Just a decade ago, a company’s investment in mental health was considered progressive. Organizations with DEI managers—or even departments—were far from the norm. Not today.

As new generations enter the workforce and as employees and prospective employees feel the weight of significant social and economic changes, a new outlook on Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) is establishing ground. It goes beyond jobsite safety and embraces the full employee experience, taking into account the physical wellbeing and mental health of our work family.

Great organizations balance the needs of the company with the health and safety of employees. It’s a simple concept, but those 15 words involve a great deal of responsibility. If you ask a room full of employees what makes a great leader or who their most influential manager was, do they say the one who made them wear a helmet instead of a hardhat? Not usually, but that’s critically important. Is it the one who showed them the best way to frame a wall? Again, probably not, but that is still an essential part of construction. They will likely tell you it was someone who believed in them and encouraged them, who made them feel part of the team, who truly listened.

At DPR, who we build is as important as what we build and that includes an environment where our employees’ mental health is as important as their physical safety. To build great things, we must take care of our employees and their families, our teams, our customers and our partners.

How can you contribute to the health and safety of your employees or teammates? It begins with inclusion. First, make it part of your job to listen. To engage. To empower. To include. Having diverse perspectives throughout an organization often leads to better problem solving and outcomes. Cultivating a culture of inclusion and belonging at work is the responsibility of all of us and is DPR’s commitment.

How do we then build on a culture of inclusion to ensure mental health? One way is through conversation. Checking in on our teammates, customers and partners by asking "how are you?" is a simple way to start a conversation and build connection. Strengthening connections is one of the strategies for improving mental health, as recommended by the National Institutes of Health in its emotional wellness toolkit. It’s also imperative that employees understand their mental health benefits and how to access them.

There are significant social, economic and environmental events happening almost every day. Awareness of how these major events affect the human experience is essential. When we support and seek to understand each other, we make a positive difference. DPR exists to build great things, including an organization that puts people first. Supporting and enabling employees and teammates to be at their best results in a company at its best, and a better world for us all.

Please take care of yourself and each other.

- The DPR Leadership Team