Tag Archive for: Men's wellbeing

Movember – Riding the cobbles.

Home | Men's wellbeing

I recently did a cycling trip to Northern France and Belgium and spent quite a bit of my time riding on the cobbled ‘secteurs’ which are rough sections of road. Those secteurs are very dear to the hearts of a lot of cycling fans, like me, because they feature in the (in)famous one day race called Paris Roubaix, which is also known as the ‘Hell of the North’. Ok, so what has this got to do with Movember?

When I was riding on the cobbles I wasn’t thinking about anything else, I was concentrating solely on where I was on the road, where the ditch was, where the next turn was and what the deep puddles on the road were covering up. I was also riding quite hard, enough to be out of breath. By the end of each cobbled secteur, my hands were tingling and I was grinning broadly. As well as being challenging and a lot of fun, I could tell it was doing a lot for my mental health. It really reminded me in a very practical, and muddy way of the benefits of exercise.

Turning to the workplace, as Movember approaches, it’s a good opportunity for employers and HR professionals to reflect on the importance of supporting men’s mental health in the workplace. One practical and effective way to do this is by promoting exercise as a tool for improving mental wellbeing.

Physical activity has long been recognised as a key contributor to mental health. Exercise releases endorphins – chemicals in the brain that reduce stress and boost mood. It also improves sleep, reduces anxiety, and enhances overall cognitive function. For men, who may be less likely to seek help for mental health issues, exercise can be an accessible and non-stigmatising way to manage stress and improve wellbeing.

Why Focus on Men’s Mental Health?

Statistics show that men are disproportionately affected by mental health challenges, with suicide being the leading cause of death for men under 50 in the UK. Many men face pressures to appear strong and self-reliant, which can make it harder for them to seek help. Encouraging exercise in the workplace can be a subtle yet effective way to support men’s mental health without requiring them to explicitly ask for help.

How Employers Can Help

You probably can’t send everyone to ride the cobbles (although I can highly recommend it!) but you can do things like promote active breaks: encourage walking meetings, lunchtime runs, or stretching sessions to integrate movement into the workday. You could also promote cycle to work schemes.

You could also provide access to gym memberships, fitness challenges, or team sports.

You could use Movember as a platform to discuss men’s mental health openly and share resources, including the benefits of exercise.

By championing exercise as a tool for mental health, employers and HR professionals can play a vital role in supporting men’s wellbeing, creating a healthier, happier workplace this Movember and beyond.

If you would like to discuss anything in this piece, including tyre width and pressure and padded handlebar tape (!) then please contact Simon Martin in our team on 07384 813 076.

Mental Health Awareness Week – how to prioritise mental health at work for employees

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Mental Health Awareness Week, which runs from 13-19 May, is an ideal time to think about mental health, tackle stigma, and find out how we can create a workplace that prevents mental health problems from developing and protects our employees’ mental well-being.

As businesses increasingly recognise the impact of mental health on productivity, engagement, and overall organisational success, HR professionals play a pivotal role in fostering a supportive and inclusive work environment. In this article, we consider the significance of Mental Health Awareness Week from an HR perspective and explore strategies to promote mental well-being in the workplace.

Understanding the Impact

Stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout are common challenges that employees may face, often exacerbated by work-related pressures, organisational culture, and personal circumstances. Recognising these challenges is the first step toward creating a workplace culture that prioritises mental health.

The CIPD’s Health & Wellbeing Survey 2022, showed the most common causes of stress at work. The top 4 factors were:

  • Workloads/volume of work
  • Non work factors – relationships/family
  • Management style
  • Non-work factors – personal illness/health issue

It states that half of organisations (51%) take a strategic approach to employee wellbeing, while 36% are ‘much more reactive than proactive’. As in previous years, mental health is the most common focus of wellbeing activity. Access to counselling services and employee assistance programmes remain the most common wellbeing benefits provided. Financial wellbeing remains the most neglected area.

HR’s Role in Fostering a Supportive Culture

HR professionals are instrumental in driving initiatives that promote mental wellbeing within the workplace. They serve as advocates for employees, ensuring that policies and practices are in place to support their mental health needs. Here are some key ways HR can contribute:

  • Policy Development: HR should collaborate with leadership to develop comprehensive mental health policies that address issues such as flexible work arrangements, carers’ leave, and access to resources like counselling services. HR can also support in ensuring that relevant policies are up to date with the latest UK Employment Legislation.
  • Training and Education: Organising workshops and training sessions to raise awareness about mental health and equip managers with the skills to support struggling employees effectively. Mental health Champions are an effective way to promote and encourage support at work. The charity Mind have created a Mental Health Champions Toolkit to support organisations to develop such a scheme.
  • Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs): Implementing and promoting EAPs that provide confidential counselling and support services to employees facing mental health challenges.
  • Promoting Work-Life Balance: Encouraging a healthy work-life balance by emphasising the importance of taking breaks, utilising holidays and avoiding overwork.
  • Creating a Supportive Environment: Cultivating a culture of openness and support where employees feel comfortable discussing mental health issues without fear of judgment or repercussions.

Initiatives to Promote Mental Health Awareness Week

The week itself is an opportunity for some specific initiatives to demonstrate your organisation’s commitment to supporting mental health. Here are some ideas:

  • Virtual Workshops and Webinars: Organise virtual workshops and webinars focused on topics such as stress management, resilience-building, and self-care strategies.
  • Guest Speakers and Panel Discussions: Invite mental health professionals, advocates, or individuals with lived experiences to share their insights and stories, fostering empathy and understanding among employees.
  • Wellness Challenges: Launch wellness challenges focused on physical activity, mindfulness, or nutrition to promote holistic wellbeing.
  • Peer Support Networks: Facilitate the formation of peer support groups or buddy systems where employees can connect, share experiences, and provide mutual support.
  • Communication Campaigns: Launch internal communication campaigns using emails, newsletters, and social media to share resources, tips, and personal stories related to mental health.

Measuring Impact and Continuous Improvement:

It is also important to evaluate the effectiveness of mental health initiatives and gather feedback from employees. Regular surveys, focus groups, and one-on-one discussions can provide valuable insights into what’s working well and where improvements are needed. This feedback loop enables HR to refine future offerings or benefits and develop new initiatives, tailored to the evolving needs of employees.

For specialist HR support with any of these issues, please contact Helen Couchman in our team on 07799 901 669.

International Men’s Day: How Are You Supporting Men’s Health in the Workplace?

Home | Men's wellbeing

19 November is International Men’s day and it takes place during the ever popular ‘Movember’. But amidst critiquing the varying successes of moustache-growing, it’s important to also take time to consider the importance of men’s health.

Why Is Men’s Health Important?

The statistics on men’s health speak for themselves – men account for three-quarters of premature deaths from heart disease, are twice as likely to die from drug or alcohol abuse and three times more likely to die from suicide. 

Men are less likely to access psychological therapy compared to women, with men accounting for only 36% of referrals to NHS talking therapies. Research shows that men are more likely to turn to harmful coping mechanisms, such as using alcohol or drugs to cope. When talking about their mental health, one in three men attributed this to their work, according to research carried out by Mind in 2017. 

Whilst the focus on wellbeing and in particular mental health has increased within society and many organisations, why is it that men often face health challenges alone? This can in part be explained by the traditional expectations of what masculinity is – being strong and keeping it together and perhaps a dogged determination to ‘man up’ rather than face health issues. 

It could also be due to a lack of resources and support targeted specifically at men. If we think about men’s engagement with health services, in a man’s life time there are few touch points that offer men the opportunity to look at and discuss their own physical and mental health. So they may not be able to spot any concerns in the first place and when they do, they may not know how to seek help. 

What Can Businesses Do to Help?

As with any health issues, raising awareness is fundamental in facilitating change. Research by the charity Samaritans, found that both language and content of any awareness initiatives needs to be specific for men to actively engage. Running campaigns to highlight men’s health concerns – heart disease, prostate and testicular cancers as well as mental health issues such as depression and suicide. 

Train your line managers to hold wellbeing conversations. Research carried out by CIPD has found out that only 29% of managers feel confident in being able to spot signs of mental ill health. Likewise when discussing taboo subjects on men’s health, it can be hard for both manager and employee to feel comfortable to open up. 

With one in eight men experiencing some poor mental health at any time, it’s important that managers are able to consider the possible life experiences that may be affecting men at work – becoming a father, bereavement, relationship breakdowns. Managers need to have the skills to open up that conversation, not rush to provide a solution but ask the right questions and most important of all, provide space and time to listen to the individual.

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Create safe spaces to have vulnerable conversations and permission to open up without being perceived as a weakness. Those safe spaces are across the whole organisation not just with line managers, so this is about ensuring that all employees have an appreciation of likely health issues and can play their part in spotting the signs and supporting colleagues.

Signposting to resources and support. Many organisations may have an employee assistance programme which can offer targeted support for men’s health. Likewise there are external organisations that can help. Sometimes this just isn’t obvious for men who may be having physical or mental concerns. So organisations need to clearly signpost and direct men to those services that can help.

We have come a long way in regards to focusing on health and wellbeing at work for all employees, but on this International Men’s day we should take the time to drive that conversation forward. By talking about the issues and trends in men’s physical and mental health, we can encourage more men to be open about their feelings and access support.

For specialist HR support with any of these issues, or for how you can support International Men’s Day, please contact Sue Meehan Boyes in our team on 07384 468797.