Exploring Psychological Safety
Date Posted: June 24, 2021
Posted In: COVID-19 Updates, Discussion, Workforce,
From Construction Business Owner: In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, workforce stress is at an all-time high. More than 70% of the workforce agrees that this has been the most stressful time of their entire career. Depression rates have more than doubled, and there’s been an increase in substance abuse, domestic violence cases and suicides.
Stress and workplace accidents are closely connected, with up to 80% of workplace accidents being a direct result of stress. Essential workers who are handling delicate materials and putting themselves in harm’s way need to be mentally sharp and to be able to cope with stress — otherwise they’re at increased risk for accidents or injuries. That’s why experts are concerned with the health and safety of physically demanding industries like construction, oil and gas, and utilities.
As such, business leaders are now recognizing that psychological safety plays a huge part in physical safety and have prioritized bringing mental health resources to help improve safety.
This is where resilience training comes in, and employers have turned to this as an effective way to help their workforce get ahead of any adversity that they face and limit the negative effects of stress.
The Mental Health Brand Problem
When we think of mental health, it often conjures up images of weakness: head-in-hands imagery, suffering, anxiety or even suicide. All images that equate to mental illness. When we think of physical health, the imagery is more likened to fitness, vibrancy and athletic or healthy people, and not of someone with a cast or in a hospital bed. This contrast speaks to the brand problem facing mental health.
The reality is that mental health impacts us all — it lives on a spectrum between thriving and illness that must be monitored regularly. It changes by the day, and there’s no finish line.
However, the mental health supports we’ve provided workers are negatively contributing to this brand problem. Up until now, the focus of mental health resources has been skewed towards the illness end of the spectrum, pertaining to the one in five employees who might be in mental distress. Resources like crisis lines, teletherapy and return to work programming that are offered through employee assistance program (EAP) providers. Why? Because this is the area that’s costing employers directly through absenteeism and turnover costs. Making the issue even worse, employees rarely even know these resources exist, with less than 10% of workers utilizing mental health supports through EAP providers.