A new survey of the construction workforce addresses construction culture regarding mental health and offers insights, according to www.forconstructionpros.com.
An online survey from the American Psychiatric Association Foundation’s Center for Workplace Mental Health, the Construction Financial Management Association, CSDZ and Holmes Murphy was distributed this year throughout the U.S. by the sponsoring organizations and state chapters of national construction trade associations, labor unions and joint labor-management benefit trusts. Of the 1,175 respondents, 29% were CFOs, controllers or financial professionals; 22% were in safety/risk management; and 16% were CEOs, presidents and owners.
Following are some of the key findings:
- Ninety-three percent of survey respondents recognize addressing mental health at work as a sound business practice; among presidents, CEOs and owners, 77% indicated it was prioritized at work.
- When asked if workers were likely to seek needed mental health care, only 26% believed workers were likely to seek care; 43% did not know; and 31% said workers were unlikely to seek care.
- Overall, respondents said their organizations make supervisor training or employee training available; 69% identified supervisor training as most helpful and 66% identified employee training as most helpful.
- Only 17% said workers would openly discuss mental health with supervisors; 37% indicated they would not, and 46% were undecided or did not know.
- Only 18% said workers would openly discuss mental health with co-workers; 31% said they would not, and 51% were undecided or did not know.
The top four reasons given for the hesitancy to discuss mental health were shame and stigma (78%); fear of judgment by peers (77%); fear of negative consequences (55%); and not knowing how to access care (46%).
