Mental Health, Wellness & Safety in Field Service

Overview

As cliche as it may sound, (traditionally speaking) the field service technician as a profession has been known for its grueling nature. To be a “technician” was to be a roll-up-the sleeve, wrench-turner, problem-solver who through grit, got the job done. The result of this difficult and physically grueling workplace environment was ongoing workplace safety hazards, injury and disability and in some cases fatalities (industries such as energy & utilities, elevator, construction seemingly more susceptible). The profession has evolved considerably where the role and requirement of being a technician has evolved to an engineer orientation (especially with the increasing technological requirements of many asset-centric industries). Along this evolution, the invisible injuries caused by mental, health & wellness have only compounded the challenges of workplace safety.

Beyond the terrible cost impact of workplace injury and mental health & wellness issues (i.e., insurance/liability claims, capacity management issues, customer satisfaction issues), there is a human element to this result – people are hurting. As leaders, it is incumbent upon us to lead the effort to create a platform of support and to embrace a culture of Service is Humanity. If we can’t service and support our internal teams with resources and care to help alleviate the above, then there is no guarantee we will be successful in caring for customers. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 1 in 5 adults suffer from mental illness.

Watch the on-demand Ideashare workshop (1.5 hours in length to dive into problem solving concepts) as we explore what best-in-class organizations are prioritizing in building a Mental Health, Wellness & Safety (MHW&S) driven culture. During this session we will welcome the a panel of industry, academia and subject matter experts who discuss:

• Identifying & defining the problem and opportunity
• Practical examples of successful MHW&S programs
• Third-party resources available to support a best-in-class approach to MHW&S