Millenials and Baby Boomers reported 66% and Gen X 59% on reporting anxiety or depression over the previous year.

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Substance Abuse

Substance Use Disorders

According to the Clayco study, more 28% of construction workers say they have experienced substance use disorders or challenges with addiction within the last 12 months.

Not just the field

Roughly 34% of construction executives serveyed admit they have had a substance use disorder or experienced challenges with addiction in the last 12 months.

Self-Medicating

58% of construction workers surveyed admitted to mis-usage or over-usage of at least one substance to cope with their mental health within the past 12 months.

“Beer:30”

From personal experience, the vicious cycle of having a bad day, slugging back a few beers to dull the edge, then waking up feeling worse and having another bad day.. A vicious cycle that fuels addiction and depression

03.

The Stigma

“Man up”

We have all had the feeling that we should “man up” when tempted to talk about our mental health

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Have any of you here felt this way?

Don’t talk about it

The Construction Industry has a prevailing culture of “tough it out, don’t talk about it” causing many of our brothers and sisters to suffer alone in silence.

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Have any of you here felt this way?

Bias & Discrimination

Whether we acknowledge it or not, we all have a bias. Especially concerning Mental Health. How many of us in this room feel differently about someone when they admit they are having trouble with their mental health?

• 21% of Construction executives surveyed in the Clayco study admitted that someone who disclosed that they are interested in seeking mental health services or support would be less likely to be assigned important tasks.
• 37% of construction workers who have used professional mental health services or support programs have experienced discrimination or unfair treatment at work.

Shame & Taboo

No one likes to talk about their mental health. Depression and Mental Health are four letter words to many of those in our profession.

• According to the Clayco Survey, 45% of construction workers say they would feel ashamed talking about their mental health, addiction, or suicidal thoughts with their coworkers.
• Yet 91% of construction workers say they would be willing to support a colleague that was experience depression.
• Where is the disconnect? Our people spend as much time with each other (if not more) than with their family.

SUICIDE

The Construction Industry faces one of the most dire suicide crisises in the world. With Suicide Rates in the construction industry in the United States being roughly 4.25 times higher than the national average for Inexperienced Workers.

• The Construction Industry has the second highest rate of Suicide out of any industry in the United States
• This is second to the mining and extraction industry.
• The Suicide rate is roughly fifty-six out of every 100,00 people.
• This is compared to roughly thirty-two per every 100,000 male workers in all industries.

04.

Real Life Examples

My Story

As a

Suicide Survivor

At Okland

Okland Construction has had to deal with the tragedy of Suicide. As have many of the companies here in this room.

• During the Covid19 Pandemic, Okland Construction had three individuals take their own lives
• Previously, we had one suicicde.
• This crisis spurred action by Okland’s Leadership Team.
• A Sweeping mental health reform took place.

05.

What can you do?

ENTERPRISE INITIATIVES

Onsite Tool box talks centered around mental health and support systems. How to get help and resources available to people.

Resources

• National Suicide Hotline
• Crisis text line
• Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention
• Hard Hat Courage Initiative

Toolbox Talks

Corporate created trainings specifically regarding mental health and suicide awarenessF10 (Fatal 10) Trainings through LMS and other onsite talks.

LMS Trainings

Tava

Tava is company sponsored Therapy Sessions, covered by benefits and free of Charge.

On the Jobsite:

Empathy

We’ve talked time and time again about how hard it is to feel judged or to be afraid to come forward because oh how you will be perceived.

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We need to foster a culture of Empathy, we’ve all gone through this before and it is up to us as leaders to demonstrate that awareness and Empathy

On the Jobsite:

Support Systems

To go right along with Empathy, we need to talk about fostering support systems. Especially for Men. The mentality of having to do it alone just drives us further and further apart.

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The machismo of the past has no place in the jobsite of tomorrow. How are your teams doing this?

We MUST create and encourage a culture of Mental Health Awareness and Acceptance, a culture of CARE. If we are demonstrating top down that it is OK to feel these mental health stresses and struggles than our people, seeing us be vulnerable, will come to learn that it is acceptable to be vulnerable themselves.

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Are there any examples here of what your companies are doing?

On the Jobsite:

A Culture of Caring

Tools around coping mechanisms and how to deal with the changes and stressors of our environment are a MUST, We all saw the statistics around substance abuse, anxiety, depression, and Suicide.

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We need to help our people learn how to handle these emotions. Not just drinking a beer to dull the edge or going off on some other destructive behavior.

On the Jobsite:

Coping

06.

Conclusion

Our People Need Us

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MON

FRI

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

Full Team Co-Locate

Possible Breakouts

Internal Prep

Breakouts and Recap

Internal Catch Up

MONDAY

Q & A

GENERAL OKLAND SLIDES

BE DISTINCT

EARN TRUST

DELIVER VALUE

BE HUMBLE

CREATE SHARED SUCCESS

CREATE A REMARKABLE EXPERIENCE. EVERY PERSON. EVERY TIME.

FOUNDED: 1918

TODAY: 100+ YEARS IN BUSINESS

4^th GENERATION FAMILY OWNED

OKLAND TIMELINE