Digital Builder Rewind: Construction’s Mental Health Crisis

This episode was originally released on March 5, 2024.

Content warning – this episode and description has some heavy conversation topics including a discussion on suicidal feelings and mental health struggles. 

Construction has a mental health crisis. According to research from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics and the CDC, the rate of suicide among US construction professionals is five times higher than the number deaths caused by workplace and safety-related accidents. Across the industry, companies cannot afford to talk about safety, innovation, and growth without also addressing the need for real, practical, and immediate solutions to the mental health crisis facing our people.  

Mark Dyke, Licensed Professional Counselor and Tenured Associate Professor at Ferris State University, joins Eric Thomas during Autodesk University for an intensely practical conversation about the mental health crisis, burnout, and how addressing the mental health crisis can help secure a bright future for the AEC industry. We will share not just why mental health needs to be addressed, but we will also give specific, practical advice for workers to identify and address mental health issues early and effectively. 

We discuss: 

• How to identify internal and external symptoms of burnout 
• How the leadership culture sets the tone for organization-wide mental health 
• How managers at all levels of an organization can support their team members 
• How Millennials have changed the way we talk about mental health 
• Why mental health and emotional wellbeing need to be top priorities to convince the upcoming generation to join Construction. 

If you or someone you know are having trouble coping with work-related stress, talk with someone who can help: In the United States, call 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Hotline or visit https://988lifeline.org/.

For those living outside the United States, you can find local resources here: https://blog.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines/.  

Digital Builder is hosted by Eric Thomas of Autodesk.