Management Under Construction

mental health, construction, suicide, drug abuse, leadership, stress, crisis, alcohol, human cost, projects, safety   Mental Health in Construction: People Before Profit Brad Wyant and Dee Davis discuss why mental health has become a critical issue in the construction industry, drawing on decades of field experience, leadership lessons, and hard statistics. They explore how stress, long hours, shifting schedules, and poor communication can contribute to burnout, substance abuse, and suicide, and they outline practical ways leaders can reduce harm and support their teams. In this episode, Brad and Dee focus on the human cost of construction culture and why better communication and stronger leadership matter just as much as safety gear and compliance. The conversation is grounded in real jobsite experience, with both hosts sharing stories from projects, training, and the pressures that shape daily life in the industry. Key topics Dee Davis shares alarming industry statistics, including suicide rates that are the highest across all industries and far above the national average. Brad Wyant explains how anxiety, stress, and the nonstop pace of construction shaped his interest in mental health awareness and volunteer work. The hosts discuss how substance use, including alcohol, opioids, cocaine, and marijuana, can become a form of self-medication in high-stress jobsite environments. They connect prolonged overtime, demanding schedules, long commutes, and constant travel with burnout, reduced productivity, and strained family life. Dee and Brad talk about how construction culture often normalizes pressure, urgency, and not taking breaks, which can leave workers with little downtime or recovery. The episode examines how technology has changed construction communication, often for the worse, by increasing speed while reducing face-to-face conversation. Dee introduces DISC-style personality awareness and explains how high D, high I, and SC communication styles can collide on a jobsite. Brad and Dee stress that rapport matters, and that personal conversation, trust, and empathy can make difficult business conversations easier and more effective. They argue that the biggest safety threat in the industry is mental health, and that leaders should say no to unrealistic schedules and prolonged overtime. Dee shares a leadership example of helping union laborers find the next job before leaving a project, showing how communication and care reduce stress and build loyalty. Timestamps 00:00 - Opening banter and episode introduction 00:24 - Why mental health is now a major construction industry issue 01:12 - Suicide statistics and why the numbers are so alarming 02:01 - Brad’s personal connection to stress, anxiety, and awareness work 04:14 - Substance abuse, self-medication, and jobsite injury risks 06:31 - Why construction rarely gives people time to celebrate wins or recover 09:54 - Overtime, long hours, commutes, and family separation 12:04 - Never enough: schedule pressure and the constant push for more 13:14 - Why construction people are drawn to change and challenge 16:09 - How Bluebeam and digital tools transformed paperwork and workflows 18:36 - Technology’s pace of change versus construction productivity 20:24 - Training deficits and the industry’s resistance to learning 22:00 - Safety documentation, regulatory burden, and extra stress 23:29 - How communication has changed from face-to-face to digital 24:26 - More ways to communicate, but less actual communication 28:02 - Fast RFI turnaround and the value of responsive remote collaboration 29:06 - Why repeat projects are never truly the same 30:52 - The hardest parts of every job are the first and last 10 percent 33:04 - Stress, health risks, and the Monday morning heart attack pattern 34:09 - A jobsite suicide that changed how Dee viewed the industry 36:36 - Why no one can rely on a single communication style 38:48 - Building rapport before hard conversations arrive 41:01 - DISC personality styles and why construction skews high D 45:16 - How to adapt communication so different personalities can hear you 47:15 - Smart, detail-oriented people still clash under pressure 48:30 - Military habits, urgency, and learning to temper reactions 49:32 - When blunt communication is a style versus a warning sign 52:16 - Why suicide is the single biggest safety threat in construction 53:34 - Standing up to unrealistic schedules and constant overtime 54:45 - Saying mental health out loud and treating it as a safety issue 56:25 - Why training should be prioritized the way elite teams train 57:31 - Personal-life stress and the hidden burden on leaders 58:54 - Owners need to listen when contractors say the load is too much 59:46 - Training people to communicate and supporting their well-being 60:14 - Reputation, pricing, and how difficult clients get priced in 62:54 - Why human beings dying is the real bottom-line issue 64:35 - People who become close under pressure become your real support system 68:11 - Helping every worker line up the next job before the current one ends 70:18 - Closing thoughts: communication, balance, and people before profit Notable quotes “We have more ways of communicating now than we’ve ever had before and we communicate less.”     “The single biggest safety threat facing our industry is suicide.”   https://www.discprofile.com/what-is-disc https://www.osha.gov/preventingsuicides https://hardhatcourage.com/    

work, workforce readiness, partnership, employment, construction, career, career path, school, high school, student, networking, interview, industry Epic Campus Part 2 - Workforce Readiness, Signing Day, and the Power of Networking Dee Davis continues the conversation with Marc Finer and Beth Best from Epic Campus in Littleton, Colorado, focusing on how the program prepares high school students for real jobs, not just classrooms. This episode shows why workforce readiness, professional habits, and networking can matter as much as technical training, especially for students headed into construction and other skilled trades. We discuss how Epic Campus grades soft skills, why concurrent enrollment and math credit are built into the curriculum, and how the school celebrates students who go straight into the workforce through Signing Day. The conversation also makes a strong case for parents, employers, and industry partners to rethink what a successful post high school path can look like. Key topics Workforce readiness is treated as a major part of the grade at Epic Campus, making up 40% of a student’s semester score. Industry feedback shaped the program’s emphasis on showing up on time, communicating well, and being reliable. Beth Best explains how communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and professionalism are embedded into every class. A career fair story shows students transforming their posture and confidence once they dress professionally, carry resumes, and practice speaking with employers. Epic Campus hosts Career and Information Night with dozens of companies, higher ed programs, unions, trade schools, and the military so students and parents can explore options beyond a traditional college track. Concurrent enrollment gives students real college credit without extra coursework, and the first year in construction can earn nine college credits. Students also earn content credit toward high school graduation, including math credit through construction classes aligned with district standards. Marc Finer and Beth Best both emphasize how hands-on construction work helps students finally understand math, especially measurement, geometry, slope, and tape reading. Signing Day celebrates students who go directly into work. The episode underscores that networking is not awkward self promotion but a practical way to build relationships and find opportunities, including unpublished job openings. Epic’s winter finals even include networking and interviewing practice, with students rotating through interviewer, interviewee, and observer roles. NAWIC is highlighted as a meaningful partner, and Epic Campus is described as the first high school chapter in NAWIC history. Timestamps 00:00 - Part two of the Epic Campus conversation begins 00:42 - Why the no boots, no work rule mirrors real job sites 01:51 - Why workforce readiness became 40% of the grade 03:23 - A career readiness lesson that stuck with the team 05:33 - Beth explains work based learning and soft skills 06:22 - Preparing students for a major construction career fair 07:33 - How students learned to introduce themselves professionally 08:01 - Career fairs turn into real job offers 08:29 - Career and Information Night brings in 49 companies 09:53 - Why Epic sees itself as a workforce development center 12:44 - Why concurrent enrollment matters even for non college bound students 13:43 - Apprenticeships, stackable credit, and future options 14:42 - Students earn content credit and math credit through construction 16:07 - First year construction students earning nine college credits 16:41 - How hands on work makes math finally click 17:36 - Tape measures, slope, and applied math in the field 20:06 - What Signing Day means at Epic Campus 21:39 - Celebrating students hired directly into the workforce 24:22 - Marc’s doorway analogy for different career paths 26:52 - A rising senior becomes acting foreperson on a summer internship 28:20 - A graduate pivots from criminal justice to construction management 29:47 - Why networking creates real opportunities 33:03 - Epic’s winter finals teach networking and interviewing 35:01 - NAWIC and Epic’s first high school chapter 37:48 - One thing an employer can do in the next month 38:36 - How parents can support a non college career path 41:41 - Closing thanks and reflections on community support https://www.littletonpublicschools.net/o/epiccampus https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-finer-30575932/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/beth-best-29840421/        

Construction, career path, engineering, education, workforce, industry, employer, EPIC campus, jobs, jobsite   Epic Campus: Building Career Pathways, Industry Partnerships, and Workforce Readiness Dee Davis sits down with Marc Finer and Beth Best from Epic Campus in Colorado to talk about how the school blends education and industry to help students explore real career pathways. The conversation covers how Epic chose its pathways, how it partners with employers, and why site visits and workplace expectations are baked into the student experience. In this episode, Marc and Beth share how Epic Campus is designed to let students test-drive careers, earn credentials, and see themselves in the trades and other industries before graduation. Key topics Epic Campus serves students from Littleton Public Schools, plus Inglewood and Sheridan, as a career and technical education campus focused on hands-on, career-connected learning. Beth Best explains her role as industry partnership coordinator, acting as the bridge between education and industry and bringing employers into Epic’s ecosystem. Marc Finer shares his path from working construction with his father to industrial arts education, residential remodeling, and helping build Epic Campus. The district selected pathways based on workforce demand, livable wages, regional job gaps, and long-term career viability, not just student interest alone. The team studied local and statewide labor trends, retirements, credential requirements, and postsecondary options to ensure students could leave high school career-ready. Epic avoids unnecessary duplication with nearby districts by coordinating offerings and sharing students across programs when it makes sense. The campus is still young, but it has already expanded pathways in response to student interest and industry demand, including behavioral health inside health sciences. One of the standout success stories is the RV technician pathway, launched after industry saw the potential and asked, "Why wait?" before adding design-side innovation. Epic became the first high school program in the country to certify students as level one RV technicians, with students moving into internships and jobs right away. Industry partners are involved day to day, helping shape curriculum, teach in classrooms, host tours, and even bring apprentices close to students’ ages so students can see themselves in the work. Marc emphasizes that partnerships are two way, asking companies what Epic can do for them, then aligning student learning with real workforce needs. Workforce readiness matters as much as technical skill, with students being evaluated on professionalism, teamwork, problem solving, and showing up prepared. Site visits are treated as class time, not field trips, with students required to follow jobsite expectations like off-site parking, boots, PPE, and punctuality. The campus culture is intentionally industry-based, from Epic gear and safety boots to jobsite-style classroom rules and expectations. Beth and Marc both stress the importance of representation, bringing in women, Latino professionals, and younger apprentices so students can picture a future in the industry. The episode closes on the idea that the construction industry has a major workforce gap, and programs like Epic are helping fill it by preparing students earlier and better. Timestamps 00:00 - Students should be able to see themselves in the industry 00:16 - Dee introduces Marc Finer and Beth Best from Epic Campus 00:50 - Beth Best’s industry background and bridge role 01:21 - Marc Finer’s construction and education background 02:25 - What Epic Campus is and who it serves 03:18 - Why Epic is built around exploration, not forced career choice 04:28 - Why workforce readiness matters alongside pathways and internships 05:33 - How Epic chose pathways based on real workforce demand 06:50 - Livable wages, retirements, and regional job research 08:26 - Avoiding duplication and building around community needs 09:21 - Why Epic added design thinking to construction earlier than planned 10:42 - Unique pathways and reciprocal partnerships with neighboring districts 11:49 - Why adding new pathways takes time, space, and approval 13:27 - Adding behavioral health and launching the RV technician program 14:52 - How Windish RV helped spark a new pathway 15:21 - Becoming the first high school RV technician certification program 16:44 - Students moving directly into jobs after the program 17:51 - How Beth recruits industry partners and sets engagement expectations 19:38 - Marc’s approach to industry partnerships as a two way street 21:34 - The construction workforce gap and industry involvement 22:24 - Why Epic asks partners to bring apprentices, women, and Latino professionals 23:20 - Adalia’s story and why student professionalism stands out 24:47 - How industry access gives students confidence and opportunity 26:45 - The biggest challenge with partners: time and scheduling 28:21 - Three hour classes and flexible levels of partner engagement 29:20 - Industry projects, real problems, and semester-long collaborations 30:47 - No boots, no work, and why Epic looks and feels like a jobsite 31:44 - The One River North site visit and students making an impression 34:09 - Why Epic calls them site visits, not field trips 35:37 - Career growth in construction without a traditional degree path 36:11 - Beth explains punctuality, PPE, and jobsite expectations 37:06 - How students learn real logistics from active jobsites 38:20 - Student professionalism during Block Kids 39:01 - Showing up unprepared means you do not work 40:03 - Why workforce readiness is missing in too many places https://www.littletonpublicschools.net/o/epiccampus https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-finer-30575932/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/beth-best-29840421/  

employer, employee, leave, coverage, parental leave, Human resources, mothers, fathers, parents, business, engineering, construction, continuity, retention, teams, people   Mother Cover: Why Leave Coverage Matters for Working Parents and Teams This episode of Management Under Construction features Beth Wanner, founder of Mother Cover, a specialized agency built to cover interim leave for professionals during parental, medical, mental health, caregiving, and sabbatical absences. The conversation focuses on why leave coverage is a business continuity issue, a retention issue, and a culture issue, not just an HR policy question. Beth shares the personal story that led her to build Mother Cover, and Dee Davis connects it to the reality many construction and engineering professionals face: feeling like they can never truly step away because the work never stops. Together they explore how thoughtful leave planning can protect both the employee taking leave and the teammates absorbing the work. Key topics Beth Wanner explains how Mother Cover provides interim leave coverage for knowledge-worker roles, with an emphasis on continuity, transition planning, and handing work back smoothly. Beth shares that her background was in marketing, not HR, and that her own experience with infertility, IVF, pregnancy, layoffs, and being fired at eight months pregnant shaped the company’s mission. Dee and Beth discuss how leave-related discrimination affects both women and men, especially fathers taking parental leave and caregivers taking time away for family or health reasons. The episode highlights the hidden cost of “just dispersing the work” across existing staff, including burnout, resentment, turnover, and knowledge loss. Beth explains why Mother Cover uses experienced professionals with 10 plus years of experience, often 15 to 30, so they can step in quickly without heavy onboarding. The model is intentionally fractional, with coverage ranging from 15 to 30 hours a week, because some continuity can be preserved without replacing a role full time. Beth describes the importance of transition templates, monthly updates, and a welcome-back brief so employees returning from leave are not dumped back into work blind. The conversation reframes leave support as a retention strategy, especially for key people in revenue, customer-facing, leadership-track, and mission-critical roles. Dee and Beth discuss how return-to-office mandates can push out experienced parents and professionals who need flexibility, even when they would otherwise stay. Beth emphasizes that strong leave partners need low ego, emotional intelligence, and a genuine why for supporting someone through a vulnerable professional moment. Timestamps 00:00 - Why a construction and management podcast is talking about leave coverage 01:04 - Beth’s background in marketing and the personal story behind Mother Cover 01:45 - Why manager interpretation can make a policy feel wildly different 02:48 - Why policy on paper is not the same as policy in practice 03:20 - How Mother Cover was built to solve real company pain points around leave 03:20 - Why overlap matters and how fractional coverage works in practice 03:51 - The hidden cost of dispersing leave work across an already stretched team 03:51 - Burnout, turnover, and the AFLEC study on stress covering leave 05:00 - Misconceptions about Mother Cover as staffing or recruiting 07:37 - The business case and culture case for investing in leave coverage 09:18 - The retention data companies should track after parental leave 10:57 - Why fathers taking parental leave still face stigma and backlash 11:37 - What getting leave support right feels like for employees 15:53 - Return-to-office mandates and how they affect flexibility and hiring 21:26 - Who fits Mother Cover’s leave partner roster and why experience matters 21:26 - How Mother Cover vets leave partners and screens for a real why 22:34 - Why interim work requires low ego and high emotional intelligence 22:34 - Protecting the returning employee from being replaced by their leave partner 23:05 - Transition templates, monthly updates, and the welcome-back brief 23:42 - Why a 30, 60, 90 day return plan helps employees reenter smoothly 24:22 - Why returning from leave is often more stressful than vacation 26:28 - First conversations leaders should have before parental leave 27:35 - The double circle exercise for identifying critical roles and people 28:40 - Why employees should ask for a performance review before stepping away 29:43 - Where to learn more about Mother Cover    Action items For leaders: start the leave handoff conversation three to four months before the leave begins. Map every role using the double circle exercise: critical role, critical person, or both. Build a contingency plan for every double circle person before leave happens. Track who takes leave, how long they stay after returning, and whether support is consistent across managers. Create written performance expectations before an employee steps away so there is clarity on return. Treat leave coverage as part of operational resilience, not as an optional favor. www.mothercoveragency.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethwanner/  

parental leave, family leave, employer, medical leave, leave coverage, benefits, temporary coverage, burnout, construction, engineering, manager, return to work   Mother Cover: Why Leave Coverage Protects Careers, Teams, and Culture Dee Davis speaks with Beth Wanner, founder of Mother Cover, about a problem many workplaces still handle poorly: who covers a critical role when someone goes on leave. The conversation focuses on parental leave, but it also reaches medical leave, mental health leave, caregiving, and sabbaticals, showing why coverage planning matters for retention, burnout prevention, and employee trust.Beth shares the personal experience that led her to build Mother Cover, how the company matches highly experienced leave partners with interim roles, and why the work is designed around continuity rather than replacement. Dee and Beth also dig into return-to-office pressure, manager-dependent leave experiences, and the hidden costs companies absorb when they assume the team can simply “pick up the slack.” Key topics Beth explains that Mother Cover is a specialized agency for interim leave coverage, not a recruitment firm. Her founding story includes infertility, IVF, a pregnancy layoff, and then being fired at eight months pregnant. She says the emotional impact of that experience, plus responses from hundreds of others on LinkedIn, showed her the problem was widespread. The conversation expands the issue beyond women and parental leave to include fathers, caregivers, medical leave, mental health leave, and sabbaticals. Dee and Beth discuss how teams often respond to leave by dispersing work internally, even when everyone is already operating near capacity. Beth cites burnout, turnover, and even additional leave triggered by covering someone else’s absence as hidden costs companies often miss. Mother Cover’s model uses leave partners with at least 10 years of experience, often 15 to 30, so they can step in quickly with minimal hand-holding. The company uses overlap periods, transition templates, monthly updates, and a welcome-back brief to support both the employee on leave and the person returning. Beth stresses that the best interim hires have low ego, strong emotional intelligence, and a strong why for doing the work.   Timestamps 00:00 - Welcome to Management Under Construction and the Mother Cover concept 00:45 - What Mother Cover does for interim leave coverage 02:30 - Beth’s background in marketing and the origin story of Mother Cover 03:26 - Pregnancy, layoff, and firing at eight months pregnant 05:11 - Why Beth’s LinkedIn post resonated with so many people 06:26 - Turning contract and fractional work into a leave coverage model 08:13 - Why this is not only a women’s issue 10:24 - The stigma men still face when they take longer parental leave 13:41 - Why overlap matters and how leave coverage is phased in 15:36 - The hidden cost of dispersing leave work across already busy teams 16:53 - Burnout data and the 2025 AFLAC findings 18:48 - The real business cost of ignoring coverage and losing clients 20:15 - Why junior employees should not be expected to absorb senior-level work 21:01 - How Mother Cover shapes its roster and engagement model 23:53 - Transition templates, monthly updates, and the welcome-back brief 25:55 - The stress of returning from leave and why handoff support matters 27:38 - Which roles are a fit for Mother Cover 28:45 - Why emotional intelligence matters as much as experience 32:18 - Why Mother Cover does not post roles publicly and looks for mission alignment 33:09 - Clear boundaries so leave partners are not seen as replacement candidates 37:38 - Warning signs that a company needs leave coverage help 39:29 - Tracking return rates and the retention risk after parental leave 42:25 - The manager lottery and why policy alone is not enough www.mothercoveragency.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethwanner/