Managing Stress on the Job: practical tips for your teams
If you’re reading this, you already know the truth: working in construction, waste management, and the mining industry is tough. The hours are long, the deadlines are tight, and the work is both physically and mentally demanding. Add in the weather, clashes on site, or stress you’re carrying from home, and it’s no surprise that burnout can hit hard. It often shows up as exhaustion that coffee (or a drink after work) can’t fix, getting short with your crew, or feeling like you’ve got nothing left in the tank when you head home.
Burnout means the pressure has been running high for too long without the right release valve. The risk is real! Often we see mistakes go up, safety drops, and your body and mind take the hit.
The point of this blog is simple: to give you real-world, straight-up strategies you can use on site to manage the pressure before it boils over. And no, they don’t require a yoga mat or a therapist’s couch (although if that works for you, go for it). These are practical tools you can actually stick with.
Heads Up: Pick one or two strategies that work for you and use them consistently. Trying to do everything at once usually backfires. Keep it simple, keep it steady, and you’ll notice the difference over time.
Know Your Early Warning Signs
Stress doesn’t always show up as panic or tears. In our industry, it often looks like:
Getting easily irritated or snappy
Struggling to focus or making small mistakes
Feeling flat, tired, or like you just want to shut down
Avoiding people or conversations
Pushing through pain or exhaustion because “that’s the job”
Start paying attention to your own stress signals and those of your crew. Early awareness is key to staying on top of it.
Take Micro-Breaks
You might not have the luxury of long breaks, but even 60 seconds to step aside, breathe, and reset can help:
Step away from the noise or the crew for a minute
Stretch your back, roll your shoulders
Take a few deep breaths (in through the nose, out through the mouth)
It sounds basic, but here’s why it works. When you pause and breathe deeply, you send a signal to your nervous system that you that you’ve got things under control. This switches down the “fight or flight” response (sympathetic nervous system) that gets triggered on a noisy, high-pressure site. At the same time, it activates the “rest and reset” system (parasympathetic nervous system), which helps slow your heart rate, lower muscle tension, and clear your head.
Think of it like hitting refresh on your brain. Instead of running hot all day, those tiny resets stop stress from piling up and keep you sharper, safer, and less wound-up on the job.
Cut the Pressure Cooker Mentality
In our industry, there’s a culture of “just get on with it.” Push through, don’t complain, keep moving. But here’s the catch: when you run flat-out without any release, your body and brain don’t switch off. Your nervous system stays in fight-or-flight mode, pumping stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline all day. That might work for a while, but long-term it’s a recipe for burnout, mistakes on the tools, or blowing up at your crew.
That’s why it pays to build a culture where it’s normal to:
Say when something feels off
Ask for help or a second set of eyes without copping shame
Take a proper lunch break (not just smashing a pie while running between jobs)
Backed by neuroscience, here’s the deal: when you speak up or lean on your team, it signals to your brain that has eased off and you’re back in control. That shift switches on the parts of your brain that handle focus and decision-making, instead of running on pure stress.
Stress gets bigger when no one talks. Back each other up, and the pressure drops for everyone.
Talk It Out (Even Briefly)
You don’t need to sit down for a heart-to-heart. Even a quick, no-frills chat can take the edge off:
“That job yesterday rattled me a bit.”
“’m not firing on all cylinders today, just a heads-up.”
“Anyone else feeling the heat this week?”
These short, honest lines tell the crew you’re human, and it gives others the green light to speak up too. Back-and-forth like this builds trust and keeps the pressure from boiling over.
Get the Basics Right
Stress smashes you harder if your body’s already running on empty. The basics still count:
Drink water (not just smashing coffees or cans of energy drink)
Eat something that actually fuels you (not just sugar and servo snacks)
Get some sleep (even if it’s broken, make it a priority)
We’re not machines. If you want to hold up under pressure, you’ve got to give your body something to work with.
Bring in Support When Needed
Sometimes the job, the site, or life outside of work piles on more than one bloke can handle alone. That’s when it makes sense to back yourself and get support.
Support can look like:
Having a word with a supervisor you trust
Sitting down with a psychologist who understands the industry (like us at Construct Psychology)
Joining toolbox talks or training sessions focused on mental health
Strong crews don’t just get the work done, they look out for each other.
Final Thought:
You can’t pour concrete on a compromised foundation, and you can’t do your best work if stress is slowly chipping away at you. Taking care of your mental load isn't soft, it's smart. For you, your team, and the job.
If your crew or company is looking for real tools and support, we’re here to help.
Need support on-site or off?
Construct Psychology offers tailored workshops, coaching, and 1:1 support for workers and leaders across the construction and waste industries.
Based in Australia | Online & On-Site Support Available
www.constructpsychology.com.au