'A lot of comments [were] made about "It's talked about, we just can't talk about it"'
Frontline construction workers in Nova Scotia are facing high levels of stress and mental health challenges, according to a recent report.
Overall, more than 36% of workers in the sector report experiencing high or very high stress levels at work, according to a study by WorkInsights commissioned by Construction Safety Nova Scotia (CSNS).
The report also identifies a strong link between workers’ mental health and their relationships with managers or supervisors. A third (33%) of workplace stress is directly connected to manager interactions, and 37% of employees express dissatisfaction with their relationship with their manager. Positive relationships with managers are found to reduce turnover risk by 45% and lower the impacts of stress.
Alcohol, drugs to cope with stress
The study also reveals that 26% of respondents regularly use alcohol or drugs to cope with stress, and those who do are 157% more likely to report poor mental health. In addition, 35% of workers report experiencing discrimination or harassment at work, nearly doubling their risk of poor mental health, while half of workers do not feel comfortable discussing mental health with colleagues.
“Nearly 50% of workers do not feel comfortable sharing their challenges with mental health with the people they work with or the people that they report to,” says Michael DeVenney, founder of WorkInsights, in his keynote speech at the CSNS 2025 Annual General Meeting. “A lot of comments [were] made about ‘It's talked about, we just can't talk about it’, ‘You can't share what's actually going on with you’. This is a big gap and something that really needs to be covered.”
This comes with major costs for workers and employers: high-stress environments contribute to up to 60% more workplace incidents, while 40% of workers say they are currently considering leaving their jobs due to stress, the study finds.
According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace 2025 report, Canada and the U.S. lead the world in workplace stress, with 50% of employees reporting feeling stressed “a lot” the previous day.
Despite these challenges, the report from CSNS notes that most workers remain engaged in their work. About 81% say they find genuine purpose in their jobs, 85% clearly understand job expectations, and 74% feel part of a cohesive team.
‘Mental health belongs on the senior leader's desk’
It’s high time that business leaders address the issue from the top of the corporate ladder, says DeVenney.
“Mental health belongs on the senior leader’s desk… that’s where it belongs,” he says. “It’s not there usually. It gets moved off into HR. HR wants to do things, but they’re overwhelmed by all the other aspects that they have to take care of. Safety, often, is a different part altogether.”
He notes that “whoever is the president, the CEO, whoever is the senior leader, mental health belongs in your portfolio. And that’s what you should be looking at.
“And unfortunately, we don’t see that a lot, but that’s where it should be.”
Many (59%) HR workers are experiencing burnout, and their heavy workload and long working hours are the top reasons, according to a previous Robert Half report.
How to manage workplace stress
To address the issue of workplace stress, CSNS suggests that employers do the following:
- Expand access to therapy, especially through online platforms.
- Train and support managers, who are the most influential factor in worker mental health.
- Provide managers with the time and resources they need to lead psychologically safe teams.
“Managing psychological health and safety in the workplace is as important as managing physical health and safety. As an employer, it’s your responsibility to address psychological health and safety and the factors that are within the control, responsibility, or influence of the workplace,” notes WorkSafeBC.
“Workplaces with a focus on both physical and psychological health and safety experience stronger employee engagement, greater productivity, and decreased turnover. Workers experience less conflict and higher morale, and are more committed to ensuring the health and safety of their workplace.”
Meanwhile, the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) notes that organisations need to consider all of these in their efforts to create a mentally healthy workplace. These factors are:
- balance
- civility and respect
- clear leadership and expectations
- engagement
- growth and development
- involvement and influence
- organizational culture
- protection of physical safety
- psychological competencies and demands
- psychological protection
- psychological and social support
- recognition and reward
- workload management
Workplace issues that can also affect mental health, notes CCOHS, include:
- stigma and discrimination
- demand/control and effort/reward relationships
- presenteeism
- job burnout
- harassment, violence, bullying and mobbing
- problematic substance us
Organisations across the world face the risk of a leadership exodus in the wake of rising stress among leaders due to time scarcity, according to a previous report.
