Gen Z & Mental Health in Construction: Experienced Perspectives

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Travelers Logo
TEXT: New Crew, New Rules: Gen Z and Mental Health in Construction.

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BETH MCKENNA: Hello, and welcome to today's webinar, New Crew, New Rules—Gen Z and Mental Health in Construction.

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A slide show presentation begins with the speaker's video in the upper right corner. Slide: New Crew, New Rules: Gen Z and Mental Health in Construction. Travelers.

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I'm Beth McKenna, AVP of Construction, Energy and Marine at Travelers. And I'll be your moderator for today's important conversation.

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Slide: Moderator. Text: Beth McKenna. Assistant Vice President, Construction, Energy and Marine, Travelers. A smiling photo of Beth appears in the middle of the slide. Footer text: New Crew, New Rules: Gen Z and Mental Health in Construction. Travelers umbrella logo.

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Today, we're going to be exploring how generational shifts, especially the arrival of Gen Z—and those are individuals born between 1995 and 2012—are reshaping construction workplaces, and how employers can meet this moment with really thoughtful strategies around mental health and also workforce resilience.
 
As many of you know, Generation Z is entering this field with different expectations around mental health, psychological safety and work-life balance. It's a generation that openly prioritizes emotional well-being and purpose, but they're entering an industry that's known for its demanding pace, high-pressure culture and historically limited openness to mental health discussions.

That disconnect there is already showing up in our safety outcomes, engagement levels, turnover and claims data too. A couple of prominent statistics I wanted to share. More than 2 out of 5, 42%, Gen Z individuals have been diagnosed with a mental health condition. Of those diagnosed with a mental health condition, anxiety and depression are the most common issues, with 9 out of 10 diagnosed with anxiety and 8 out of 10 with depression.

At the same time, the construction industry is facing a labor shortage, rising project complexity and growing pressure to retain top talent. Understanding Gen Z's values and mental health needs, it's not just a generational preference, it is a business imperative.

To help us explore this topic from multiple real-world perspectives, we are joined today by a dynamic group of panelists who bring deep expertise in generational research, workforce wellness and injury claims innovation.

Doctor Jean Twenge, Professor of Psychology and author of Generations—The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers in Silence, and What They Mean for America's Future.

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Slide: Panelists. The photos of three panelists appear on the right next to their introductory Text: Dr. Jean Twenge, Psychology Professor. Author of Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers and Silents—and What They Mean for America's Future. Alyssa Kwasny, Wellness Program Director, Faith Technologies Incorporated. Monica Rinaldi, MSN, RN, Claim Product Manager, Medical Innovation and Strategy, Travelers. Footer text: New Crew, New Rules: Gen Z and Mental Health in Construction. Travelers umbrella logo.
 
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Alyssa Kwasny, Wellness Program Director at Faith Technologies Incorporated, who's been leading culture change on the ground to support mental health in our field environments.

Monica Rinaldi, MSN, RN, Claim Product Manager in Medical Innovation and Strategy at Travelers with direct insights on how mental health is influencing injury recovery and claim outcomes. Together, we will be looking at the generational data, the safety and claims implications, and most importantly, the strategies that contractors can use to build healthier, more resilient workforces from the ground up.

So, on behalf of Travelers, I want to thank you all for taking the time to join us for this very important, very timely discussion. Before we jump into the webinar, though, I do just want to add that the webinar is being recorded. A replay will be available to all participants.

And on the screen now is our legal disclaimer—there it is, it's our legal disclaimer stating that the information in this webinar is intended to be informational. It does not affect coverage or policies issued by Travelers.

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Slide: Important Notice. Text: This material does not amend, or otherwise affect, the provisions or coverages of any insurance policy or bond issued by Travelers. It is not a representation that coverage does or does not exist for any particular claim or loss under any such policy or bond. Coverage depends on the facts and circumstances involved in the claim or loss, all applicable policy or bond provisions, and any applicable law. Availability of coverage referenced in this material can depend on underwriting qualifications and state regulations. The information provided in this material is intended as informational and is not intended as, nor does it constitute, legal or professional advice or an endorsement or testimonial by Travelers for a particular product, service or company. Travelers does not warrant that adherence to, or compliance with, any recommendations, testimonials, best practices or guidelines will result in a particular outcome. In no event will Travelers, or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates, be liable in tort or in contract to anyone who has access to or uses this information for any purpose.
Unless otherwise specified, no sponsorship, affiliation or endorsement relationship exists as between Travelers and any of the entities referenced in this presentation. Copyright 2024The
 
Travelers Indemnity Company. Travelers and The Travelers Umbrella are registered trademarks of The Travelers Indemnity Company in the U.S. and other countries. All rights reserved. Footer text: New Crew, New Rules: Gen Z and Mental Health in Construction. Travelers umbrella logo.

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So before we begin, we just want to get a quick pulse from all of you with a polling question. How would you all describe your company's current approach to mental health in the workforce—I'm sorry, in the workplace? And polling questions should be coming up.

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There it is. So how would you describe your company's current approach to mental health in the workplace? Very proactive, somewhat proactive, reactive, or minimal with no real current focus. We'll give everybody a minute to submit.

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It's looking like a lot of you, the slight majority anyway, identified as somewhat proactive. But there's a broad variety here of answers. And I think that really does reflect the diversity of where companies are on this journey. But it's good to see so many that are going in that right direction. And, hopefully today, you'll leave with some more momentum and some new ideas.

So we're going to move to some panelist questions. And I'm going to start with Dr. Jean Twenge.

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Slide: Gen Z Differences. Text: More pessimistic outlook than millennials. Higher rates of depression among young adults. More open about mental health at work. On the left are photos of a knot with multicolored strands of rope and a person on a boat looking over the seat
 
with a telescope. Footer text: New Crew, New Rules: Gen Z and Mental Health in Construction. Travelers umbrella logo.

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You have written extensively about generational differences. Can you help us frame up this conversation today? What are the most distinctive mental health attitudes and expectations of Gen Z workers, especially compared to millennials and Gen X? And how might those differences play out in the workplace?

JEAN TWENGE: Yeah, so I think one of the most important things to understand is just how different Gen Z is from millennials, the generation right before them, particularly as young adults, because millennials are so optimistic as teenagers and young adults. Gen Z is much, much more pessimistic. So the way you reach them is going to be different just based on that one really big shift.

So, for example, overly optimistic or inspirational messages often fall flat with Gen Z. So one of the reasons Gen Z is more pessimistic is that there's been a really big rise in depression among young adults in that transition from millennials to Gen Z.

So Gen Z young adults are twice as likely to be depressed compared to millennials at the same age when they were the young adults. That transition happened in that age group in the early 2010s. So it's clear it wasn't due to COVID. It's probably linked to spending more time on social media and smartphones as opposed to spending time with friends in person.

So one somewhat good outcome of that increase in depression is that Gen Z is much more aware of mental health issues. It's probably not the cause of the rise in depression because we know that there's also a rise in behaviors related to depression, like self-harm, for example.

So that means it's not just a perception, it's that more really are depressed and they know more friends and family and other young adults who are depressed, so they're more aware of those issues and more likely to bring it up in the workplace.
 
So, for example, Gen Z workers are often more likely to bring up whether health insurance is covering mental health, as well as physical health. They might be more likely to ask for a so- called mental health day. These are things a lot of managers have noticed.

BETH MCKENNA: That's interesting. Thank you. Let's dig a little deeper into that too. Can you talk about some of the underlying causes of the mental health challenges that Gen Z faces today, particularly when it comes to that technology, the smartphones, the social media use?

JEAN TWENGE: Yeah, this is something I've dug into a lot in my research, is how people spend their time and how that's changed across generations. That's different for Gen Z young adults compared to previous generations when they were that age.

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Slide: Impact of Technology. A woman lays in bed and uses her smartphone. Footer text: New Crew, New Rules: Gen Z and Mental Health in Construction. Travelers umbrella logo.

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Gen Z spends a lot more time alone. They are connecting with people electronically, but they're often doing that while they're alone on their phone or their laptop. They spend a lot less time with friends in person. We see that across pretty much every way we can measure spending time with friends.

So among teens, for example, they're less likely to hang out with friends, to drive around in a car, to go to a party. And then among young adults, the amount of time that they spend interacting with people socially in person has been cut in half.

So we get that from sources like the American Time Use Survey, which is administered by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Monitoring the Future Surveys Teens. We know just across the board, they're not spending as much time with people in person.

They're also, and this is really crucial, they're also spending less time sleeping. So you put those three things together—more time online, less time sleeping, less time with friends in person —
 
that's a terrible formula for mental health. I think that's really at the core of that increase in depression between millennials and Gen Z. Not all of it, but a lot of it.

And I think we have to put that in the context of the pandemic, that certainly COVID was also not great for mental health. But if you look at surveys like the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, you see most of the increase in depression starting around 2011 or 2012 up to 2019.

And then, yes, things get even worse. More depression from 2019 to 2020 and 2021 during COVID. And then it goes back down, resolves itself by last year to about the 2019 levels. But what that means is the biggest increase was well before COVID. It really doesn't look like the pandemic was the primary cause of these trends.

BETH MCKENNA: Thank you, Jean. You just highlighted how Gen Z experiences mental health so differently than previous generations. So I want to ask our audience here too. We're going to do another polling question here. How would you describe—what do you see as the biggest mental health challenge for younger workers on your jobsites?

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There it is. What do you see as the biggest mental health challenge for younger workers on your jobsites? Is it stress and deadlines? Anxiety and depression? Fatigue, sleep issues? Stigma or lack of openness about mental health? Or more retention turnover pressures?

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So this is interesting. So the top two answers are split evenly between stress and deadlines and anxiety and depression. And I think, again, there's a range here. And I think that's interesting. It's not just one item that stands out, which shows how complex these issues can be, and really
 
sets up a very important conversation about how these challenges are showing up in real-world field environments. So thank you, everybody, for your input here.

OK, I want to move over to Alyssa. Alyssa, I want to bring this into the construction field a bit. From your perspective as a wellness program director, what are some of the most visible costs and consequences of mental health challenges among these younger workers, both on and off the jobsite?

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Slide: Mental Health Challenges Among Younger Workers. Text: On and off the jobsite. Increased safety risks due to stress and distraction. Low engagement. Difficulty retaining younger talent. Building a supportive culture. Foster open dialogue surrounding mental health. Promote well-being through comprehensive program offerings. Logos: Power Up. Take charge of your health. F.T.I.—Footer Text: New Crew, New Rules: Gen Z and Mental Health: In Construction. Logos: F.T.I., Travelers red umbrella.

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ALYSSA KWASNY: Yeah, so on the jobsite, I would say one of the most visible consequences is increased safety risk. You know, construction is already a high hazard industry. And when young workers are struggling with anxiety, depression or burnout, they're more likely to be distracted or fatigued, which are two leading contributors to our jobsite accidents.

And this affects not only their own safety, but the safety of their crew as well. There might also be reduced engagement. Mental health challenges can lead to missed workdays, presenteeism and ultimately slower project timelines. And that affects profitability and scheduling.

And then I would say off the jobsite, we're seeing younger generations more willing to leave jobs where they don't feel psychologically safe or connected. And that's a challenge in a high turnover industry that's already struggling with retention. Replacing talent, especially skilled labor, is expensive and it's time-consuming.
 
So given what we're seeing both on and off the jobsite, here at FTI, we've taken a comprehensive approach to really build a culture where mental health is openly discussed and where support is embedded into the fabric of the company.

So a few of our specific initiatives that we've implemented to support our people's mental health include offering a robust mental health benefit, such as Lyra Health, which provides employees and their families with free, confidential access to high-quality therapy, coaching and self-guided mental health tools. And this includes specific support for parenting and work stress, which we know impacts younger employees navigating both career and personal life.

We've also launched a peer storytelling initiative, where team members share their personal mental health journeys. These stories that are told through video or other formats really have helped break the stigma and remind others that they're not alone.

Additionally, we engage wellness champions across jobsites who serve as those local points of support and help connect people to resources in a way that feels familiar and safe. We also weave mental health topics and resources into our daily safety bulletin emails.

So every Monday is a Mental Health Monday message that focuses on sharing mental health stories from peers, sharing information on various mental health topics, as well as highlighting different resources that our company offers to support overall mental health.

And we're just really continuing to build out those on-demand tools and training that really meet employees where they are, which is especially important for younger workers who really value that flexibility and accessibility.

But at the end of the day, mental health isn't just a wellness issue, it's really a safety issue, a retention issue and a culture issue. So supporting workers' mental health really helps us build a stronger, safer and more resilient workforce.

BETH MCKENNA: Thanks, Alyssa. I love that. And you just shared some really fantastic, tangible approaches like the storytelling initiatives, the wellness champions. So that's great. Thank you
 
for that. Now we're going to hear from our audience again. We're going to have another polling question. This is our final polling question, if we could bring that up for everybody.

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Which type of support do you believe would make the biggest difference in your workforce where you are? Is it peer-to-peer storytelling and openness? Access to confidential mental health benefits, training for supervisors or managers? Visible leadership backing and policies? Or on-site wellness champions and resources?

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OK, so it looks like the leading answer, access to confidential mental health benefits, is the one that's most selected, followed not far behind by visible leadership backing and policies and training for supervisors and managers.

I think this is so interesting to see how many selected this access to confidential mental health benefits. That's great. And it reinforces—all of this, actually—reinforces just how critical it is to go beyond awareness and provide those real, usable, tangible tools. So thank you very much, everybody. We appreciate your input here.

All right, so let's go back to our panelists. I'm going to move over to Monica now. Monica, I want to bring in the claims and the injury recovery perspective. From your vantage point in claims and medical innovation, do younger workers view mental health differently than older generations?

MONICA RINALDI: Yeah, they do. (DESCRIPTION)
 
A slide displays a picture of a man talking to a therapist and a quote: From a claims and innovation perspective, we're now focusing more on early screenings for psychosocial risk factors, not just the injury. Footer text: New Crew, New Rules: Gen Z and Mental Health in Construction. Travelers umbrella logo.

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So Gen Z workers are much more likely to discuss their mental health concerns. And that's definitely a shift from the previous generations, who often viewed mental health as a stigma.

We see these psychosocial factors also being documented alongside their physical injuries, especially in high-risk industries like construction. Second, these psychosocial factors can affect recovery timelines.

So for example, we've observed that the injured employees with, you know,  untreated or unacknowledged stressors, whether it's worry about their finances or unrealistic recovery expectations from their injury, they can have longer return-to-work durations. Their engagement with medical treatment and rehabilitation can also be affected if they don't feel like their emotional well- being is being addressed alongside their physical recovery.

And finally, we're noticing that Gen Z places a very high value on communication and emotional well-being. When those elements are missing, especially in high-stress or rigid environments like construction, it can increase the risk of injuries due to distraction or disengagement.

It can also just complicate the recovery process if they don't feel seen or supported. So from our claims and innovation perspective, we're now focusing more on the early screening for psychosocial risk factors and not just the injury alone.

BETH MCKENNA: Thanks, Monica. That's great. It makes a ton of sense. And actually it makes me want to go back to Alyssa, something that you mentioned earlier about the labor shortage. Can I just ask, how might that labor shortage be intensifying mental health strain on our younger workers, especially the Gen Z employees that are just entering the field?
 
ALYSSA KWASNY: Yeah, so the ongoing labor shortage is definitely intensifying mental health strain on younger workers, especially team members who are just entering the field.

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Slide: Labor Shortage and Mental Health Strain. Text: The Challenge. Intensified pressure, leading to burnout, anxiety and self-doubt. Younger workers are still learning to manage emotional well-being at work. Our Approach: Culture of Care. Mental health is a priority—not just a slogan. Initiatives like Peer storytelling, Wellness Champions and EAPs help break stigma. Investing in mental health strengthens retention and team resilience. Logos: Culture of Care.
F.T.I.—Footer text: New Crew, New Rules: Gen Z and Mental Health in Construction. Travelers umbrella logo.

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With fewer hands available, these team members are often asked to take on more responsibility earlier in their careers, sometimes without that mentorship or structure that supports long-term success.

And that can lead to burnout, anxiety and self-doubt, particularly in a high-pressure, fast-paced environment like construction. So this strain really is compounded by the fact that many young workers are still learning how to navigate their emotional well-being in the workplace, especially in an industry that hasn't traditionally encouraged open conversations about mental health.

And that's where our culture of care at FTI plays a critical role. It's not just a slogan, it's a commitment that shows up in how we lead, how we train and how we support our people. We've worked intentionally to create a culture where mental health is not only acknowledged, but it's prioritized alongside physical safety.

So, for example, one of our team members recently shared during our mental health storytelling initiative that he had been quietly struggling with anxiety since starting on the job, and he didn't feel comfortable speaking up until he heard a field leader share their own experience with mental health challenges during one of our video spotlights that we did.
 
And that openness, aligned with our culture of care, really gave him permission to seek that help. And he later began using our mental health benefit, Lyra Health. And he used that for therapy sessions privately and on his own terms.

And that one story just reflects a larger shift. So through peer storytelling, our wellness champions on the jobsite and easy access to Lyra Health's confidential services, we're really working on breaking that stigma and building trust, especially among our younger workers.

They want to know that they're not just a number on a crew. They want to feel supported, valued and safe to ask for help. So in a tight labor market, investing in mental health through a strong culture of care isn't just the right thing to do. It's also a smart retention strategy. It helps keep our people healthy, engaged and proud to be part of this industry.

MONICA RINALDI: Alyssa, I'm actually really glad that you mentioned the importance of building a culture of care. I wanted to share that the Travelers Institute has actually published a white paper. It's called Investing in Mental Well-Being—A Guide for Employers.

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Slide: Travelers White Paper. Text: Mental health is no longer a topic to be avoided at work. It's a critical factor impacting employee well-being, productivity and overall business success. There is an image of the white paper cover on the left with the title: Travelers Institute. Travelers.
Investing in Mental Well-Being: A Guide for Employers, and a picture of two smiling people sitting outdoors. In the middle of the slide there is a QR code with the text: Scan for copy of white paper. Link will also be shared after the webinar. Footer text: New Crew, New Rules: Gen Z and Mental Health in Construction. Travelers umbrella logo.

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And this white paper really goes into depth on the importance of building that culture of care, and I believe we're going to be sending out a link after today's webinar.

BETH MCKENNA: Thanks, Monica. Yes, we will be sending out links. I appreciate you sharing that extremely important resource. That's great. And Alyssa, going back to your example, how
 
the leaders' candor there and the story you just told helped open the door for younger worker to seek support. It shows how the culture of care can make a real impact.

And it also ties back to the polling question that we asked around what people are looking for. And so I love that example. Thank you. I would like to ask about barriers, though, that you're seeing. Can you talk about some of the challenges that you have faced in trying to introduce wellness or mental health programs in such a rugged, fast-paced environment? And then how are those younger workers responding?

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Slide: Embedding Wellness into Everyday Work. Text: Barriers to Support. Mental well-being seen as secondary to physical safety. Tough-it-out mindset. Limited time and access. Steps We're Taking. Onsite Wellness Champions. Lyra Health 24/7 support. Culture of Care Check-ins. Time to Recharge benefit: 2 hours per month for mental health. Storytelling. Logos: Time to Recharge. Team members who took advantage of Time to Recharge hours since 2021: 91%.
Wellness Champions. Mental Health Moments: Inspiring Stories from F.T.I. Team Members.
F.T.I.—Footer text: New Crew, New Rules: Gen Z and Mental Health in Construction. Travelers umbrella logo.

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ALYSSA KWASNY: Yeah, it's really important to focus on overcoming that mindset that mental health isn't as critical as physical safety. There's still that strong, tough it out culture in the field, and mental well-being can be viewed as a personal issue rather than a workforce issue.

And that's why we focused so much on creating that culture of care. One that reinforces that looking out for each other includes emotional and mental health and not just the physical side of things. We've also had to address access and time. Our workforce doesn't sit at desks all day.

So we've leaned into solutions that really meet people where they are. So like those on-site wellness champions or that partnership with Lyra Health for 24/7 mental health support. And then short, meaningful culture of care check-ins that leaders can hold on the jobsite.
 
So these check-ins are designed to really open up space for that human connection, whether it's just checking in on how someone's really doing or reminding teams that support is available. We've also introduced a Time to Recharge benefit, which allows employees to take time off to focus on their well-being without needing to provide a specific reason.

So these two hours every month have been especially impactful for younger employees who often feel pressure to prove themselves earlier in their careers. So giving them this permission and encouragement to prioritize their mental health just reinforces that we actually walk the talk when it comes to care.

We've noticed that the younger workforce tends to be more open to mental health conversations and more likely to use the benefits that we provide. And after launching our storytelling campaign, we saw team members really step forward to share their own experience. And that vulnerability has created a ripple effect across our crews and really helps break that mental health stigma and build trust.

In a fast-moving industry like ours, wellness programs can't be extra—they have to be embedded into how we lead, communicate and care for people daily.

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A slide displays a photo of construction workers chatting and a quote: Wellness programs can't be extra—they have to be embedded in how we lead, communicate and care for people.
Footer text: New Crew, New Rules: Gen Z and Mental Health in Construction. Travelers umbrella logo.

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Our culture of care is the foundation for that, and we're proud to see it gaining traction with the next generation.

BETH MCKENNA: Alyssa, for construction companies that are looking to introduce similar programs, what key items should they train their managers on? And then what do you think is the best way to go about that training?
 
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Slide: Training Managers to Support Mental Health. Text: What to Focus On. Spot signs of stress or emotional struggle. Start supportive conversations. Know and share resources (E.A.P., 9 8 8 hotline, etc.). Lead with empathy and openness. How to Deliver. On-demand virtual training for flexibility. Real-world examples and short, actionable content. Culture of Care Check-ins. Build confidence to support teams—day-to-day and in crises. Logos: You Matter 9 8 8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. F.T.I.—An image shows a man wearing a yellow safety vest with Culture of Care Champion on the back. Footer text: New Crew, New Rules: Gen Z and Mental Health in Construction. Travelers umbrella logo.

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ALYSSA KWASNY: Sure. So when it comes to supporting mental health in construction, training managers is essential. They set the tone for their crews and are often the first to notice when something seems off.

So we focus our manager training on a few key areas, recognizing signs of stress or mental health struggles like behavior changes, withdrawal, or increased conflict. How to support supportive conversations without trying to diagnose or fix anything.

Knowing what resources are available, so like your EAP or the 988 Crisis and Suicide Prevention hotline, and how to confidently refer someone. And then promoting a culture of care by leading with empathy, checking in regularly, and being open about their own challenges when appropriate.

And then to make training more accessible and flexible for our teams, we use on-demand virtual training modules. And this allows leaders to complete the training at their own pace when it fits into their schedules. And we found that combining this approach with real-world examples and short, actionable content helps managers feel more confident and prepared to support their teams, not just in crisis, but really day-to-day.

BETH MCKENNA: Alyssa, that's excellent insight. Thank you so much and really great tips that you are giving around training. Good opportunity to remind everybody that this is recorded, so we can go back and revisit some of these. So appreciate you sharing that.
 
We're going to move over to Jean again. Jean, taking in everything that we have heard so far about expectations, stigma reduction, workplace pressures, how well do Gen Z's mental health needs and workplace expectations align or maybe even clash in a multigenerational construction workforce?

JEAN TWENGE: I think the key thing is to understand how much more receptive Gen Z is to treating mental health issues, to talking about mental health issues, being upfront about diagnoses or issues they're having in a way that can sometimes be a little bit shocking, especially to older managers.

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Slide: Navigating Generational Gaps. An image shows people walking around a plaza. Footer text: New Crew, New Rules: Gen Z and Mental Health in Construction. Travelers umbrella logo.

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And the other thing that will surprise people sometimes is Gen Z will specifically ask about programs around mental health. They'll also specifically ask for a mental health day in a way that some managers aren't used to.

So you really want to make sure you have a clear policy around that. It's not always going to be easy. Sometimes mental health issues are documented, sometimes they're not. Sometimes they're not officially diagnosed, but someone is still struggling with it. So those policies are tough.

If you have a physical illness, often there's a doctor's note that's required. So you have to decide, are you going to do that for mental health issues or are you not? So have a policy. Make sure you talk that out and have at least something in place so it's not a surprise when it happens.

BETH MCKENNA: Thank you, Jean. So I want to move on to solutions here. Monica, we're going to move to you. Are there any innovation—I'm sorry, innovative claims, tools or strategies that
 
are being developed that might help address or mitigate the unique psychosocial impacts that these Gen Z workers are facing?

MONICA RINALDI: Yeah, definitely. So here at Travelers, we've really taken an innovative approach to our entire employee mental well-being.

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Slide: Psychosocial Impacts. An image shows a worker talking to a doctor and holding his shoulder. Footer text: New Crew, New Rules: Gen Z and Mental Health in Construction. Travelers umbrella logo.

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So when a medical case manager or a nurse is assigned to a workers compensation claim, they engage with the injured employee in a conversational interview.

And during this interview, they screen for psychosocial risk factors that can contribute to a delayed recovery. So there are five different risk factors that we're screening for that have been linked to prolonged recovery time frames.

So currently, we screen and identify, for injured employee, unrealistic recovery frames, fear avoidance, perceived injustice, maladaptive coping and catastrophic thinking. Our data does show that about 40% of our injured employees have at least one of these risk factors. So when you think about that, that's nearly half. And I think that really shows the importance of the work that we're doing.

So, should an injured employee have one or more of these risk factors? Our nurses offer them access to an app called Wysa that focuses on mental being. The app was customized for Travelers, but it's not a part of their claim and their utilization is completely anonymous.

The app does have a chatbot that they're able to interact with at any time of the day. And depending on the issues at hand, the app will actually recommend various exercises or toolkits that may be available.
 
Our data does show that 84% of our app users gave it the highest rating and reported that it helped them. We also know that our users engage with the app at a high frequency, oftentimes up to two times a day. And our most popular toolkits do involve sleep and mental reframing.

Here at Travelers, we're really happy to offer this resource to our injured employees to help support them during this very difficult time in their life. And then specifically for Gen Z, we know that they are digital adopters, and the easy access and availability of the chatbot really is appealing for this particular population.

BETH MCKENNA: Thanks, Monica. I like what you said about the app addressing some of the sleep issues that Jean talked about earlier on. And so actually, I want to go back to Jean now with another question. Jean, based on your research, what should construction employers be doing differently to attract, support and retain Gen Z workers with greater awareness of their mental health priorities?

JEAN TWENGE: So just be aware, Gen Z is much more receptive to treating mental health issues, to talking about mental health issues.

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Slide: How to Attract, Support and Retain Gen Z Workers. An image shows two people chatting in an office. Footer text: New Crew, New Rules: Gen Z and Mental Health in Construction.
Travelers umbrella logo.

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And just don't be shocked or surprised at their requests around mental health, around taking time off for mental health, around treatment for mental health. And make sure you have a policy. And that is not always going to be easy because sometimes those mental health issues are more difficult to document than physical health issues.

BETH MCKENNA: Thanks, Jean. Great advice. I appreciate that. And now I have one last question for all of you. It's the same question for all of you. If you could each recommend just one actionable step, one takeaway that construction employers could take right now to support Gen Z's mental health, what would it be? And let's go ahead and start with Alyssa here.
 
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Slide: Key Actions. Footer text: New Crew, New Rules: Gen Z and Mental Health in Construction. Travelers umbrella logo.

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ALYSSA KWASNY: Sure. So I would say really create space for real conversations and make sure your leaders are the ones starting them. Equip those leaders with proper mental health training so they know how to lead through certain situations.

And people want to work in environments where mental health isn't just tolerated, it's talked about. So one of the most powerful things that we've done to normalize those conversations is through that storytelling effort. And then those culture of care check-in initiatives.

So when leaders really model that vulnerability and regularly check in, not just about productivity, but about how people are really doing, it creates trust, breaks that stigma and opens the door for younger workers to speak up before they're in crisis. You don't need a big budget to start. Just a willingness to lead with care, listen without judgment, and then follow through with real support.

BETH MCKENNA: Thanks, Alyssa. Monica, how about you?

MONICA RINALDI: Yeah, so I have a few suggestions. First, I would definitely facilitate for the training of supervisors and employees to create a work environment that's really conducive to openness and communication.

Build up those employee assistance programs and then definitely consider mental health when you're developing those employee health benefits. I always say we shouldn't be thinking about mental health just during the month of May, which is Mental Health Awareness Month, or this month, September, which is Suicide Prevention Month in Construction. It really should be an all-year-round approach.
 
A couple resources to check out. We have here at Travelers the Risk Control site, and I think that would be really valuable. And then additionally, external to Travelers, there's the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention, and there's also the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention. And those would all be my recommendations.

BETH MCKENNA: Thank you, Monica. Jean, let's go to you. What's your advice?

JEAN TWENGE: So I give a lot of talks on technology use and mental health to parents, to young adults themselves. And the thing I always tell people is if you want to do just one thing to improve mental health and sleep, it is not having your phone in your bedroom overnight. So get it out of the bedroom after lights out.

And, as an employer, I think that's a great discussion to have with people because sleep is so crucial for physical health and for mental health. Sleep deprivation is a huge risk factor for depression, for example.

And there's a ton of research on this that people sleep better if their phone is not within arm's reach. And scrolling right before bed, also really disruptive to sleep. So just having that conversation, getting that phone out of the bedroom.

What a lot of people say is, but I have to have my phone in my bedroom overnight because it's my alarm clock, to which I say I have some advice for you, buy an alarm clock. So you do have to put your money where your mouth is. As well as a manager, don't expect people to instantly reply to your texts, especially later at night. In construction, people are getting up early often.

At 9 o'clock in the evening and 9 p.m., maybe you're not going to get a response. That may be a good thing. They're getting the sleep that they need to be productive the next day. So you can send a message, hey, I need you to pick this up at Home Depot the next morning, but just realize they're probably not going to get it until the next morning if they're following this advice. And we have to be accepting of that in working with people.
 
So of course, there's other things too. Just being open about mental health issues, trying to set any stigma aside, and just realizing there's different ways of communicating. And Gen Z is very comfortable communicating via text. In a lot of cases, that's going to be how you want to do it.

For thornier issues, more in-depth discussions, you really need to have those in person. You get a lot more out of it, especially for a difficult conversation. You get that nuance that is lost when it's happening over text. So tempting to text about more difficult issues, it's often better to have those conversations in person.

BETH MCKENNA: Thank you, Jean. Thanks, Alyssa. Thank you, Monica. Appreciate that. So before we wrap up today, I do want to take a quick step back because our conversation today has focused on Gen Z, that newest generation entering the workforce. It is important, though, to remember that mental health challenges don't just affect Gen Z, they affect construction workers across all generations.

We recently conducted a national survey of 500 construction professionals. The results painted a very sobering picture—62% reported experiencing stress in the past year, 46% experienced anxiety, 43% reported fatigue and 42% reported sleep difficulties. Over a third of the group struggled with depression at 36% and burnout at 31%.

And then critically, 5% reported substance misuse and 4% reported thoughts of self-harm. At the same time, many of the workers told us that they lack the resources that they need. So, for example, 63% lack support for substance misuse, 59% lack support for sleep difficulties. And we've talked a lot about sleep and how important that is.

More than half of the respondents lack resources for burnout, depression and fatigue. So you're seeing, hopefully, that this gap between mental health—this mental health need and mental health support remains—it remains wide. It's wide.

So it connects so directly to today's conversation because Gen Z may be the most vocal of the generations about these needs, but the data is showing us very clearly that they are not alone. Every age group in construction is carrying this burden. And so if we want to attract and retain
 
Gen Z while also supporting our current workforce. Addressing mental health has to be a priority across the board.

So that's why we've talked about what we did today, training managers, reducing the stigma, creating a culture of care. It's all so important. And it's not just about Gen Z. It really is truly about building a healthier, safer construction industry for everybody.

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Slide: Thank you.

(SPEECH)
So thank you again to Jean, Alyssa, Monica, you were amazing. We appreciate you sharing your insights, your experiences, your strategies. Thank you for your time. The discussion highlighted not just the challenges, but also the really tremendous opportunity that we all have to build stronger, more human-centered construction workplaces by supporting the mental health of Gen Z workers.

And lastly, thank you to all of you who joined us today. We appreciate it so much. We do hope that you are leaving with some very practical ideas, inspiration that you can take back to your organizations. This concludes our panel discussion today. Thank you. Have a wonderful afternoon.

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