Supporting Men’s Health and Productivity at work: Creating a healthier, happier workforce (updated 09/06/26)
Supporting Men’s health and productivity at work is increasingly more important as they are interconnected. Men face unique health challenges and it can be tougher for men to speak out, or to ask for help, until there’s a really serious problem. Statistically, men are less likely to seek medical help or attention, this can lead to burnout or other serious medical conditions. There is a reluctance to ask for help with health issues, and for some men it’s a challenge to even acknowledge they may have a problem. Perceived norms around ‘masculinity’ and societal expectations can make many men feel they must be strong, self-reliant and suppress their emotions.
The Research shows:
- Life expectancy for males (79) is 4 years younger than females (83) [ONS 2023]
- Men are disproportionately affected by a number of health conditions such as Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease and Type 2 Diabetes, and more likely to die prematurely from Cardiovascular disease than women [NHS, 2025].
- 75% of people who died by suicide in 2023 were men. The age-specific suicide rate was highest for males aged 45 to 49 years. Suicide is the biggest cause of death in men under the age of 50 [ONS, 2024]
- Men are more likely to engage in health-limiting behaviours such as: smoking (13.4% of men compared to 9.9% of women); drinking (to dangerous levels), substance misuse, gambling, eat too much salt and red meat. Some of these behaviours can be risk factors for cancer, cardiovascular disease, liver health and dementia. [NHS, 2025]
- 67% of men are overweight or obese in comparison to 61% of women [Health Survey for England 2022]
The Government published it’s ‘Men’s Health Strategy for England’ in November 2025. Their 6 levers to improve men’s health are: improving access to healthcare services, supporting individual behaviours, fostering strong social, community and family networks, addressing societal norms, tackling health challenges and conditions, and developing healthy living and working conditions.
What can you do to help Men’s health at work?
Encourage a proactive approach to health and wellbeing.
Healthier employees bring a number of benefits to your organisation. The benefits include: enhanced performance, productivity, camaraderie, customer relations and work satisfaction, along with reduced sickness, absence, errors, colleague disputes and turnover levels.
Invest in men’s health in the workplace
Whilst it’s morally the right thing to do, it’s also a very smart business decision. The research shows that a strategic approach to employee wellbeing can boost productivity, happier employees are up to 12% more productive, and bring you a potential 500% ROI!
5 Top Tips to help Men navigate the ups and downs of life:
- Raise awareness of the key health issues mentioned above that can affect men disproportionately. It is not ‘normal’ for men to have poor health outcomes and myths and misconceptions such as this need to be quashed. Raising awareness helps your employees become more familiar with the signs and symptoms of various health problems.
- Encourage your male employees to seek help or go to their GP as soon as they notice any changes to their health. Asking for help is not a ‘sign of failure or weakness’! Perceived norms around ‘masculinity’ and societal expectations make many men feel they must be strong and self-reliant. Struggling on in silence, through fear of judgement, can lead to unhealthy coping habits such as disordered eating, smoking, drugs, alcohol and disturbed sleep.
- Create an inclusive and supportive culture that promotes healthy behaviours such as: healthy food or snack options in place of the sweets or biscuit tin; promote physical activity during breaks and lunch time; be mindful of peer pressure to drink at work socials and offer alcohol-free alternatives; if appropriate swap to stand/sit desks; and offer fruit or herbal teas alongside tea and coffee.
- Create a safe environment where men feel comfortable discussing stress, anxiety, or depression without fear of stigma can make a tremendous difference. Organisations can provide access to men’s mental health support, workshops on stress management, and create support networks that allow employees to share their experiences.
- Communicate and promote men’s health initiatives such as ‘Movember’ and ‘Men’s mental health’.
Implementing these 5 tips can be really beneficial for your male employees and for your organisation.
Creating a healthier, happier workplace:
Makes you an attractive employer, and someone others want to do custom with. You’ll also reap the rewards in terms of employee productivity, performance, loyalty, morale, engagement and profitability.
If you are a leader or HR manager who would like to enhance workplace wellbeing in your organisation but you’re unsure where to start or what to do next, our ‘Workplace Mental Health and Wellbeing Essentials for Leaders and HR Managers’ workshop is perfect for you. Go to our Workshops Page for more details.
If you are reading this and would like to chat about your own health please Contact Us for a complimentary chat.
