Safeguard Your Physical and Mental Health

Workplace safety is not simply about reducing hazardous work conditions and minimizing safety errors. It’s also about practicing healthy behaviors that make all employees feel safe and secure to perform their jobs to the best of their abilities. We all can take steps to create an environment where all employees thrive by practicing healthy habits that promote physical and psychological safety.

Here are ways you can improve physical safety:

1. Sleep is critical to your overall well-being and can have significant impact on your work productivity, mental health and safety performance. 13% of work injuries in the U.S. and 20% of work accidents in the U.K. on major roads can be attributed to sleep issues. Get good quality sleep by practicing healthy sleep habits.
2. Protect yourself and others by maintaining healthy practices, reviewing your local workplace readiness plan and following local guidelines for preventing the spread of the coronavirus.
3. Musculoskeletal conditions are the leading cause of disability globally and lead to significant loss of work productivity. Take a 5-minute stretch break every hour and protect your eyes by looking away from your screen at an object 20 feet away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes.
4. Minimize your exposure to workplace hazards and illness, such as the coronavirus, by using personal protective equipment (PPE).
5. Report safety incidents on Ecosystem (click “report incident”). If there is a critical incident at your work location, contact emergency services and your HR Representative immediately. Your local HR Representative will coordinate counseling and any other training support services for your location. If a critical incident occurs outside of AECOM’s normal business hours, please report the critical incident directly to the GuidanceResources Employee Assistance Program (EAP) using your country-specific EAP number. Counselors can provide in-person or virtual assistance within 24 to 72 hours of receiving the call.

Here are ways you can practice psychological safety:

1. Stress can have a significant impact on your performance, safety and mental health. It can result from poor working relationships or conditions, a demanding job, managing personal and professional responsibilities, unclear role expectations, or not having the resources you need to do your job. Talk to your manager if you’re experiencing work-related stress and use Koa Health Foundations, a mental health platform that uses cognitive behavioral therapy to help you build resilience, manage stress and improve sleep.
2. Speak openly, honestly and clearly about safety risks you observe on the job and share safety resources with colleagues who may be at risk.
3. Build trust and stronger connections with your colleagues by treating them equitably, actively listening to their concerns and treating them with respect.
4. Show appreciation and gratitude for your colleagues by giving them kudos. Through AECOM’s Kudos program, you can recognize the professional contributions and personal achievements of your colleagues around the world with kudos e-cards and badges anytime.
5. Embrace the power of empathy. Taking the time to understand another’s perspective can change the way you respond to a situation, improve communication and ultimately lead to stronger work relationships and a more inclusive working environment.