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Communication is the operating system of an effective mental-health program in architecture, engineering and construction (AEC): it tells people what help exists, shows that leaders take it seriously and creates safe routes to training, peer support and professional care. It is not a treatment by itself, and an email campaign cannot compensate for unsafe conditions, inaccessible benefits or a punitive culture.
The examples reported by Building Design + Construction in June 2023 show a broader pattern. Firms combined leadership messages with supervisor education, Mental Health First Aid, peer champions, EAPs, hotlines, telehealth, counseling, leave and financial-support policies, and jobsite or office initiatives. The figures below describe those 2023 case reports, not current programs or proof that any intervention caused better clinical outcomes.
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Communication connects a benefit on paper with a decision an employee can make during a difficult moment. Workers need to know whom to contact, whether a conversation is confidential, what happens after they ask for help and whether using the benefit can affect their job. In construction, the message must reach offices, remote staff, jobsites, trade partners and workers who may not use a company email account.
It also reduces the uncertainty that feeds stigma. The 2023 report describes shame, fear of peer judgment and concern about being tracked as reasons people in crisis may avoid help. A visible, repeated message from leaders can make asking for support a normal workplace action, but it must be backed by real access. As Reynolds, Smith & Hills senior vice president Tom Everett put it, “Employee Assistance Programs are not enough.”
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A practical program therefore has at least six connected parts:
- Leadership commitment: executives and project leaders explain why mental health belongs in safety and people management.
- Clear access routes: employees can find an EAP, hotline, telehealth, counseling or care-navigation service without searching through a benefits maze.
- Training: supervisors and peers learn to recognize distress, listen and guide someone to appropriate help.
- Peer reinforcement: champions or first-aid-trained contacts make support visible at the places work happens.
- Privacy protections: the company states what is and is not collected, reported or shared.
- Better conditions: leave, workload, financial stress, jobsite conditions and physical workspace are treated as mental-health issues rather than individual weaknesses.
In a March 2021 survey of 1,175 respondent construction businesses by the American Psychiatric Foundation, the Center for Workplace Mental Health, the Construction Financial Management Association and Holmes Murphy, 69 percent said they offered mental-health training to supervisors. That is a useful indication of adoption at that time, not a measure of effectiveness or a current industry rate.
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The cases below illustrate different ways to combine communication, training and access. They should be read as historical examples reported in 2023. Verify any organization’s current provider, policy or participation level before relying on it.
Gilbane: make peer support part of a care culture
Gilbane Building Company told the publication it had trained more than 200 employees to identify signs of crisis and assist someone. The company integrated mental health into its Care Culture, worked with Dr. Sally Spenser-Thomas and formed a 10-person LifeSavers group to promote awareness and reduce stigma.
The design matters as much as the headcount. A peer group gives employees a recognizable place to start, while specialist input can shape training and escalation guidance. Gilbane’s reported numbers show reach—people trained—not the number of crises prevented or clinical outcomes achieved.
Kiewit: simplify the first click, then reinforce it
Kiewit’s Under the Hat website was described as a way to simplify access to its EAP. The report says the site drew 7,100 unique visitors in its first two weeks and then averaged 4,000 visits a month. Kiewit also added mental-health e-learning and a Wellbeing Champion model.
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Those web figures answer a communication question: can people find and use the information? They do not show whether visitors received counseling or experienced improved health. The article also said Kiewit planned to change benefits provider to Lyra Health in August 2023; that was a planned, historical change and is not evidence of the company’s current provider.
Skanska USA Building: teach a repeatable response
Skanska’s reported initiatives included Start the Conversation, the Green Sticker approach, Mental Health First Aid and CareBridge hotline access. By May 2023, the company said 179 employees across five states had received Mental Health First Aid training through a 12-hour course.
The course used the ALGEE action plan: Approach, Listen, Give reassurance and information, Encourage self-help and other support strategies, and Encourage appropriate professional help. A framework like this helps a supervisor or peer avoid trying to diagnose a colleague. It provides a sequence for a supportive conversation and a handoff to qualified care.
Turner: combine onsite services with analytics and consent
Turner Construction was described as serving about 12,000 employees and 1,500 jobsites with more than 100,000 people on them on a given day. Its program included internal analytics, an employee survey, a partnership with Wellness Workdays and onsite wellness using trailers, trained coaches and emergency medical technicians.
In the first year, 60 percent of the eligible population—450 participants—actively took part in onsite wellness, and more than 300 engaged in one-on-one counseling, according to the report. These are participation measures, not comparable clinical results. Turner’s survey included the simple prompt “how are you doing?” The article also records a key privacy concern from benefits vice president Barbara Molloy: “Employees don’t want to feel like they’re being tracked.”
That tension should be designed for, not discovered after launch. A firm can publish aggregate participation, keep individual records with the provider and explain the minimum data needed for administration. Employees should know whether a supervisor can see an appointment, whether survey responses are anonymous and how small groups are suppressed in reports.
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HITT Contracting: connect mental health with everyday security
HITT’s Culture of Care was reported to include EAP counseling, guidance for broader life challenges and a review of leave policies. The company also established a $60,000 annual living wage in 2020 for salaried and nonexempt team members nationwide, according to the article.
A wage or leave policy is not a counseling service, but it can address stressors that counseling alone cannot remove. The example broadens communication: leaders need to explain practical benefits, eligibility and how to use them, not only share messages about resilience.
CannonDesign: use navigation, data and design together
CannonDesign was described as offering Accolade care navigation and telehealth coverage for mental-health needs, analyzing insurance-plan data quarterly and considering office design. It also developed programming for remote staff.
Care navigation can help an employee move from a general concern to an appropriate clinician, while telehealth can reach people who travel or work away from an office. Quarterly analysis may reveal access patterns, but it should be reported in ways that protect small groups and avoid turning utilization into a performance score.
How should an AEC firm build the communication layer?
Start with the employee’s decision path: “I am worried about myself or someone else; what can I do now?” Build every message and training exercise around that path.
- Map the routes to help. List the EAP, crisis or advice line, telehealth, health-plan navigation, onsite counseling and local emergency options. Record phone numbers, hours, languages, eligibility and whether dependents or trade partners can use each route.
- Publish one plain-language entry point. Use a benefits hub, QR code on jobsite materials, wallet card, onboarding packet and supervisor toolkit. State what the service does, what it does not do and what information remains private.
- Give leaders a usable script. Leaders can say that mental health is part of safety, ask an open question, listen without diagnosing and offer options. Charlene Ness Miraglia of CannonDesign summarized the principle as, “Communication is always the key.” A script should also tell leaders when to involve HR, the EAP or emergency services.
- Train supervisors and peers. Teach recognition of changes in behavior, safe listening, boundaries, referral and follow-up. Mental Health First Aid or an equivalent course can provide structure; it does not turn a supervisor into a therapist.
- Put champions where work happens. Name trained contacts for offices, remote teams and jobsites, and refresh the list when projects or shifts change. Make access possible without requiring a worker to disclose a diagnosis.
- Repeat the message through normal channels. Include mental-health information in toolbox talks, foreman meetings, safety moments, payroll communications and manager one-to-ones. One annual awareness week will not reach a mobile workforce.
- Close the loop. After a referral, ask whether the person found a route that worked, without asking for clinical details. Fix broken links, long waits, confusing eligibility rules or inaccessible hours.
How can firms measure reach without undermining trust?
Choose measures that answer operational questions and keep them separate from clinical outcomes. The 2023 cases reported web visits, people trained, survey responses and counseling participation; those are different kinds of engagement and should not be ranked as if they were equivalent.
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| Question | Possible measure | Safeguard |
|---|---|---|
| Can workers find help? | Unique visits, QR scans, hotline connection attempts or completed navigation contacts | Report trends in aggregate; do not identify individuals from small crews |
| Are people prepared to respond? | Supervisors, peers or champions completing training and refreshers | Track completion, not a promise that a crisis was prevented |
| Is the service usable? | Wait times, referral completion and anonymous satisfaction questions | Keep provider records separate from personnel files |
| Are employees hearing the message? | Survey response rates and awareness of available routes | Explain anonymity, retention and who can see results |
Before collecting data, publish a short privacy notice. Explain the purpose, the smallest useful data set, who administers it, how long it is retained and when information must be shared for immediate safety. Suppress results for very small teams, and let an independent provider handle clinical information where possible.
How should communication reach jobsites, remote staff and trade partners?
A program designed for a headquarters office will miss the people most affected by irregular shifts, travel and subcontracting. Use durable, low-bandwidth formats: posted cards, brief toolbox-talk prompts, text or voice options where permitted, multilingual materials and a phone number that works outside office hours.
Tell supervisors how to offer help without forcing a public disclosure. A private conversation location, a call from a personal device and an option to contact the provider directly can make the difference between awareness and use. If trade partners are not eligible, say so plainly and provide publicly available crisis or community resources rather than implying coverage.
What common mistakes weaken an AEC program?
- Stopping at awareness. Posters and inspirational messages cannot replace a staffed EAP, affordable care, leave and a clear escalation path.
- Making supervisors responsible for treatment. Their role is to notice, listen, support and refer—not diagnose or promise secrecy they cannot keep.
- Publishing raw participation data. A small crew’s utilization can reveal a person’s situation and discourage future use.
- Measuring only utilization. Low use can mean good health, poor awareness, lack of trust, inconvenient hours or fear of consequences. Pair utilization with anonymous awareness and access questions.
- Ignoring working conditions. Excessive hours, financial insecurity, bereavement, caregiving and poor physical design can sustain distress even when counseling is available.
- Leaving the program on a shelf. Provider changes, phone numbers, eligibility and legal requirements change. Assign an owner to review every route and message on a regular schedule.
Leaders also need to model the behavior they request. HITT senior vice president Ashley Campbell advised leaders and other influencers to “share their experiences, admit when they are struggling, and have empathy for those who are bold enough to be vulnerable in admitting what they need.” The aim is not forced disclosure; it is permission to seek support without penalty.
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- Days 1–30: listen and map. Interview workers from offices, jobsites and remote teams; inventory benefits and crisis routes; identify privacy risks; and locate gaps such as evening coverage or language access.
- Days 31–60: equip. Select supervisor and peer training, write the referral script, create a single access page and jobsite card, brief HR and project leadership, and set rules for aggregate reporting.
- Days 61–90: launch and learn. Announce the program through several channels, hold short toolbox sessions, provide confidential access, ask an anonymous awareness question and correct broken routes quickly. Publish what changed without exposing individual use.
After launch, review whether workers can reach a human, whether supervisors know their boundaries and whether benefits address the conditions creating stress. Treat feedback as a design input, not as evidence that one campaign solved mental-health risk.
What should employers take from the 2023 examples?
The strongest lesson is architectural: communication works when it is attached to access, trained people, privacy and credible workplace changes. The reported figures—from Kiewit’s website traffic to Skanska’s 179 trainees and Turner’s counseling participation—show different kinds of reach. None, on its own, proves a clinical benefit or makes a program current.
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For an AEC firm, the useful test is simpler: Can a worker on a changing jobsite quickly find a confidential route to qualified help? Does a supervisor know how to respond without diagnosing? Do leaders explain what is private and what is not? Are pay, leave, workload and work design part of the conversation? If the answer is yes, communication is doing its essential job: connecting people to a system that can support them.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should a construction supervisor say when an employee discloses a mental-health concern?
Thank the person for speaking up, listen without trying to diagnose, ask what support would help now and offer the agreed EAP or professional route. If there is an immediate danger, follow the company’s emergency procedure and contact local emergency or crisis services; do not promise absolute secrecy.
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Yes. Start with a clearly explained EAP or health-plan route, a confidential phone or telehealth option, supervisor training and a short referral card that works at every site. A regional provider or shared industry resource can supply specialist access while the contractor focuses on communication and safe follow-through.
How do we include subcontractors and temporary workers?
State eligibility clearly in site orientations and contracts, then provide separate community or crisis resources for people who are not covered. Invite trade partners to toolbox talks where appropriate, but never collect personal health information from them as a condition of access.
What privacy questions should an employer ask a mental-health vendor?
Ask who can see appointment, survey and utilization data; whether reports are aggregated; how small groups are suppressed; how long records are retained; and what information can enter a personnel file. Put the answers in employee-facing language before launch, not only in a vendor contract.
How often should an AEC firm refresh its mental-health communication?
Review contact details, eligibility, provider performance and privacy notices at least whenever benefits or projects change, and schedule a routine review so outdated numbers do not persist. Repeat short reminders through onboarding, safety meetings and payroll channels instead of relying on one annual campaign.
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