When healthcare is discussed, often our physical health comes to mind. But mental well-being also plays a major role in a person’s overall health. According to the World Health Organization, a recent study showed that the global economy loses $1 trillion (that’s not a typo) in productivity each year due to depression and anxiety disorders. Colorado in particular struggles with mental health issues as it is in the top ten states for suicide. That’s a scary number, but it’s important to understand the facts and the causes in order to offer help where it’s needed.
I recently sat down with Haselden’s HR Manager, Amanda Sparks, to talk about mental health and how companies can help ensure that team members have access to resources.
Let’s start with the basics. What is mental health?
I think when we talk about mental health in the workplace, we speak to the emotional, psychological, and social well-being of individuals. From a workplace standpoint, when you break that down, we’re looking at how people are supported in the workplace, what their stress levels are at their jobs, and whether or not they have that work/life balance. (See mentalhealth.gov’s description of mental health here.)
Why do you think there’s a stigma surrounding receiving mental health services?
I believe it has improved and people are more open to talking about mental health, but it’s still not great. It’s important to create more awareness around the topic because I imagine part of the problem is that people don’t understand what the resources are and how they can help themselves. I think the unknown makes people not want to discuss it as openly.
What do you see as barriers for people looking to seek mental health services?
One issue is people just not talking about mental health in the first place. They aren’t aware of the resources, don’t know what’s out there, and don’t know how their benefits work. Another issue is that people aren’t sure who to go see. The third blockade is that a lot of counselors don’t take insurance, so it can get very expensive and difficult for people financially. There’s also the matter of how busy the providers are. There are many providers who aren’t accepting new patients because their practices are already so full, and if they are, the wait to get in can be very long. If you’re in a situation where you need mental health assistance, you probably don’t want to wait.
How do you proactively address mental health with team members?
From an HR strategy standpoint, it’s really about educating everyone on what their benefits are and how they work, what falls under the umbrella of mental health, and what resource options they have and how to access those. At Haselden, it’s things like communicating about our Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and ensuring our team members know they have access to things like a smoking cessation program, free visits with a mental health provider through the EAP, and different help lines through our benefits carrier, etc. Resources like these are really important because taking that first step often encourages a person to continue on the path to finding the right care.
I’m sure there is a lot of information out there about mental health benefits, etc. As an HR professional, what are the most important aspects for you to be aware of?
Knowing your company’s benefits inside and out so you can help your team members. When someone comes to you, you want to be able to immediately point them in the right direction and guide them to the right resource. It’s so important for anyone in HR (or anyone who’s involved in benefits) to really understand the trends in mental health—especially in the workplace—and where those are headed
Resources
If you—or someone you know—needs help and you don’t know where to start, these are some good resources:
Construction can be stressful. There’s a lot to think about, a lot going on every day, a lot of moving parts. We want to make sure our team members have the resources they need to achieve a healthy work/life balance.
and how big an issue mental health has become. It’s up to us to follow those trends and figure out the new and improved ways of battling mental health issues so we can ensure our team members can always feel that work/life balance. That means staying up-to-date on the latest research, looking at what different options are provided, or working with our team to see what other options are out there to enhance our benefits.
A lot of people don’t think of mental health as a consideration when they think of the construction industry—they think of physical health. Why is it important in the work we do?
People are dealing with high stress in jobs in our industry. As a general contractor, our team members are not only dealing with our own employees, but they’re also coordinating with subcontractors, subconsultants, owners, architects … so they’re not just responsible for Haselden team members, but everyone else on the jobsite. On a big job, we could be talking about hundreds of people. Making sure everyone is safe every day, making sure they get home to their families and friends—that’s a big responsibility. We also have very strict deadlines in construction. Time is money and that can be really stressful. There are also long hours involved in many of the projects and those are hours these men and women are away from their families, which can also create stress. So again, we’re back to looking at how to achieve that work/life balance.
What are ways that companies can support/promote positive experiences for their team members?
Whatever industry you’re in, understanding your people and culture is key. What do your people love? What are their interests? What makes them happy? Is it having an ice cream social every Friday during the summer? Something simple like that can show appreciation and give people a quick break. Small gestures can make a difference; it’s the consistency of mindfulness throughout the year that’s really important. Every company has an interesting culture and what works at each place is going to be different. We know our team members love our car show, the company picnic, Flauta Fridays—all these traditions that we’ve created that people look forward to. So we build on those. At Haselden, one of our values is Sense of Belonging and these events help instill that in our team members.
How Can Employers Help
Providing access to resources that support mental health is an important responsibility that employers have to their employees. Amanda notes that creating awareness and talking about those resources is especially crucial because people spend the majority of their time at work, and a team member’s mental health doesn’t just affect them, it trickles down to their families and friends. By being proactive, understanding trends and statistics, and disseminating information, companies can make a positive difference in their employees’ lives.
Creating a Healthy Workplace
Here are some tips the World Health Organization suggests to make your workplace healthier!
- Reduce work-related mental risk factors
- Focus on employee strengths
- Attend to mental health issues, even if work is not the cause
- Identify distress, use of harmful psychoactive drugs, and illness and provide the resources to manage those issues
- Provide career development opportunities
- Let employees know what resources and support is available to them
- Recognize and reward team members’ contributions
The post Health & Well-Being—It’s Not Just Physical! appeared first on Haselden Construction.
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