
Build Up, Don’t Burn Out: Practical Mental Health Solutions Every Construction Team Can Start Today
Build Up, Don’t Burn Out: Practical Mental Health Solutions Every Construction Team Can Start Today
About the webinar
What if the most effective way to improve your team’s mental health isn’t costly programs or fancy resources—but simple, culture-shifting actions you can implement today?
In this webinar, we'll explore simple yet powerful strategies that construction leaders and business owners can implement right away to foster a healthier, more supportive work environment. No budget? No problem. These actionable steps focus on shifting company culture, improving communication, and creating an atmosphere where mental wellness thrives. Join us for a practical, solution-driven conversation on how you can make a big impact on your team’s well-being without spending a dime.
Agenda
- Understand the importance of having a business plan for your construction company.
- Learn how a well-defined business plan can help you clarify your vision and objectives.
- Understand the role of market research in analyzing your target market and understanding customer needs and preferences.
- Learn how to identify the services you will offer and how they differentiate you from competitors.
- Understand what is involved with a strong marketing and sales plan to attract clients and generate leads.
- Learn the factors to consider when determining your business operations, including staffing, equipment, and supply chain management.
- What factors should be considered while creating financial forecasts, including revenue projections, expenses, and cash flow analysis?
Agenda
Agenda
- Motivations
- Objectives
- The Critical 4 numbers every CEO should be watching
- Stage 1 - The Process of Building a Budget
- Stage 2 - Managing the Project
- Stage 3 - Project Post Mortem
Agenda
- Understanding the 7 critical phases of the project life cycle: Concept, Criteria, Configuration, Construction, Commissioning, Completion, and Closeout.
- Deep dive into Budget, Schedule, Quality, and Safety.
- Strategies to balance these pillars and ensure project success.
- The dynamics of assembling and managing a strong construction team.
- Roles, responsibilities, and the importance of communication and collaboration.
- Important steps to take when closing out the project and getting it ready for owner occupation
Agenda
- Why are you posting?
- Who are you targeting?
- What should you post?
- Where should you post?
- When should you post?
- How should you go about doing social media?
Agenda
- Elevate standards of care for their team
- Resolve production challenges efficiently
- Cultivate buy-in
- Spread the gains across teams
Agenda
- What is a 401(k) plan?
- How it helps with employee retention and recruitment
- How Human Interest simplifies 401(k) for small and medium businesses
- Key benefits and compliance support for construction companies
- Cost breakdown overview
- Affordability for small to mid-size companies
Agenda
- Background on the FAR, uniform guidance, and unique requirements for federal jobs
- Summary of Davis-Bacon prevailing wage and administrative requirements
- DOL 2023 update to DBRA implementing regulations and ongoing legal challenges
- Related development: Project Labor Agreement (PLA) mandate for large federal construction contracts
- Compliance challenges and best practices
- Features of an effective ethics and compliance program, per DOJ’s Evaluation of Corporate Compliance Programs (updated Sept. 2024)
- Requirements for federal contracts and federally-funded projects
- Recent developments for federal grants and assistance: whistleblower protections; mandatory disclosures; debarment standards
- Enforcement trends: bribery and kickbacks; collusive bidding (including an update on DOJ’s Procurement Collusion Strikeforce); False Claims Act
- Compliance challenges and best practices
Agenda
Agenda
Agenda
- Importance of job costing in construction.
- How accurate cost tracking impacts profitability.
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- Why contracts are essential to project success.
- The impact of well-drafted contracts on profitability and risk management.
- Overview of crucial terms such as scope of work, payment terms, and schedule.
- How these terms impact your rights and obligations.
- Indemnity clauses: What they mean and how they can impact your business.
- Liquidated damages: Understanding their purpose and negotiating reasonable terms.
- Change orders: Ensuring clarity and reducing disputes.
- Termination clauses: Protecting yourself against unfair termination.
- Tips for negotiating contracts to minimize risk and maximize profit.
- Understanding leverage points and how to use them effectively.
- Common mistakes contractors make when reviewing contracts.
- How to spot and address red flags before signing.
- Best practices for staying on top of your contractual obligations.
- How to track compliance with key contract provisions.
- Practical advice for improving contract review and negotiation skills.
- Leveraging professional advice when needed to safeguard your business.
Agenda
- Explore the current state of construction finance and how AI is driving innovation in project cost management and payroll.
- Leveraging AI to streamline budgeting and forecasting
- Predictive analytics for better cost control and risk management
- How AI-driven payroll systems reduce administrative burden
- Real-time compliance tracking with AI technology
- Live demo of AI tools developed by Lumber and Premier
Agenda
- Who I Am & How I Got Here: Not an attorney—learned contracts by necessity.
- Why Contracts Matter: It's not if something goes wrong, it's when—prevention is cheaper than fixing a dispute later.
- You Don’t Need to Be a Lawyer: Knowing your work + contract basics = great business management.
- Insurance: Verify contract requirements match your policy before signing.
- Payment Terms: Watch for unreasonable payment terms, retainage, and offsets.
- Right to Stop Work: Ensure you can stop work for non-payment.
- Terminations & Suspensions: Avoid termination without compensation, with or without cause.
- Indemnity: Limit your liability to what you control.
- Notice Requirements: Extend strict notice periods.
- Delay Remedies: Protect yourself from liability on expected delays.
- Liquidated Damages: Narrow the application of LDs.
- Consequential Damages: Exclude special, indirect, or consequential damages.
- Hazardous/Concealed Conditions: Disclaim responsibility for pre-existing issues.
- Dispute Resolution: Ensure reasonable dispute locations.
- Flow Down Clauses: Have you read your whole contract or complied with all of it?
- Scope Check: Check the scope and anything that could expand it without your say so in the t’s and c’s.
- Final Tips: Read your contracts, make a checklist, and stay curious!
Agenda
- Mobile workforce complexities across jurisdictions
- Industry-specific compliance pitfalls
- Cost impact of non-compliance
- Navigate the complexities of multi-state operations with confidence.
- Learn how to efficiently manage compliance across various jurisdictions, ensuring you're meeting each state’s unique tax requirements while minimizing risk and maximizing operational efficiency.
- Learn how technology can streamline compliance and reporting processes to save time and reduce errors.
- Manage multi-state withholding seamlessly.
- Automate certified payroll and prevailing wage compliance.
- Simplify digital documentation for faster, accurate reporting.
- Learn how accessing live data helps you make informed, proactive tax decisions.
Agenda
- Discover the common areas where construction businesses overspend, from materials to insurance, and how to spot savings opportunities.
- Learn how to renegotiate vendor contracts, optimize supplier relationships, and get the best deals without sacrificing quality.
- Explore ways to improve efficiency, reduce waste, and implement cost-saving processes in day-to-day operations.
- Practical steps to assess your business expenses, take control of costs, and build a more profitable, financially stable company.
Agenda
- Why it’s a growing concern and what it means for your business.
- Automating time tracking, scheduling, and compliance to reduce admin headaches.
- Using real-time analytics to make better hiring and workforce allocation decisions.
- Leveraging AI to improve communication, engagement, and retention.
Agenda
- Overview of the challenges construction companies face in integrating these key areas.
- The importance of streamlined workflows for financial accuracy.
- Key payroll considerations for construction companies.
- How to ensure compliance with labor laws and union agreements.
- Leveraging technology for efficient payroll management.
- What job costing is and why it’s crucial for accurate project management.
- How job costing integrates with payroll to capture labor costs in real time.
- Common challenges and how to overcome them.
- The role of financial reporting in construction project management.
- How integrating payroll and job costing data enhances financial visibility.
- Steps to connect payroll systems with job costing and financial reporting tools.
- Case studies or examples from successful companies.
- Overview of software solutions for managing payroll, job costing, and financial reporting in construction.
- Choosing the right tools for your business needs.
Agenda
- Making vulnerability safe on site
- Psychological safety
- Embedding mental health into routine (“Toolbox Talks”)
- Peer Support
- Aligning HR with Field Realities
- Schedule sanity: Building recovery into project timelines
- Hiring and firing for culture
- Financial strain is mental strain
- Teach the signs
- Shift from “fixing” to supporting
- Create one visible next step
Speakers

Joshua Vitale is a leading advocate for mental health and suicide prevention in the construction industry, currently serving as Chair of Construction Suicide Prevention Week and Founder/Executive Director of Project BUILT. Joshua has drawn on personal experience with loss and mental health struggles to champion workforce well-being and drive industry-wide change. He has played a pivotal role in developing support initiatives-such as on-site mental health resources and peer counseling-at major construction projects, and regularly intervenes to support colleagues in crisis.

Stephanie Lemek, MBA, SPHR, CTSS, TIWP, is the Founder and CEO of The Wounded Workforce™, where she is dedicated to building trauma-informed workplace cultures that enable all employees to thrive. With over 18 years of experience in Human Resources across Fortune 500 companies and startups, Stephanie brings deep expertise in HR, culture, and talent strategy, particularly within construction and engineering sectors. Her personal journey with trauma and her professional insights inspired her to pioneer The Wounded Workforce™, addressing the crucial intersection of mental health, DEI, and organizational effectiveness.

Coralee Beatty is the Owner of Fire & Ice System Design, where she leverages her extensive background in construction and business management to deliver expert design and consultation services for residential mechanical systems. With decades of experience in the trades industry, Coralee is recognized for her organizational acumen and commitment to excellence, having previously built and sold a multi seven-figure trades business. As a dynamic leader and advocate for workforce development, she is dedicated to creating environments where employees, customers, and partners thrive.