Opinion: We need to prioritize mental health in Canada's real estate industry

Sep 1 2022, 8:07 pm

Written for Daily Hive Urbanized by Rocky Sethi, the chief operating officer at Adera Development


As someone who grew up in the real estate industry over the past 20 years, first on construction sites and then in the office, I appreciate the multitude of challenges within the sector. Unfortunately, however, the conversation around mental health has been tabled for too long.

One in five Canadians experiences a mental health challenge at any time and in any given year. Further to that, by the time Canadians reach the age of 40, one in two are living with or have already had a mental health concern, according to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) — one of the world’s leading research centres and the largest mental health teaching hospital in Canada.

If these findings make anyone feel uncomfortable, it’s not surprising. There has long been a stigma associated with the topic of mental health. A 2019 Ipsos survey for RBC Insurance brought this to the forefront, with three-quarters (75%) of working Canadians saying they would be reluctant to admit or would not admit to a boss or a co-worker that they were suffering with poor mental health.

Keep in mind that the survey mentioned above was conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic. Data from Statistics Canada found that higher proportions of adults between 25 to 64 screened positive for at least one disorder — when referring to anxiety and depression — between fall 2020 and spring 2021. Pandemic-related stressors will not disappear overnight, and more than half of Canadians (57%) are worried about the future.

Research repeatedly shows us that mental health should be a priority for everyone everywhere. It also needs to be a focus within Canada’s real estate industry.

Repercussions of the rise and fall

Within the construction side of real estate development, there is a glaring issue: a long-held “manly men” stereotype. This kind of association paints an entire industry with the same brush and creates a fear of confronting mental health among professionals working in the sector.

According to the Construction Industry Rehabilitation Plan (CIRP) and BC Building Trades, 83% of construction industry workers have experienced some form of moderate to a severe mental health concern. We need to remember that real estate and construction are more often than not categorized by highs and lows.

Working in an industry that is constantly changing and at the same time subject to external factors that have a knock-on effect for members of the public can leave a mark on you. The excitement associated with a sale coming through can just as quickly be overshadowed by quiet months. For professionals in construction, project delays can lead to halted work, unpredictable schedules and, subsequently, stress.

We need to ask ourselves what measures are being put in place to lessen the degree of these fluctuations or at the very least offer a greater sense of stability and security.

Employers can better serve their people

Real estate is a demanding industry. Creating a successful path for oneself is not without its sacrifices, including long hours, managing client expectations, and standing out in a highly competitive, saturated market. Therefore, employers in the industry need to foster inclusive work environments that help professionals feel supported.

From a developer’s perspective, the same theory applies. Developers often rely on their teams to create entire communities within significant constraints related to schedule and costs. Minor decisions on the design side can result in significant issues and costs on the construction side, creating an underlying layer of pressure.

Operating with a people-first approach on an internal team and with external partners (consultants, trades, and suppliers) and clients is a step in the right direction. To better support in-house teams, health and wellness benefits must be a key focus. At the start of the pandemic, we saw companies reexamine the benefits plans they offer to teams, knowing that this aspect is well-used.

Design with an emphasis on well-being

Canadians spend approximately 90% of their time indoors, whether at work or at home. These settings contribute to our overall well-being. In early 2020, many were heavily impacted when their homes acted as temporary workspaces — without adequate facilities in place. This shift led people to realize what they need to be productive at home and developers to reassess the impact of their project offerings.

Protecting the health and wellness of occupants has always been a priority for developers, and certifications like Fitwel help to quantify this. A building rating system developed by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Fitwel is relatively new to the BC housing market yet widely embraced by the commercial sector. By integrating Fitwel into the earliest stages of designs, developers can ensure their buildings are better places to live, work, and play.

Fitwel is being integrated into mass timber communities by Adera Development in Surrey and Coquitlam. While it’s known that mass timber offers inherent benefits around sustainability, sequestering carbon, and helping positively impact climate change, it’s the characteristic of wood known as biophilia which creates spaces that can positively impact mental health. Biophilia is defined as a hypothetical human tendency to interact or be closely associated with other forms of life in nature — a desire or tendency to commune with nature.

Leveraging elements of nature

Research shows that exposure to timber within buildings brings about psychological and physiological benefits. For this reason, coupled with reduced environmental impact, SmartWood®, a more health-conscious, sustainability-forward material, is used in Adera Development projects. Humans can relax more when surrounded by elements from the natural environment, leading to reduced stress, among other advantages.

Stress is just one facet of the bigger picture surrounding mental health in Canada and should be addressed. We need to keep the dialogue around mental health open year-round. When the mental health of Canadians is at risk in the real estate industry or any other sector, there is a cost to society. Investing in mental health is not only beneficial for staff morale and retention, but it can also produce net cost benefits.

We must work together to promote mental health awareness in the real estate industry and empower our teams to start meaningful conversations that diminish a longstanding stigma.

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