The phrase the “elephant in the room” refers to an issue that it is too large to ignore or sweep under the carpet and has the potential to be disruptive if left unaddressed. A major reason organizations (and families) do not address these “elephants in the room” is the fear of the unknown, including the unknown ripple-effects of addressing the issue being overlooked.

One such “elephant in the room” in the construction industry is alcohol and substance misuse among the collective workforce. Our own CSDZ experts Karyn Salerno and Cal Beyer take a look at this in a Construction Executive article titled “The Elephant in the Room: Tackling Alcohol and Substance Use in Construction.”