ARLINGTON, Texas—“Hey, man, how’s everything going?”

“When you guys ask that question, what do you expect to get back in response?” the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives’ Johnie Hendrix asked attendees at an NRECA Safety Leadership Summit breakout session on mental health in the workplace.

Hendrix shared a personal story from a co-op site visit when he initiated that conversation.

“As I evaluated the worksite, I noticed a few small things that didn’t line up with this crew’s usual standards and work practices. It wasn’t anything majorly unsafe, but just enough to raise a flag,” said the vice president of risk management and training at AMEC, based in Jefferson City.

Approaching the foreman, Hendrix asked, “How’s everything going?” That simple question, he said, opened the door for a deeper conversation.

“The foreman mentioned that things had been tough at home after a recent disappointment involving his spouse’s employment situation—something they had both been counting on that didn’t pan out.”

“It was the first of December, so you can imagine—holidays, taxes, all the year-end pressures piling up,” Hendrix continued. “He said he’d be fine, but it was clear he was carrying a lot.”

Hendrix was one of three speakers at the “Fit for Duty: A Critical Conversation for Work Readiness” breakout session on April 24.

Given the dangers of linework, panelists urged co-ops to include mental health readiness as a critical part of an organization’s safety culture—an increased focus of more and more workplaces in recent years.

Distractions such as emotional burdens can take a toll on safety. A U.S. Navy report found that “human factors, personal things going in workers’ lives” led to 77% of workplace injuries and accidents, said company culture consultant Charlie Cartwright.

“There was something going on in their life that was keeping them from doing the things they were trained to do,” he said. “That data is so strong that it has to relate to the co-op world.”

While workers face any number of personal challenges—financial concerns, long commutes, parenting and caring for elderly parents—panelists said helping employees cope boils down to a single factor: trust.

There are several ways to shore up levels of confidence. “When I’m talking to somebody going through something, I've learned the best thing is to just be present and listen,” Hendrix said. “The less you say in those moments, I think sometimes the better it is.”

But if a tough conversation does ensue, “allow yourself some discomfort and be willing to follow through,” said Clinton Smith, assistant manager at Callaway Electric Cooperative in Fulton, Missouri.

In a masculine environment like linework, it’s likely easier to maintain your guard, speakers acknowledged. They urged co-op managers to persevere.

“We as leaders need to step up and make it easier for people to be vulnerable with us,” Hendrix said. “If that person knows there’ll be no judging and no condemnation, they’ll have our trust. It’s ‘I genuinely care about you, and I genuinely care about what’s happening in your life.’”