How Leaders Can Support Employees Navigating Family Mental Health Challenges
Cal Beyer, Sr. Director of SAFE Workplaces, SAFE Project
Ronna Yablonski, Sr. Director of Prevention, SAFE Project
Editor’s note: May is Mental Health Awareness Month. We encourage you, the leaders of the construction industry, to support your employees through their mental health struggles and to seek help for yourself too, when needed. There are many resources linked below. Please share them with your teams.
Historically, mental health was considered a taboo topic that was off-limits in the workplace – and, even more so on the job site. Over the past decade, more attention has been given to addressing mental health in the workplace. Today, the construction industry is making a concerted effort to provide resources for workers on job sites. The Construction Users Roundtable (CURT) and many of its members in each membership class have been active participants at the forefront of this movement.
Train Leaders to Support Team Members with Mental Health Struggles at Home
More companies are prioritizing mental health, substance use prevention, and suicide awareness through education and resource sharing. There is a growing need to equip leaders with the skills to support their teams. Yet, many managers and supervisors report feeling unsure about how to effectively help employees who are navigating mental health challenges themselves or within their families.
Research from various studies posted by the National Institute of Health’s National Library of Medicine highlight that when a family member struggles, other family members and caregivers experience stress, anxiety, burnout, and even depression. For individuals facing personal or family challenges, such as relationship, financial, legal, health, grief, mental health, or substance use issues, feeling isolated can often make the situation more difficult. Companies should train leaders at all levels to recognize these symptoms and respond when they are observed among workers in offices and on job sites.
Six Strategies for Leaders to Support Team Members
- Foster a mentally healthy culture: Fostering a respectful workplace culture has a positive impact on employee well-being. Eliminating bullying and harassment contributes to stronger morale on job sites. It is also important to avoid stigmatizing language that can shame or isolate individuals facing personal challenges. Respectful, caring environments promote inclusion and a sense of belonging – a key protective factor for people navigating difficult life circumstances.
- Demonstrate visible, vocal, and vulnerable support for mental health (the “3 Vs”): Leaders who are visible, vocal, and openly share their own mental health journeys demonstrate to teammates and crewmates that “it’s okay to not be okay.” When leaders acknowledge that they too experience struggles, it promotes help-seeking among others. When they share resources and support services, it highlights that seeking and accepting help is a sign of strength.
- Offer concern with caring support and empathy: Be an authentic leader who recognizes that many workers will experience stressors and struggles in life. Leaders need to be accessible, demonstrate empathy, and remain open to conversations. When workers are treated with concern, empathy, and care they are more likely to openly share what is occurring and seek support from their employer.
- Share resources to promote help-seeking: Learn the capabilities of your organization’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Load the telephone number, website, and other contact options for the EAP into your cell phone. Share information about 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Make a practice call to the EAP and to 988 so you know how to explain to co-workers (and your family members) what to expect when they seek support.
- Understand company policies and procedures for temporary flexible work arrangements and accommodations: Providing temporary flexible work arrangements and accommodations can extend relief and necessary “breathing room” for an employee balancing a family member’s mental health challenges. It is important to understand the company’s policies and procedures for offering and documenting accommodations for flexible work arrangements. Seek guidance from Human Resources to help manage accommodations under various leave programs, including paid time off, sick time, short- or long-term disability, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and possibly the Americans With Disabilities Act.
- Model healthy self-care practices to promote a healthy life/work balance: Careers in construction are built on hard work. Many leaders are acutely aware of the sacrifices their career advancement requires. Workers today are seeking a better balance between professional demands and personal lifestyles. A healthy work/life balance can help reduce burnout and promote greater well-being and resilience. Leaders who actively model health and wellness through self-care practices promote reduced stress and improved worker wellbeing.
Practical Pointers for Supportive Conversations
- If you are concerned about someone, say something in private, one-on-one. Let that person know you care and that help is available.
- Be kind and offer encouragement and support to coworkers. When you sense someone is struggling, reach out and ask how they’re doing and how you can help support them.
- Be present with someone without judgment, distraction, or disruptions.
- Remember, your role is to listen and support – not to diagnose or fix. Effective leaders can help by listening without judgment, offering support, and referring people to resources.
- Avoid offering unsolicited advice and resist being a “fixer.”
- Follow through on commitments to support people when you offer to be there for them.
- Maintain confidentiality about what they share with you and do not gossip to others.
- Know your limits. If someone needs more help than you can give, encourage them to connect with HR or use available employee support resources. Being aware of your organization’s mental health policies or EAP programs can help you guide them to professional support.
Conclusion
Leaders who adopt these supportive behaviors can promote a positive mental health culture in the workplace and on the job site. Leaders who demonstrate empathy, care, and concern provide a crucial safety net for employees burdened by the mental health struggles of family members.
Supportive leaders can encourage and empower coworkers to take steps to address their mental health needs. When workers feel supported and cared for, they are more open to seek and acceptsupport. Leaders who create trust through empathy elicit loyalty, commitment, and discretionary effort among followers who feel supported.
More Resources are Available at the Links Below:
- Mental Health First Aid. 10 Ways to Help Someone Struggling with Mental Health. https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/2024/10/10-ways-help-someone-struggling-with-mental-health/
- Mind Share Partners. (Jan. 24, 2024). Resources To Support the Mental Health of Parents and Caregivers in Your Workforce. https://www.mindsharepartners.org/blog/workplace-mental-health-resources-for-parents-and-caregivers
- Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). (April 24, 2023). For Friends and Family Members https://www.samhsa.gov/mental-health/what-is-mental-health/how-to-talk/friends-and-family
Cal Beyer, CWP is Sr. Director for SAFE Workplaces for national nonprofit SAFE Project. SAFE stands for Stop the Addiction Fatality Epidemic. Cal serves on the Executive Committee for the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention. He helped launch the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention in 2016 and serves on the Lived Experience Advisory Committee of the Suicide Prevention Resource Center. Cal has regularly contributed to CURT’s magazine, The VOICE, since 2020. You can contact Cal at cal@safeproject.us or cell via 651-307-7883.
Ronna Yablonski is Sr. Director of Prevention at SAFE Project team. She has over two decades of experience in the areas of youth substance use prevention and community-based coalition development. Ronna focuses on fostering resilience and wellbeing, and reducing risk of substance addiction and mental health challenges while enhancing protection through prevention and recovery strategies. Ronna works with each SAFE Project portfolio to embed effective prevention strategies and tactics to reduce the effects of substance use. You can contact Ronna at ronna@safeproject.us.
About SAFE Project
Established in 2017 by Admiral James and Mary Winnefeld after the tragic loss of their 19-year-old son Jonathan due to an opioid overdose, SAFE Project aims to save lives impacted by substance use, including alcohol, and mental health challenges through overdose prevention and response, education on stigma, and development of prevention and recovery programs. SAFE Project also provides tailored guidance and training within its four key initiatives: SAFE Campuses, SAFE Communities, SAFE Workplaces, and SAFE Veterans. To learn more, please visit safeproject.us.