ep: 13 The Connection Between Mental Health and Safety

In this episode, we explore how mental well-being is a vital part of staying safe on the job. Host Sydney Wickliffe is joined by Lara Blackert, Chief Human Resources Officer; Dan Christensen, SVP of Service at Cerris Systems; and Jonathan Key, Safety Manager at Cerris Builders, for a candid conversation about burnout, chronic stress, resilience, and the power of peer support.

For more mental well-being resources, please visit the Health Under the Hat page on the Blueprint or check out our new resources page at Cerris.com/mental-health-and-well-being. You'll find resources available to our employees and a list of local Mental Health Committee members who are here to support you if you ever need it. 

If you or a loved one is experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:11

Welcome back to Behind the Build, Ceres' internal podcast where we highlight the people, projects, and programs that make our company extraordinary. I'm your host, Sidney Wycliffe. This episode, we're exploring the connection between mental well-being and safety. Because at Cerrus, we know that safety isn't just about physical protection. It's about mental well-being too. Our safety mantra, work safe, home safe, is about more than gear and procedures. It's about making sure our people feel supported, seen, and empowered to speak up, whether they're on the job site, in the office, or out on a service call. Joining me today are three guests who bring different perspectives to this conversation. Lara Blacker is our Chief Human Resources Officer. Dan Christensen is our senior vice president of service on the system side, and he works very closely with our system service team members and knows firsthand the challenges of the job. And Jonathan Key is joining us from Saras Builders. He is one of our safety managers. So thank you all three for being here today. Let's dive in. So my first question is for Lara. Um, we've always taken pride in our safety culture, but recently we've made a point to talk more openly about mental health as part of that culture. Can you talk to us about why now and why this initiative is so important?

SPEAKER_00 1:39

Sure. And thanks, Sydney, for that introduction. Really excited to be here and share thoughts around this very important topic for Saris. You know, when we think about safety on the job, um, what typically comes to mind for us are things like hard hats and safety harnesses and, you know, watching for heavy machinery or um really just keeping the physical um safety in in the forefront. Um but there is another side of safety that we don't really talk about enough. And that is um mental health. And when we're doing um when we're not doing well mentally, it really does affect everything. Um, it affects our focus, our decision making, even our physical safety. Um, and in construction, that can be the difference between getting home safe or not. Our industry also has the second highest suicide rates. In fact, uh there's six times more deaths by suicide in our industry than by job site accidents. And health under the hat, as you referenced, is a simple idea with a powerful message. It's really about what's going on, not only with our physical health, but also our mental well-being. Um, and that matters just as much as what's happening on the job site. At Cerrus, we truly believe that mental health and well-being are essential to both our safety and our success as an organization. You know, I was looking at some research the other day, and it shows that companies that prioritize mental well-being experience more than a 25% reduction in safety incidents. That doesn't even account for the significant increases in other areas like employee engagement, job satisfaction, and productivity. And in today's workplace, you know, mental health and well-being are not just nice, nice to have initiatives or benefits that we offer, right? They're strategic business imperatives. It's time for us to shift our mindset and really recognize that supporting mental health is critical to building safer, stronger, and more successful teams. Just as we've done on our job sites, we've prioritized physical safety over the years, and we must also focus on building a culture that supports mental well-being. I think that's crucial to our success. And when each of us thrives personally, our company will thrive collectively.

SPEAKER_01 4:36

Absolutely. I uh I couldn't agree more. You touched a little bit on health under the hat, and I want to um elaborate just a little bit on that. Health under the hat is a program that we have had for the past few years, and it really focuses on several different aspects of well-being. Um, so not like you said, not just physical, but we've also got some financial resources and mental health lives under there as well. Um, Laura, you also spoke briefly about the impact that mental health has on the job site. And so we've got Jonathan with us here as a safety manager. And I'd really like to speak with you, Jonathan, about what, from your perspective in safety, how does mental health show up on the job site?

SPEAKER_03 5:25

Mental health can show up in a variety of different ways and all different aspects of it. But the biggest thing that I see is stress. And stress can lead to the snowball effect and the trickle-down effect that we'll talk to in a minute. But we work in an industry that is a fast-paced and ever-changing environment to where we go out in the mornings, do a walk, and come back a couple hours later, something's changed, whether something's got put up, taken down, or changed in the process of it. And not only just with that, it's we usually have tight schedules and deadlines to hit. And normally difficult projects, coordination, and even tight budgets play into a factor of it. And we understand that with this job comes a level of stress that we're prepared for. But we get thrown curveballs every single day. Whether new problems pop up, we run into something that we weren't expecting. And that stress can just keep adding on and building to where the point we end up taking it home with us and we don't flip that switch to turn it off. And when you don't turn it off, the stress, you're laying in bed at night thinking of what you got to do in the morning, thinking about the deadlines that are coming later in the week or the next week following. And that can lead to burnout. And with burnout always comes distraction because if you're constantly stressed, you're burnout, you're starting to get lax on things, you're trying to cut corners where you can, whether that's coming to work 10 minutes late and jump into it, trying to cut out 10 minutes early for lunch or at the end of the day. You're not focused on exactly what you're doing, which leads into the distraction and the safety aspect of it. Is if we're not focused on what we're doing, you're more relaxed, you're cutting corners. That's when we can get ourselves hurt, or even worse, we're getting somebody else hurt around us, and that's just what we can't have on our project sides.

SPEAKER_01 7:15

Most definitely. Um, I think it's really interesting how you talked about that snowball effect and how a lot of things that stem from stress and burnout that we may not necessarily associate with our mental health as we're just thinking, oh gosh, I'm stressed. But um, as you do really drill down, that is a key piece of mental health. And as you said, it can really create quite the impact on everything else. And we want to make sure everybody's getting home safely. Dan, I want to switch over to you now. From your perspective, you know, we really do as a company, we offer so many different capabilities, and our people's jobs in their day-to-days look very different depending on what piece of the business they are supporting. So I would like your perspective from the system side. How are you seeing some of these similar things play out in the field or on service calls? Um, and if at all, how is that a variance from what Lara and Jonathan have spoken to?

SPEAKER_02 8:19

As Laura had referenced, we have a high suicide rate within this industry. And we've experienced two losses in Omaha. Uh, one was a long-term experienced journeyman, and the second was a third-year apprentice. Uh, both had taken their own lives. Uh, what we also had discovered that with the young apprentice, he was a veteran. So I think we need to be cognizant of the fact that a high percentage of our workers are coming as veterans and had served our country, and there's a lot of things that they're bringing that we need to be cognizant of as we're working with them and dealing with them. In the service industry, uh, a lot of it is spent as independent workers. They're out on their own working job sites, service calls all hours of the night. It's 24-7. And what also goes overlooked with this is dealing with the customers. So the customers are highly frustrated at times. Their heating systems are down, their cooling systems are down. And in some cases, with our health care, an entire medical facility can be down at that time. So this is a tremendous burden that they take. As Jonathan had referenced, it's that bringing it home with you. Well, these guys, ladies and gentlemen, do bring it home with them because they're answering the phones 24 hours a day. So they're our lifelines. So those are the things that the that we have to be cognizant of on the service side and those the mental strain that comes with that.

SPEAKER_01 9:47

Absolutely. Thank you for that insight, Dan. You know, it really is powerful to hear from all three of you as our guests, um, how aligned you are, whether you're sitting in the strategic center and you have an overarching view of what may be going on across our SVUs from an HR perspective, um, whether you are in safety or you are supporting all of our people in the field, which we all do, um, we're seeing the same thing that mental health really is a safety issue. And we all have a role to play in ensuring the safety and well-being of the people working around us. So I want to switch gears a little bit and talk about culture, because we know that if we want to embed mental well-being into the way that we are at work, this is where it starts. So, Jonathan, we know that safety at our company isn't simply a program, it's a mindset. How do we build a culture where people feel safe speaking up about mental health?

SPEAKER_03 10:47

All right, so in my opinion, and my perspective, when it comes to building this culture, is the most important thing, the first step is what we're doing right now. And that's addressing that it is a concern that is an issue, uh, not only in the construction industry, but as life in the whole. And again, we're not shying away from it, we're not deflecting it. We're having an open line of communication to where not only do we address what's going on, but we can help break that door down, kind of open the door, get our foot in the door to where if somebody needs to talk about it, they can. We're showing that we're giving support and that no one's on an island. No one's a one-man show. No one is a one-man team. We are, whether we're a project team, an office team, or a company whole as a team, we win and lose together. So if we support each other the way that we're supposed to, that's the way we're taught and just have a genuine care about each other, that breaks the stigma down of the construction industry of check your feelings at the gate and pick them up as you go back home. And with that comes from like our physical aspect of safety. We always say if you see something, say something. And I'm not saying that we need to be a therapist because we're not trained to be a therapist, but we can at least be ears for someone to talk to. And we all work around each other long enough to know whether someone is being in their normal state or something's a little bit off. And the one thing we can do is just pretty simple. Ask how they're doing. You doing okay? Is something off? And just that short little sentence can show somebody that they are paying attention, that they do notice it. If that person thinks they're hiding it and they can't see it, then we notice that we're more than just the surface and that we're showing a care. And we're not pushing them through the door to talk to us, we're not dragging them through it to talk to us, but the option's there and they can talk to us, get it off their chests, off their shoulders, and we can get them to the direction they need to do with all of all of our EAPs that we have in place.

SPEAKER_01 12:46

Yeah. We often talk about how at its core, construction is a relationship business. And I think that the more we can foster those relationships internally too and have the strength to be vulnerable and approach our coworkers and our peers when we think that they may need it, I think that can really go a long way in starting those conversations. So thank you so much for sharing. Um, Dan, from the systems perspective, what does that support look like in the field for our service team members? I'm curious, what have you seen that makes a difference for them and what's resonating with them as we speak about mental health?

SPEAKER_02 13:33

Yeah, I think we are at a perfect point here because with the strategic plan, we prioritized the service safety aspect of it in the top three. So we began to implement a standard standardization process apart. So part of the standardization efforts, we've implemented team meetings in each office, at least quarterly and monthly. And I guess what as I talked to the different safety managers, one of the things that I liked is as we begun to do this to open it up, uh, a lot of them had said, hey man, I haven't seen you in almost a year. So it refers back to these the independent nature of these things and to get everybody back together and to do those things. Uh on the mental well-being committees, we've been rolling out a new training called Vital COG, Suicide Prevention and Construction. You learn about the statistics, the risk factors, and the warning signs. But the biggest impact that we've had is to build the confidence to having the tough conversations. And, you know, as we had gone through some of this, we've, you know, one of the things that was said, we'd highly recommend this for everyone. You know, it just wouldn't be specifically for them, but everybody should go through this because that's just part of it is having the tough conversations. Like you said, it's a relationship aspect of it. Much easier to have those conversations if you've fostered some level of relationships with the team members. Uh, we've you know, we've also begun as part of our standardization standardization efforts, we're currently building out a mental health awareness training that will be integrated into the onboarding process. So from the very beginning, you know, we're gonna give these uh techs a chance to disclose, you know, if they need some additional support, you know, if they have PTSD, things of that nature to just get the guard down right away. So those are the things I'm super excited about. These the these committees have done an outstanding job uh building support for the future of the organization.

SPEAKER_01 15:39

The onboarding aspect of this is incredibly exciting. Um I think it's wonderful that we are actively and strategically working towards building an environment where we want our people to know that they are supported from day one and that they've got those resources moving forward. So that's incredibly exciting. Laura, I want to turn back to you. How do we help break the stigma? You know, we've talked about the fact that there is one and that having those peer-to-peer conversations and noticing is really important, but I'd really like to hear from you, um, especially in an industry where people are used to, you know, toughing it out. Jonathan mentioned we're in an industry where people are conditioned, if you will, to um leave their emotions at the door and pick them back up on their way home. So, how can we work together to support one another on a peer-to-peer level to break that stone?

SPEAKER_00 16:36

You know, Sydney, that's such an important question. And honestly, I think it's one, you know, we all need to keep asking. Um, you know, in in construction, as you mentioned, there's that culture around being tough, pushing through, and you know, not showing weakness. But here's the truth talking about mental health isn't weakness, it's strength. And it takes real courage to speak up, to check in on a coworker, as you know, Jonathan and Dan mentioned, you know, ask them how things are going. Um it takes a lot too for someone who's struggling to say, hey, I'm not doing okay today. That's strength in my mind and not weakness. And so, you know, breaking the stigma starts with small actions like we've been talking about, you know, checking in on people, um, even sharing your story if you've struggled um personally. And then I think too, simply listening um and being that ear. We, you know, um John mentioned that, you know, we don't have to be therapists, but we um just being there to listen and and support each other is critical. And that's really how we create a culture where no one feels like they have to tough it out alone. You know, our CEO, Jason Um Evelyn, said the other day, when one wins, we all win. And I've seen that in action here at Cerrus since coming on board. You know, someone having a tough day or a personal challenge or even celebrating something in life, um, we we all tend to show up for each other. And these efforts reflect in my mind our belief that supporting one another is key to our shared success. Um, I'll share a personal story of my own. After my son was born seven years ago, um, you know, I struggled with severe postpartum depression. And at the time, I didn't fully understand how serious it was until someone simply asked me, Are you okay? And, you know, Jonathan shared this story. Um, John shared this story that one question can have a profound impact on someone. And it's part of my story and it's part of why I'm here today. You know, since then I've personally committed to sharing my own story, not because it's easy, it's actually very hard, um, but because I hope it helps reduce the stigma around mental health. You know, if it encourages even one person to speak up or reach out, um, then that's worth it to me. And because that simple act of care truly can move things in a positive direction and even potentially save a life. So, you know, when I think about mental health challenges in our industry, these are real challenges. But I know that together we can change the story really one conversation at a time, one check-in, or even one act of care going outside of what might be comfortable. You know, we're also turning our commitment to mental health into meaningful action as an organization. Company-wide, we've um kicked off a mental health and well-being committee. We have also um placed mental health champions at all of our locations to support teams. Um, and as John mentioned, to really um help identify if there is a concern and maybe be that person that that approaches another to ask how they're doing. And um, in addition to that, we've launched an online resource hub, which is filled with helpful material and information about mental health. Um, as Dan mentioned, we're providing training at each of our locations to help employees recognize and respond to mental health. Um, and we want to we want to make that bigger. We want to, you know, reach more audience members there so that we can all be prepared in that situation. Um, you know, again, we've we've really tried to reinforce access to the 988 mental health hotline number and our employee assistance programs as well. So we are taking this very seriously and you know, strongly encouraging a peer-to-peer approach and a culture shift, if you will.

SPEAKER_01 21:34

Absolutely. Thank you so much for speaking to all of those resources and what is being done and what will continue to be done to help break that stigma around mental well-being and how we'll continue to support each other. I would like to shift our conversation just a little bit because mental health isn't just about crisis. Um, and resilience plays a really large part in maintaining our mental well-being. So as not being just about crisis, mental health really is about building good habits and helping us stay well and stay safe before we even ever reach crisis. Um, I have a couple roundtable questions for you. So I would really love to facilitate an open conversation with the three of you. But my first question is what have you seen be effective strategies for our team members to build that resilience in the past? And how can we continue to do that moving forward?

SPEAKER_03 22:41

I think the company as a whole has done a great job showing the work-life balance that yes, we all have a job to do, but work is not the only aspect of our lives. We all have personal goals or aspirations that we want to achieve, whether that's just to go home and start a business, we want to go spend time with our families, with our children, go out and do our favorite hobbies, or even go to the couch and watch Netflix. I mean, what whatever anybody's into, again, they show that work is not everything. That for us to be happy and have a better mental health and a better state is we have to go enjoy the fruits of our labor. And I think the company does a great job in showing that, and our teams push everyone to take their PTO and take the time for themselves.

SPEAKER_01 23:24

Work hard, have fun, Dan?

SPEAKER_02 23:26

Yeah, I would agree exactly what Johnson said. So, I mean, we're a large company, and a lot of times people use that against us. That you know, we don't know the personal lives, but that is absolutely what we stress is be involved in their personal lives, know their stories, challenges that they're facing or that they have faced. That I mean, that helps you identify and how, you know, help them navigate through those things because a lot of times they just want somebody to listen and you know, celebrate the wins with them, you know, that the you know, whether they have, you know, they've they've they've just had a child or they've gotten married or they're engaged, those sort of things, buying a house and appreciating them as individuals. I think that is one of the things that I absolutely stress the most as we've grown into this mammoth company is don't forget what got us there. And that's that's identifying people as individuals. They're much more apt to talk to you if they don't think they're just a number. So that's what we stress.

SPEAKER_00 24:23

Yeah, I couldn't agree more um on that, Dan, too. I think, you know, there's power behind um, you know, celebrating the wins um collectively and and and personal wins um for our employees. I mean, it really fosters a psychologically safe environment, right? People feel like they can share things that aren't just professional wins, but also personal wins that they're experiencing. And and I think that goes a long way to keeping those conversations open to um when it when it's needed, when the time is needed and and beyond. Um so I would agree. I think it is the things we've talked about, the peer-to-peer support with and keeping the communication going, but also, you know, holding regular check-ins with your um with your teams, um, with each other. And then, you know, of course, that celebrating wins, I think that goes a long way.

SPEAKER_01 25:24

I think that these are all really impactful ways that we have seen and will continue to see as we support each other in ensuring our mental well-being. All right, I've got one more question for the three of you. And that is what advice would you give to someone who wants to start a conversation about mental health with their teams?

SPEAKER_03 25:45

My response to that is going to be very straightforward and simple. And that's not to overcomplicate, and that's just to start the conversation. Again, we don't need to have a standard operating procedure. We don't need to have bullet points or protocols to it because mental health is absolutely different with any person you come across because there's different levels to it. And again, just having the conversation, if we know our teams the way we're supposed to, then they should know we're coming from a good place, that we have a genuine care to it, and that we're not forcing them to talk to us about it. But again, if they ever need it, it's there. And then we can point them in the direction for the help if they do want to receive that help as well.

SPEAKER_00 26:24

And as John mentioned, I think that's a critical step, right? Providing the resources, directing them, even offering to make the call for them. Um, you know, if if they're they're nervous about it, or to sit in the room with them while they make the call, um, or you know, look at resources that could help them. Those are things that I think are go a long way.

SPEAKER_02 26:46

So these are one of the things that I've so Cody Chambers is is our regional safety guy, sits over Omaha, Lincoln, and Des Moines. And I asked him specifically this question. And he said, Dan, it's easy. It's three words. How are you? And that was fairly impactful for me because just the simplification of it, I was like, wow, that's pretty profound. And that, but it's true. You know, how are you? It's a pretty good way to start off the conversation.

SPEAKER_00 27:11

Yeah, I I agree, Dan. I think another way too, um as leaders is we can lead by example, right? We can share our own stories, um, our own personal challenges that we have, um, as appropriate, of course, but you know, to show that vulnerability and that openness as as individuals and as leaders, um, that can sometimes open the door for conversation. Um, you know, and and I think, you know, to your point, asking how are you really doing, um, even when it's, oh, I'm good, is the first response, but then diving a little bit deeper, um, and especially if you're noticing some changes. Um, and then I think following up is important too. That's that's another um big way to, you know, have, you know, you you start a conversation, but there's gotta build, you've got to build that ongoing support and trust and show that genuine care. And so following up over and over again too um with checking in is is a good a good way to to get there and get um feedback and openness from our teams.

unknown 28:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 28:26

Nick Saban, uh college football hall of fame coach, always says the players won't care until they know you care. And that, you know, that that's just absolutely spot on is leadership. So if they know you care, then they're gonna care too.

SPEAKER_01 28:41

This has been such a meaningful conversation. Um, Lara, Dan, Jonathan, thank you guys so much for your honesty, your vulnerability, and your insights today. Thanks, everyone.

SPEAKER_02 28:52

Thank you guys.

SPEAKER_01 28:53

Um to everyone listening, your mental health is part of your safety. And it is very important to us at Sarus. So whether you're dealing with stress, burnout, or you just need someone to talk to, there are resources available and there are people around you who want to be there to support you. We encourage you to visit the Health Under the Hat page on the Blueprint or check out the resources available on Saris.com backslash mental health and wellbeing. There you'll be able to find a lot of resources and also a list of peers in your region that you can reach out to. Um, and most importantly, please continue to check in on one another. Now, we've said it several times today, but safety isn't just a program, it's part of our culture, and it starts with caring for ourselves and the people working beside us. Thanks so much for tuning in to Behind the Build. We'll catch you next time.