Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month

Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month takes place during November in the UK. Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50. There is a common perception that men should be strong and resilient, resulting in many believing reaching out is a sign of weakness. It is time to break that stigma and support men’s mental health, with over 30% of employed men wanting their employers to offer more support for those struggling with their mental health.

Statistics

• 74% of people who die by suicide are men (Samaritans)
• 24% of men who’ve struggled with mental health say they would talk to their friends about their struggles (BUPA)
• 37% of men say that they have hidden their mental health issues from their partner (BUPA)
• 30% of men don’t know where to go for mental health advice and support (BUPA)
• 1 in 10 new fathers become depressed after having a baby (NHS)

How Can Employers Support Men’s Mental Health in the Workplace

Promote a culture of balance
Men are more likely to be in full-time employment than women and on average work 27% more hours. Poor job designs, such as working long hours and heavy workloads are the most frequently cited stressors in the workplace. A poor work-life balance is a key contributor to burnout.

Employers can support men by encouraging healthy boundaries, offering mentorship opportunities, encouraging holiday and family leave entitlements to be taken in full and promoting wellbeing initiatives that value rest, exercise and health.

Normalise conversations about mental health

Employers can help breakdown the stigma by encouraging managers and leaders to talk openly about stress, burnout and mental health. Leaders set the tone for culture, they are able to promote taking breaks, using leave entitlements, setting boundaries and prioritising health.

In addition to this, employers are able to create support structures such as buddy systems, peer listeners and support groups to promote emotional sharing in the workplace.

Ensure that employees are signposted to support, including Employee Assistance Programmes which that tend to offer confidential helplines, counselling services and therapy sessions for a range of mental health matters, or internally to your mental health first aiders or champions.

Recognise that real change requires supportive policies and systems

One-off wellbeing initiatives are not enough to support men’s mental health. Employers need to embed mental health support into the structure of the workplace by developing clear policies that protect mental wellbeing and ensuring systems are in place to access consistent support, as well as creating a culture of openness when it comes to talking about mental health and encouraging work-life balance.

Employers should review the current wellbeing approaches and policies and ensure they are inclusive towards men, if they are not, this needs to be changed.

A culture that values wellbeing at every level, from leadership down to daily team interactions, creates lasting change and signals to men that their mental health truly matters.

If you have queries or questions in relation to employee wellbeing or sickness absence, please do not hesitate to contact a member of the AfterAthena team (part of the Napthens Group) who are able to offer 30 minutes of free advice to QCS members.