May is Mental Health Awareness Month, but we should be prioritizing our mental health year-round. We all experience some degree of stress or anxiety in our daily lives, and one in 25 adults in the United States lives with a serious mental illness. In the construction industry, job-level stress can be high, making it even more crucial for these individuals to find ways to manage their mental health. In fact, the suicide rate for construction workers is four times higher than the general population – 45.3 suicides per 100,000 to be exact. That sobering statistic has led Milestone’s Chief Operating Officer, C.J. Potts, to speak out on the seriousness of prioritizing employee mental health.
In a 2023 interview with AsphaltPro Magazine, Potts talks about the mental aspect of worker safety and the company’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and the importance of supporting workers during difficult times. “We have begun conversations on how we can focus more on the mental health and emotional well-being of each other and our teams”, Potts said. During the interview, Potts details the importance of being a good leader and creating an open environment where workers can feel free to speak about what’s on their minds, breaking the stigma associated with sharing mental and emotional struggles. “A lot of our guys were raised to hold things in and never discuss their problems. Nobody is telling them it’s okay to talk about it. But every human being has a breaking point.”
Our personal lives are often filled with events that weigh on us mentally and emotionally – an illness, death, divorce, moving or caring for a loved one are all stressful situations that directly affect our mental and emotional state and can negatively affect the people around us – both at home and on the job. No one should try and navigate life’s stressors alone, but it can be hard to know who to talk to when you find yourself struggling.
The Heritage Group offers its employees resources for coping with life’s stressors and managing mental health. One-on-one counseling sessions and other support services through the company’s free EAP help individuals effectively navigate mental health – both in and out of work. Additionally, Heritage Family employees have been taught how to identify common signs and symptoms of mental health and substance abuse as well as provide an action plan to help responsibly and safely offer support.
If you or a loved one is experiencing a mental health crisis or thinking about suicide, call or text the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or visit 988lifeline.org.
Heritage Construction + Materials (HC+M) is part of The Heritage Group, a privately held, family-owned business headquartered in Indianapolis. HC+M has core capabilities in infrastructure building. Its collection of companies provides innovative road construction and materials services across the Midwest. HC+M companies, including Asphalt Materials, Inc., Evergreen Roadworks, Milestone Contractors and US Aggregates, proudly employ 3,000 people at 68 locations across seven states. Learn more at www.heritagebuilds.com.
