Construction Industry Training Network (CITN)

Description

Strong Teams Speak Up

Psychological Safety and the Future of Construction Leadership

The safest and highest-performing construction sites are not the ones where people stay quiet—they are the ones where workers feel safe to speak up before problems become incidents. In high-pressure environments where deadlines, production demands, fatigue, and complex team dynamics intersect, workers who do not feel safe to speak up may stay silent about hazards, mistakes, mental health struggles, disrespectful behaviour, or operational concerns.

This highly practical and engaging 90-minute virtual presentation explores what psychological safety means in the context of construction work and why it has become a critical leadership, safety, retention, and productivity issue across the industry. Grounded in construction-specific examples and current industry research, this session provides leaders with practical strategies to reduce stigma, strengthen team trust, improve communication, and create safer and higher-performing jobsites where people are willing to speak up before problems escalate.

Jobsite Challenges Addressed

• Workers staying silent about hazards, mistakes, or concerns
• Mental health stigma in construction environments
• Increasing conflict, disengagement, and turnover on jobsites
• Difficulty attracting and retaining younger and diverse workers
• Productivity losses caused by mistrust, blame, and poor communication

Key Learning Objectives

• Define psychological safety and understand its importance in construction environments
• Recognize the connection between psychological safety, physical safety, mental health, retention, and productivity
• Identify leadership behaviours that unintentionally create fear, silence, or disengagement on jobsites
• Apply practical strategies to encourage workers to speak up about concerns, mistakes, and safety risks
• Strengthen trust, communication, and accountability within crews and leadership teams

Delivery Methods: Virtual with Zoom Meetings or In-Person/Classroom private delivery available.

Course Fee Includes:  Access to the course, course materials, and a digital certificate upon completion. 

This course is delivered in partnership with local and provincial construction associations across Canada. You may be participating with a group of industry peers from multiple regions.

Sharing a single registration between two or more individuals is not permitted. Please register each person that will be in attendance.

Facilitator Bio

Paul Pelletier is a workplace culture expert, conflict management specialist, and former corporate lawyer who now works with organizations across Canada to help leaders address difficult behaviour, manage conflict, and build respectful high‑performance workplaces. See Paul’s website.

Paul has more than 30 years of experience dealing with high‑stakes conflict, investigations, and leadership challenges. He previously served as Chair of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Program for the Attorney General of British Columbia and is the recipient of the Premier’s Award for Outstanding Contribution.

Through his consulting practice, Paul works extensively with leaders in the construction and infrastructure sectors, helping superintendents, project managers, safety leaders, and executives navigate difficult conversations, resolve conflict between teams and trades, and strengthen workplace culture on projects. He is a certified TKI Assessment trainer, a PMP and CPS (certified professional speaker) represented by the National Speakers Bureau.

Paul is also the author of The Workplace Bullying Handbook and a sought‑after international speaker who has delivered more than 500 presentations and workshops around the world on leadership, conflict management, workplace respect, and organizational culture.

For support or inquiries, please email [email protected] or call 604-293-2339.