MCSC partners with CCWESTT and Next Gen Men to lay foundation for psychological safety in construction

Next Gen Men facilitator, Trevor Mayoh speaks to participants at MCSC’s November 2024 session in Winnipeg.
Have you ever sat at a red light with no other traffic around, waiting for the light to turn green so that you can cross the intersection? That’s just one example of how physical safety ideals are built into our society. We respect rules that are in place, even when no imminent danger is present.
But do we do the same with psychological safety? Do we put emphasis on ensuring we have environments where all people feel comfortable sharing ideas, asking questions, and being themselves without fear of humiliation or punishment?
Manitoba Construction Sector Council (MCSC) partnered with the Canadian Coalition of Women in Engineering, Science, Trades and Technology (CCWESTT) to pose that question to the construction industry by bringing a coaction discussion on men as allies in the workplace to Manitoba in mid-November.
“Physical safety is built into every aspect of the construction sector. We don’t simply say, ‘Here’s your safety course’. Safety is taught, practiced, and reinforced every day,” said Carol Paul, Executive Director of MCSC. “We want psychological safety to be built in too.”
The men as allies discussion was led by Next Gen Men, a Canadian nonprofit dedicated to changing how the world sees, acts, and thinks about masculinity. The session was part of a national gender-based violence project that is looking at men as allies, and which will see three courses delivered in Manitoba: Shift Change, Be More than a Bystander, and We are Trades.
Trevor Mayoh, a member of the Next Gen Men team who focuses on delivering programming to equity leaders, presented to 36 attendees at the session – half men, half women – from a variety of Manitoba construction industry employers, educators, and more.
The focus of the session was on how to engage men in the discussion on gender-based violence and gender equality in the workplace, and the need for workplace culture to change and be more inclusive for everyone.
Given the workforce challenges in the construction industry, the topic was particularly pertinent in exploring ways to make people feel welcome in construction jobs regardless of gender, background, or any other characteristics.
“It can be challenging for people to see themselves in the issues we discuss,” said Mayoh. “They’ll think that gender-based violence has nothing to do with them because they don’t see themselves as violent. So we work to show them that it’s not just about attacking someone, it’s also in the language that we use that can contribute to a culture of violence, and the structures that allow that language to exist.”
The discussion started with some context setting to clarify terms and issues before building into a conversation around psychological safety in the workplace, why it matters, and identifying microaggressions – subtle comments made, or the lack of standing up for someone when appropriate – as the biggest threat to psychological safety.
“People often think psychological safety means that everyone high-fives each other on their way out of the office,” explained Mayoh. “It really means that you can have a challenging conversation, and though you might feel frustrated or upset, you’re still able to show up and be your authentic self and know that you’re valued.”
The session also focused on identifying challenges and strengths in the industry, along with action planning. After Next Gen Men holds sessions like this in a number of different regions, they and CCWESTT will be able to develop a game plan that will be shared with industries and companies to help guide them in promoting psychological safety in their own workplaces.
“The point of this is to help people see psychological safety as a missing piece of the puzzle. It’s not enough to recruit women, provide mentorship, and host women’s events,” noted Paul, drawing particularly on the idea of recruiting women to the construction sector. “We have to look at the workplace culture as an important element of change.”
That’s when the real change will come, when industries, individuals, and companies change their actions, processes, and protocols.
Though the session was merely a starting point, and an action plan is forthcoming, Mayoh and Paul both stressed that companies shouldn’t be waiting for the game plan from Next Gen Men and CCWESTT to get started. Everyone can start creating environments of psychological safety now.
“It’s not enough for me to say that things need to change and this is what needs to happen,” said Paul. “Organizations need validation from their peers and to recognize that this gives their peers a competitive advantage. Creating environments of psychological safety is about more than just creating welcoming atmospheres. It’s about retention, a healthy workplace culture, and pushing our industry forward.”
When those environments start showing up at one company, Paul knows it will send ripples across the construction sector.