Flourish - Latest Edition - Flipbook - Page 8
Workplace Mental Health for
Men: How Workplaces Can
Support Men
In the workplace specifically,
men may feel that speaking out
could harm their chances of
advancement. It could
engender a fear of judgment
and prejudice. The workplace
can have both positive and
negative impacts on men's
wellbeing. Let’s explore
workplace mental health for
men, and what helps and
doesn’t help.
What Workplaces Can Do to
Support Men’s Mental Health
While encouraging employees
to check in on colleagues to
find out how they are going can
be beneficial, the workplace
should be looking to make a
more impactful difference and
intentionally drive supportive
behaviours and culture. Indeed,
workplace health-improvement
initiatives explicitly tailored to
men are not only more effective
at engaging men but are also
welcomed and valued by them.
The positives:
The workplace can provide
a sense of purpose
Give men feelings of selfworth and belonging
Boost confidence and social
connections
Can increase financial
stability
Provides a sense of
achievement
The first, and perhaps the most
crucial step, in addressing
mental health challenges is
promoting a workplace where:
The negatives:
Conversely, work can add
high stress and burnout
Cultural expectations that
men need to provide
Poor work-life balance
Negative reliance on work
(that work is their identity)
Macho work culture
But what can we do to promote
working environments that
underpin men’s mental health in
the workplace? In addition, how
can workplaces better support
men’s health?
1.All staff members are
supported,
2.Communication is open,
3.Help is accessible, and
4.Positive mental health is
actively monitored and
promoted.
Here’s how workplaces can
support men: promote an
overall workplace culture where
employees feel safe to disclose
a mental health issue, which can
aid both women’s and men’s
mental health. Ultimately, the
alternative is a workplace where
problems are ignored and
vulnerable individuals are in
danger of spiralling into
negative cycles of stress and
dysfunction, culminating in
more serious and intractable
mental health conditions that
can be time-consuming,
expensive and difficult to treat.
