5 Ways to Improve Men’s Wellbeing in the Workplace

Men have a shorter life expectancy in Canada than women, partly due to the fact men are less likely to seek medical help, whether their aliments are physical or mental.

In addition, nearly three-quarters of Canadian men have unhealthy habits that put them at risk for chronic conditions and disease.¹

For employers, the reticence for men to address health issues isn’t just an abstraction. It leads to diminished productivity, lower engagement and corrosive effects on the organization. And while women’s health issues are only now getting equal treatment as men’s, men are less likely to take advantage of the resources available to them.

Cultural factors — the assumption that men should be strong and stoic — have prevented men from seeking medical health: 77% of married men would rather go shopping with their partners or do chores than see their doctor. And 20% of men are not completely forthright with their doctors.²

Mental health and men’s wellbeing in the workplace

When it comes to mental health, the picture isn’t much better. Consider these facts:

• 28% of Canadian men worry that talking about their struggles with mental health could put their job at risk.³
• 22% of new fathers experience postpartum anxiety and depression at some point during the first year of their child’s life.⁴
• Of the approximately 4,000 Canadians who take their own life every year, 75% are men.⁵

Best practices for improving men’s wellbeing in the workplace

Savvy employers know the value of improving employees’ health to their organizations, and what needs to be done to help men specifically. Here’s what employers can do to start improving men’s wellbeing in the workplace:

1. Raise awareness: Company communications and manager training on health issues that affect men only, such as prostate cancer, or that affect men heavily, like mental health and suicide prevention, are necessary first steps to improve men’s wellbeing in the workplace.

2. Encourage annual checkups: Men are often negligent in getting annual checkups. However, doing so can help identify health problems before they become serious. Promoting annual checkups — or giving employees time off to do so — can help improve men’s health.

3. Address substance abuse: Stress can lead to increased reliance on drugs and alcohol — and in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, Canadians spent $25 billion on alcohol, an increase of 4.2% from the same period a year earlier and the largest annual increase in a decade.¹ Make education on substance abuse a cornerstone of employee health initiatives.

4. Get moving: Health and wellbeing initiatives that encourage employees to exercise have shown to benefit employee health. Whether it’s online workouts or an organization-wide competition to track steps, exercise programs are an effective tool in improving men’s wellbeing in the workplace.

5. Include iCBT mental health support: Men who are reluctant to engage in face-to-face counseling or therapy often find help through Internet-based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (iCBT). Many iCBT programs also enlist a counsellor to help the employee stay focused in their therapy.

Contact HUB International to provide evidence-based insights and benefits solutions to your organization.

¹ Canadian Men’s Health Foundation, accessed April 13, 2022.
² Cleveland Clinic, “Cleveland Clinic Survey: Men will do Almost Anything to Avoid Going to the Doctor,” September 4, 2019.
³ Dialogue, “The truth about men’s mental health,” October 28, 2021.
⁴ University of Toronto News, “Study finds high rates of postpartum depression and anxiety in Canadian fathers,” March 10, 2022.
⁵ Homewood Health, “Men’s Mental Health,” accessed April 13, 2022.
⁶ The Drinks Business, “Canadians knock back almost 10 alcoholic drinks per week,” February 22, 2022.