- Men, on average, live shorter lives, are less likely to seek help, and account for around three-quarters of UK suicides (ONS).
- The workplace is one of the most effective settings for reaching men with health information and support.
- Practical, low-key measures work better than one-off campaigns: easy access to appointments, and a culture that normalises seeking help.
- Health screening and a confidential route to occupational health help identify problems earlier, when they are easier to treat.
Men's health is an area where the workplace can make a real difference, precisely because so much of the challenge is about access. On average, men in the UK live shorter lives than women, are less likely to visit their GP, and are more likely to delay seeking help until a problem is advanced. Suicide is the leading cause of death for men under 50, and around three-quarters of all suicides in the UK are male. For an employer, this is not only a wellbeing concern; it shapes absence, performance and the loss of experienced people.
Why men's health is a workplace issue
Many men have little routine contact with health services. Where women often have regular touchpoints through screening and other services, men can go years without a health conversation. The workplace fills part of that gap: for a large share of working-age men, an employer is one of the few organisations with regular, trusted contact. That access is an opportunity, not a burden, and it is why workplace initiatives can reach men that health campaigns otherwise miss.
The workplace is one of the few places where many men can be reliably reached with health information and support.
The areas that matter most
Three themes recur. Mental health is the first: around one in eight men experiences a common mental health problem such as anxiety or depression, and men are less likely than women to talk about it or seek help. The second is the common physical conditions that affect men disproportionately or specifically, including heart disease and prostate cancer, which is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men in the UK. The third is lifestyle-related risk, including alcohol, which men are statistically more likely to consume at harmful levels. None of these requires an employer to become a health provider; they simply indicate where awareness and signposting are most useful.
Building a culture where men seek help
Culture does more than any single initiative. Men are more likely to act on their health when doing so feels normal rather than exceptional, and when it does not carry a risk of appearing weak.
Good practice
The most effective workplace support tends to be practical and low-key rather than a one-off awareness day. Making it easy to attend medical appointments without an awkward conversation, having managers who mention their own check-ups, and offering confidential routes to support all normalise help-seeking far more than a single campaign.
Practical measures include training managers to notice changes and open supportive conversations, promoting confidential support such as an employee assistance programme, and being flexible about time off for appointments so that seeing a GP does not require a difficult request.
The role of health screening
Because so many men present late, screening has particular value. A workplace health assessment can identify raised blood pressure, cardiovascular risk factors or other early signs before symptoms appear, at a point where they are far easier to manage. For many men, a check offered through work is the first health review they have had in years.
Medwyn tip
Frame health screening around simple, concrete benefits rather than illness. "A 30-minute check of your blood pressure, cholesterol and general health" invites more men than a campaign focused on disease, and the results give individuals a clear, private prompt to act.
Where occupational health fits
Occupational health supports men's health at both the population and the individual level. Wellness screening identifies risk early and gives people a personal reason to act. Confidential mental health support and a route to occupational health mean that a man who is struggling has somewhere to turn that does not depend on him first navigating the health system alone. Used together, these keep more men well, in work, and engaged.
This article is general guidance for employers and is not individual medical or legal advice. If you are unsure how it applies to your organisation, contact our team.