In observance of World Mental Health Day, please take a moment and to check in with yourself, your friends, your coworkers, and your loved ones.
In recent years, Pinkard has made mental health a core tenant of how we address employee wellness and job safety. In addition to various mental health resources provided through Cigna Behavioral Health, our employee benefits include 5 free counseling sessions through Magellan EAP and a virtual support program for dealing with stress and substance issues via Youturn Health.
Our weekly on-site safety talks include ongoing conversations on mental health topics. And in every single porta-john on Pinkard jobsites, we place a sticker with the words “YOU MATTER” in English and Spanish, plus a QR code leading to the “988” national Crisis Lifeline. We also hold an annual employee cornhole tournament supporting mental health.
As a sign of progress, Pinkard was recently certified as a “Blue Badge” Healthy Workplace by Health Links, earning the highest mental health resources score of any contractor in Colorado, but that doesn't mean our work is anywhere near done. As we've learned, one of the biggest challenges is the stigma around discussing mental health, so it's on all of us to break that stigma down and make it okay to ask for help, which we all need at various points in our lives.
For further reading, check out our recent series on Men's Mental Health Month, featuring powerful conversations with Safety Manager Dave Ruddy, HR Director Jeff Kessler, and former EMT Bryce Heitsmith.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, you can call 988, the Crisis Lifeline.
