Articles

Construction workers are far too often overlooked when it comes to mental health outreach and initiatives. This needs to change.

By Nicholas Wyman, CEO IWSI America

Source: https://industrytoday.com/healing-invisible-injuries-in-the-construction-industry/

We think we know a lot about construction workers.  The stereotype typically is that they’re strong, no-nonsense people who enjoy physical work.  Many are athletic, likely to have played high school sports.  And many are armed forces veterans.  This kind of background fosters great traits. Construction workers are often agile, strong, physically resilient, good at teamwork, comfortable playing by rules and happy to follow a chain of command.

But there are downsides as well. Dr. John Gaal, newly appointed Worker Wellness Director at Missouri AFL-CIO’s “Missouri Works Initiative (MWI)” shared his insights on those downsides. He told me that athletes and veterans may be tough on the outside, but can also be struggling with the effects of undiagnosed injuries.  Chief among these is traumatic brain injury (TBI), caused by repetitive, low-level head trauma over time. 

TBI can disrupt the brain’s normal functioning, change mental state temporarily, and spawn other negative outcomes such as headaches; motor dysfunction; and sensory, cognitive, and speech issues. Mental health problems related to TBI can take many forms, such as anxiety, depression, and, with veterans, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 

Sadly, John has personal experience with TBI.  A few years ago, his 24-year-old son  died by suicide after a period of unexplained personality changes and depression.  Posthumously, his son was diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) brought on by years of head knocks playing soccer and football. So John knows firsthand how subtle the symptoms can be, and how difficult it is for sufferers to get the help they need.

Americans incur up to 3.8 million traumatic brain injuries (TBI) each year. And if sportsmen and vets with undiagnosed brain trauma enter the construction industry, they’re likely to experience additional injury on the job. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says more head injuries happen in the construction sector than in any other sector.

Dealing with that kind of pain and trauma in an industry where toughness is mandatory can result in some very negative coping strategies. 

Research shows blue-collar workers, particularly those in construction, are more likely to smoke, and to be moderate-to-heavy smokers. Blue-collar employees also have a higher risk of alcohol and drug use. Construction workers in particular are the most likely of any occupation to use drugs, including opioids. And shockingly, the construction industry has the second-highest rate of suicides by occupation.

These problems don’t just affect older workers.  The negative behaviors mixed with a macho work culture affect new workers as well. 

John did a pilot study of 49 construction industry apprentices and found that more than one-third said they were often stressed by mistreatment within the program. About the same number said they had anxiety about unsafe job site conditions. They did not report their work issues to peers or supervisors, however, but confided in family or community members. These findings indicate that a significant number of young workers in the construction industry are experiencing unreported trauma and stress.

Something needs to change in the industry. Workers and apprentices need to know they can safely confront mental health issues without stigma or retribution. Many construction companies do have a strong focus on physical health and workplace safety.  But as we’ve seen, they often remain silent on mental health issues.

John has some concrete ideas about how to start.  He believes construction companies should consider:

• An open-door policy with the human resources team to discuss how workplace stress can be reduced
• Keeping current on the latest evidence about work-life balance, wellness, and wellbeing
• Sharing self-care information about stress-management techniques including: 
  • diet,
  • exercise
  • mindfulness,
  • avoiding at-risk behavior,
  • the need for proper rest,
  • cultivating prosocial behavior,
  • developing financial literacy, and
  • learning about alternative pain management strategies 
• Tapping into resilience training through phone apps workers can access when they’re most in need
• Breaking the silence by talking about mental health, including the opioid and suicide crisis in the construction industry, and
• Checking out these excellent websites from the US, UK, and Australia, which aim to debunk the hyper-masculine construction worker image for a more pragmatic one that’s kinder on mental health: 
  • Mates
  • Mates In Mind
  • Prevent Construction Suicide
  • Living Works
  • Man Therapy, and
  • the AGCMO’s Suicide Prevention’s page. 

Some states and industry organizations are already taking steps. In Missouri, where John is based, the state branch of the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) has funded classes for blue and white-collar workers to become qualified in mental health first aid.  The AGC is also contemplating a pool of peer specialists and community health workers informed about mental health, addiction, and suicide, who can visit job sites on demand.

So while there’s still a ways to go, many safety directors in the sector are beginning to get on board. What about your construction firm? With National Suicide Prevention Week just around the corner (5-11 September), it’s as good a time as any to ask your staff: RU OK?

Company diversity, equity and inclusion commitments aren’t just a concern of HR teams or socially-minded consumers. They’re a consideration of job candidates as well — particularly those hailing from Gen Z, according to data from networking platform Tallo. Of the more than 1,400 Gen Zers (that is, young adults born after 1996) surveyed for the July 2021 report, 99% of respondents said workplace DEI is important to them. Likewise, 87% of respondents said that it is “very important” to them. 

And yet 38% of respondents said they consider American workplaces to be diverse, equitable, and inclusive. Tallo found that accessibility and inclusion of people with disabilities, especially people who identified as neurodivergent, were crucial factors in Gen Zers’ likelihood of applying for a job. 

---

---

For those unfamiliar with “neurodiversity,” sociologist Judy Singercoined the term to encompass the diversity of human brains, including people with autism, ADHD and dyslexia.  Nick Walker, a critical autism researcher and an associate professor at the California Institute of Integral Studies, defines it as “the diversity of human minds, the infinite variation in neurocognitive functioning within our species.” 

About 1 in 5 respondents told Tallo they decided not to apply for a job because the company lacked resources for employees identifying as neurodivergent. Additionally, 80% of respondents said they’d be more likely to apply to a company who had materials for employees identifying as neurodivergent. 

---

---

Inclusion of neurodivergent workers is ‘a must-have’

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires most U.S. employers to provide accommodations for workers with disabilities, including intellectual ones. But basic ADA compliance may not cut it anymore.

As written in Tallo’s report, diversity and inclusion strategy is “a must-have, no longer a nice-to-have.” Casey Welch, Tallo’s CEO, told HR Dive that employers should view Gen Zers’ stance on disability rights with optimism. 

“Understand that it’s a great opportunity,” Welch said, adding that workplace education on neurodiversity is important. He also said that building a framework for neurodivergent new hires is a matter of ensuring their comfort. This can look like creating an employee resource group for workers with disabilities.

“More often than not, you’ll find out that people will step up and say, ‘I would like to lead this group. I would like to participate in it.’ Because, odds are, they already went through similar challenges. They understand them, they can speak to them, and they have worked within this environment,” Welch said.

“What better people to help represent the company and help steer it in the right direction than your own employees, who have done it?” he continued. “Let them be part of your solution. Don’t try to take it on, you know, all yourself.”

A timely example comes in the form of Randstad’s disability resource group revolutionizing hybrid work at the company. In an interview with HR Dive, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Audra Jenkins explained how Randstad’s Abilities In Motion business resource group started a digital co-working space. “Some people were struggling with working from home, because they need to be able to see someone else in their space to focus as part of their disability,” Jenkins said.

“We started what they call ‘co-working hours,’ where you can log on to a Google Hangout and you can work alongside someone. You may have your introductions and greetings, but you’re not chit chatting; you’re just working. You feel like you’re with a group of people while you’re doing your work, so it gives you that mental stimulation that you are looking for, from an abilities perspective.”

Jenkins has also considered scheduling accommodations for neurodiverse workers. “Maybe some folks have a mental disability where they can focus better in the mornings versus the afternoon. [For example,] maybe they need to have most of their meetings before noon and then the rest of the day, they do independent work,” she said. That, she added, is an easy accommodation to implement. 

---

What better people to help represent the company and help steer it in the right direction than your own employees, who have done it?

Casey Welch, CEO of Tallo

---

But first, Jenkins said, employers need to ensure their company has a culture where employees feel safe enough to ask for these kinds of accommodations. Similar to Welch, Jenkins said that learning is critical. Employers might offer trainings on neurodiversity and other topics related to disability, just as they hold LGBTQ+ trainings or veteran status trainings.

---

Disability inclusion should touch every part of recruiting

Sara Hart Weir, a disability rights expert and a senior associate at theInstitute for Workplace Skills & Innovation, said that employment hiring often leaves people with disabilities by the wayside. “It starts even before the job is posted,” she told HR Dive. One way that talent teams can make their recruiting process more inclusive is through community outreach. Another way is through re-examining the literal framework for hiring, through an accessibility lens.

“We’re really encouraging employers to look at their recruitment strategies in terms of how they engage with local disability organizations — the statewide vocational rehab and rehabilitation services and agencies. But also in terms of how they design their recruitment platforms for online applications, phone interviews, et cetera,” she said. “A lot of opportunities around resume-building and application submission should focus on the skills that an individual can bring to the workplace — rather than weeding out individuals by academic credentials or opportunities like that.”

---

by Nicholas Wyman, HR Expert Contributor.

Look around your workplace. Does it invest in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)?

Just 1 in 13 American employers have a dedicated strategy to attract, hire and retain people with disabilities, according to recent data from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

That’s a mere eight percent of companies.

If you’re one of those companies, that means you’re paying more than just lip service to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) by including people with disabilities. About one in four adults live with a disability in the US, that’s 61 million people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This is the largest group of jobless people in our nation.

And, when people with disabilities do find work, they suffer the worst pay gap, earning just 66 cents for every dollar that people without a disability earn.

Beyond the figures

And COVID-19 has hit people with disabilities the hardest. One in five workers with disabilities were ‘let go’ from their job in March 2020, compared to just one in seven of the general population. That’s according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

About one in six of the next generation (between the ages 3 to 17) identify as having a physical, intellectual, or developmental disability. Those figures are too big to ignore. But some companies might put the employing of more people with a disability in the “too-hard basket”.

Meanwhile, savvy employers like UPS are capitalizing on the benefits of actively recruiting and retaining people with a disability. Simply put, engaging with a broader range of perspectives in key decision-making helps guarantee superior business performance and a competitive edge.

Research has shown diverse workplaces enjoy these benefits, including higher or better:

• Workplace productivity
• Employee reliability and punctuality
• Staff satisfaction, job commitment, loyalty and retention
• Individual and collective innovation leading to new product and services development, and
• Cultural inclusivity, workplace communication and transparency

Your talent pipeline and market 

But let’s extend that. People with disabilities aren’t just your untapped pipeline of talent, but also your potential customers. They are a market segment with a discretionary income of $21 billion annually, the third-largest market segment in the US.

If you employ people with disabilities, your company is making one of the most cost-effective investments it can make in your growth and profitability.

Here are some extra benefits of embracing diversity in your business. You’ll be increasing:

• Market penetration
• Company reputation and customer attitudes towards company products and brands
• Customer diversity, loyalty and satisfaction, and
• Engagement with the local community.

Career readiness

One company enjoying this approach is the multi-billion-dollar global enterprise, UPS, the world’s largest package delivery company. They not only deliver packages, but offer dream careers for people with disabilities. This program started over a decade ago when UPS in Louisville, Kentucky, partnered with Options Unlimited to create the Transitional Learning Center.

There, UPS training supervisors and Options Unlimited job coaches pace would-be employees through a two-week, pre-employment program. It’s part classroom training, simulated work environment, and covers jobs responsibilities, safety procedures and soft skills.

Here’s the proof:

• 87% of trainees are placed into competitive jobs at UPS
• Nine out of ten trainees stay on with UPS, with more than half still working there more than seven years after graduating, and
• 15 graduates are now trainers, with four of them even part-time supervisors for frontline operations at UPS.

Inclusive practices

And that’s what we all need to do as a nation – honor the potential that people with a disability offer for our workplaces. As we rebuild our economy, let’s reset our approach to disability employment and inclusion in the mainstream labor market.

Here are some prompts to get you going:

• Talk to your management and staff about hiring, inducting, and working alongside people with a disability
• Consider how you can embed diversity, equity and inclusion in recruiting, screening and selection
• Revisit your concept of workplace and job design – are there barriers that could be real hurdles for people with a disability?
• Don’t reinvent the wheel – reach out to disability organizations or workplace intermediary organizations with expertise in bridging the gaps, and
• Form a strategy to encourage the employment of people with a disability.

---

By Nicholas Wyman.

Apprenticeships are are hot topic at the White House. A lot is in the works for these types of programs.

So, if you don’t want to miss the boat, here’s how to steer your company’s first apprenticeship program to take advantage of federal support – and you won’t need to go it alone.

So, what’s the big deal about apprenticeships, the learn-while-you-earn programs that prepare a talent pipeline for companies of all sizes?

They feature in-built mentoring that develops apprentices’ credentials, and the training is customized to what employers need. Apprenticeships also help workers to earn $300,000 more (including benefits) over their work-life compared to their peers who didn’t graduate from college, according to a Mathematica study.

 

What’s happening now

The Biden Administration is expected to create about one million new apprenticeship opportunities assuming the passage of the bipartisan National Apprenticeship Act of 2021.

Recently, the president stopped accepting and reviewing new or pending applications from entities keen to start an industry-recognized apprenticeship program, a system that began in 2017.

The White House says such programs would “threaten to undermine registered apprenticeship programs”. And, thanks to the Biden Administration’s focus on diversity, we should expect apprenticeship programs to open doors for women, and people of color, in traditionally white-male sectors such as construction and the building trades.

In early April, the president announced he’d allocate $48 million towards workforce development, through pre-apprenticeship and new registered apprenticeship programs. These hinge on his $2-trillion-plus infrastructure and climate plan, with another plan due out soon, too.

The diversity focus means the president is making it easier for companies to tap into the benefits of a more diverse workforce. Even the World Economic Forum highlights the benefits of diversity and inclusion.

These include higher revenue and innovation levels, being more attractive to millennial and female workers, as well as being able to meld different perspectives into the way the business operates.

It’s all part of the American Jobs Plan.

Want to take part?

It’s convenient for employers experiencing skills shortages in IT, sales, and marketing, and skilled trades such as construction, manufacturing, and engineering, according to this ManpowerGroup research.

Consider evolving technology in the automotive sector as the need for electric vehicles rises. Other industries in demand, and ideal for apprenticeship programs, are fast-moving consumer goods, healthcare tech, and the pharmaceutical industry.

Employers don’t have to start from scratch to create their own apprenticeship program. There’s a ton of knowledge, best practices, and experience to tap into.

I’m sharing mine from my years of US and Australian know-how here now. For example, Australia introduced non-trade apprenticeships 40 years ago, and there are now more of them than trade apprenticeships. Also, many apprenticeship programs are conducted remotely.

Showing you the money

There is money out there to support your business to kick start its apprenticeship program. You’ll need to check with the state you operate in because there’s a different apprenticeship registration process for each.

That may create challenges when you’re trying to set up a program, but you’ll see below a bulleted list on how to tackle that.

Keep an ear out for what the new federal administration is doing about funding. I’m putting my money on them considering system-wide funding instead of project-by-project for each apprentice an employer takes on.

Currently, the system is focused on sweeteners to help employers with tuition, extra training, etc., at apprenticeship commencement. The federal administration may shift the focus – partly or fully – to financial incentives at apprenticeship completion rather than starts.

Five steps to start

Your first step to creating your apprenticeship program is the official US government apprenticeships’ website. It spells out the process to develop your program:

1. Check out this list of available apprenticeship categories for inspiration

2. Explore how others in your region, sector, or industry are harnessing apprenticeships

3. Tap into the government’s advisory services to sketch out your program

4. Work with educators, workforce organizations, and apprenticeship representatives to flesh it out, and

5. Register the program and ask for funding, then launch it.

Partnering with a workforce intermediary organization lets you tap into discounts, savings (from their economies of scale), and outsourcing your apprentice recruitment and management.

What to avoid

Quite simply, avoid starting your program from scratch and going it alone. There are many cost-effective ways to use apprenticeships to fill your talent pipeline. You might also be thinking ‘short-range’ with the uncertainty COVID-19 creates for our economy. Yes, an apprenticeship program requires commitment, but it’s in line with your business growth and sustainability strategies.

As well, don’t assume your current, experienced staff can jump into mentoring without training. Mentoring draws on a skillset that includes:

• Patience, trust, and communication ability
• Inducting apprentices
• Demystifying the unwritten codes of your workplace culture
• Tweaking approaches to differentiate teaching and instruction (not all learners are the same, so one-size-fits-all training won’t necessarily work)
• Time management
• Knowing how to break down a task into chunks and demonstrate the method
• Fielding apprentices’ questions
• Giving prompt constructive feedback on their work
• Engaging in joint problem-solving, and
• Inspiring their thinking with open and reflective questions

Keep in mind, mentors will spend up to a third of their time supervising and working with the apprentice. You can reduce your mentors’ time by using a workforce intermediary organization and online learning management system (very handy for induction).

Your next move

Take up the challenge to introduce your own apprentice program – start small. Over time you’ll enjoy the benefits many other employers have – productivity, filling specific skills gaps through customizable training, fostering new leaders, earning plaudits from customers, and lowering your firm’s turnover rate.

Federally supported apprenticeship programs are coming: Are you ready?