MEN'S HEALTH WEEK

BLOKES, BRAINS, BALLS AND BRAWN

Improving men's health at work: Are organisations missing men from their mental health and wellbeing strategies?

Join Paul Bannister, CEO of ManHealth and Our Mind's Work Founder, Emily Pearson on 5th June, in the lead up to Men's Health Week as they lift the lid on health inequalities facing many men in our workplaces leading to premature deaths, early retirement and lowered productivity.

For organisations to thrive, your employees need to be at the top of their game - physically and mentally - yet in the UK, men’s health is unacceptably poor, with around one in five men dying before the age of 65 due to 5, mostly preventable health problems; Heart Disease, Prostate Cancer, Lung Cancer, Bowel Cancer and Suicide.

Employers know the value of a healthy and happy workforce. Investing in improving health and wellbeing at work is essential to save lives and foster a culture of care where talent want to work and thrive.

The outputs of these investments create a winning business strategy. However, many men are missing from employers’ mental health and wellbeing programmes despite:

5 BIGGEST KILLERS OF WORKING AGE MEN

• Heart disease kills 1 in 6 men. Working long hours is the biggest work related risk factor for strokes and heart disease (WHO 2019)
• 32 men die from prostate cancer every day. Black men are twice as likely to get prostate cancer than other men
• More than 25,000 men will be diagnosed with lung cancer each year. Occupational cancers kill 3,500 men in construction every year
• More than 9,000 men of all ages die of bowel cancer each year
• Men account for 75% of deaths by suicide in the UK ( 4,129 deaths in 2021) an estimated 20% of suicides are caused by work related stress (Hazards)

Join Our Mind's Work and ManHealth as we explore:

• The 5 biggest killers of working aged men
• Why Gamma Bias and the Gender Empathy Gap may be impacting investment in Men's Health
• Gender norms that create barriers for men 
• Why your current health initiatives may be disengaging your male workforce 
• Top 5 tips to make your mental health and wellbeing strategy male friendly 

HELP SUPPORT MEN'S HEALTH IN YOUR ORGANISATION AND SAVE LIVES!

Far too many men suffer in silence at work due to a lack of education about their physical and mental health needs, male-specific stigma, and a void of trusting relationships where they can discuss their problems before the situation becomes critical.

Together with ManHealth, we’ve created The ManBassador Programme, the only national workplace health initiative delivered and owned by men that proactively tackles the 5 biggest killers of men, including suicide. It engages men before they reach crisis or severe ill health, and saves lives.

The ManBassador Programme provides a gender-informed approach that equips men with the tools and confidence they need to improve their health outcomes.

Find out why so many organisations are getting onboard and already reaping the benefits of reaching and engaging the men in their workforce.

Download our brochure below to find out more. Attend our Men's Health Webinar on the 5th June to hear why your business should get involved or contact emily.pearson@ourmindswork.com for an informal chat.

MEN'S HEALTH AT WORK FACT FILE:     Did You Know?  

MEN'S HEALTH TALK SURVEY SNAPSHOT

More needs to be done to help men thrive in the workplace and encourage them to access support or disclose their mental or physical health struggles before a situation reaches crisis point.

ManHealth and Our Mind's Work surveyed over 300 working men across the UK about their physical and mental health. The statistics are concerning.

• Only 37% reported good physical health
• Only 34% reported good mental health
• 44% are living with a diagnosed mental health condition
• 21% don't have a mental health diagnosis but think they have a mental health problem
• 44% had experienced suicidal thoughts at some point in their lives (28% were in the last 12 months)

We asked men 'What has had the biggest negative impact on your mental health over the past 6 months?'

• 56% said work related stress
• 44% said money worries
• 41% said lack of exercise 

When struggling, men prefer to talk and seek support from people who they have built trusting relationships with.

• 40% of men sought support from a friend
• 39% sought support from their partner
• 27% talked to a family member
• 23% approached their manager
• Only 6.8% sought support from a mental health first aider or advocate
• Sadly, 28% didn't speak to anyone

The men surveyed told us that they want to improve their physical and mental health.

• 65% want to improve their mental health
• 57% want to improve their physical health
• 44% want to improve their weight

Join us on 5 June to better understand men's health and wellbeing, what men want from health initiatives in the workplace and what you as an employer can do to improve men's health and save lives. 

RAISING AWARENESS ABOUT MALE INEQUALITIES

50:50 Unplugged podcast explores the latest trends and insights in diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace.

Hosts, Lyndsey Britton-Lee and Lynsey Harbottle are the co-founders of 50:50 Future, a leading training and consultancy company.

Listen to Emily Pearson Managing Director of Our Mind's Work as she explores the Us vs Them divide of leading with the ‘privilege & power’ narrative alongside how our default to visible assumptions on traits and characteristics such as ‘pale, stale, male’ can ultimately exclude men and be harmful and be counterproductive in the approach to inclusion.