We all know about the risks of Fatal 4, but there's a strong argument that it should actually be Fatal 5. Long hours in the field, long periods of time away from friends and family, and exposure to traumatic events are so common in our industry that we recently expanded our focus on mental health options for union members. As we found while researching , these are also key drivers of mental health. danger.
Local 18 is the Ohio chapter of the International Union of Operating Engineers. Our job is to build the infrastructure that keeps the nation running.Operations Engineers perform their duties as humans and keep us above water in this industry, which has proven to be one of the most stressful industries. It's about making sure it stays.
Looking at mental health risks nationally, the suicide rate for construction workers is four times higher than the general population, but for those who have been working in this field for a long time, this is not news, but rather a sad conclusion from the past. It becomes.
We recently learned firsthand why this problem is so pervasive yet incredibly difficult to solve. After hearing from our members and my own employees that mental health is quickly becoming one of the areas of greatest need within our community, we wanted to find better support and create our own mental health I set out on a journey to create a program.
We ended up with Wysa, an evidence-backed, AI-guided chatbot that also provides human coaching support, but along the way, we explored mental health options in our field. I learned a lot about the many considerations that need to be taken into account.
Here's what we learned in our search for better mental health support for our members.
accessibility
Historically, the closest we have come to providing mental health support to our members and employees is through our Employee Assistance Plan. Here we faced a problem. Not all members have the same insurance plans, and we refuse to deny you care or offer mental health support options that are only available if you happen to have the right insurance company. did.
This truly characterizes the state of mental health in our field today. Once you get through the paperwork, waiting times, and general procedures, it's more stressful than when you started. It can also be difficult for individuals to convince themselves to take this self-care step and come to terms with the need for mental health support to the extent that this process is worth doing. This discourages people from seeking help and seeking early care. This seems like a core issue with industry standards regarding mental health.
As an industry, we need solutions that are always available, require no applications, no paperwork, no waiting times, and no other barriers to entry. I would like all members to take care of their physical condition on a daily basis, not just when they feel unwell.
After researching various solutions and products on the market, we found that accessing immediate care can be expensive. Some AI tools reduce this barrier. Look out for platforms that charge per session for human coaching. Ultimately, it acts as a dissuasive mechanism for individuals who need additional support. Others focus solely on in-person coaching, which can be surprisingly expensive and also more difficult to schedule and access depending on where people are located.
Data privacy and anonymity are also important considerations that we recommend that others do not overlook. Our field has a history of masculine culture, and we knew that anonymity in any solution would help drive adoption and protect the privacy of our members.
When providing mental health support, strive to find the sweet spot of incorporating always-available, anonymous, clinically tested AI and unlimited human coaching.
Michael Bertolone speaks to Local 18 members.local 18
Clinical safety and responsibility
Providing mental health support in our industry has an incredible weight on all of us. Because we know it's not just about increasing job satisfaction or improving your mindset, it's also about preventing serious mental health risks like suicide.
Symptom relief from yoga and breathing apps is good, but my employees need and deserve clinical-level mental health care. They need support in the form of proven treatments and techniques. If it’s not authentic and proven, it’s not worth the cost of onboarding support or liability risk.
AI means there are many new mental health tools on the market, but what we've learned is that they have varying levels of research and clinical support behind them. is. In consulting with experts in the field, we also learned that it is important to ensure that programs offered have critical infrastructure in place for escalation and crisis response. There needs to be a clear course of action to be initiated if someone shows signs of serious risk.
My advice? Take your time and dig deep into the options on the market. We at Local 18 have formed a task force charged with researching and compiling information on all available tools. This includes background on how much clinical evidence each tool has and what kind of escalation support is provided.
start somewhere
As part of a trade union, our job exists to ensure that professionals in the field are supported. And I can tell you right now, one of the biggest issues that they're struggling with today is mental health. This is a difficult problem to solve, but one that cannot be ignored. We are grateful to our colleagues working on this, to the children who will then enter the industry, and to the families of professionals in the field.
If you don’t currently have mental health support for your employees, start the conversation. Find out what they want, talk to organizational leaders about how to start that process, and consider solutions.
What we discovered in our search is that there are countless new technologies and solutions available, and it's up to us to step forward, vet them, and start providing care for our employees. was.
