Men report discomfort in speaking up about mental health challenges due to workplace culture
Flexible work has emerged as the top change that men want in the workplace in order to improve their mental health, according to a new report, which found that organisations may have been inadvertently normalising the silent crisis facing men.
A third of male employees polled by LiveCareer in its latest report said having more flexible work arrangements would significantly improve their mental health. Others said:
- More manageable workloads (31%)
- Additional paid time off for mental health (28%)
- Affordable, confidential mental health services (20%)
"Workplace flexibility, manageable workloads, mental health days, and accessible mental health services are important first steps toward improving workplace culture and building systems for men facing mental health challenges," the report read.
Barriers to getting support
The findings come as the LiveCareer report, which polled 700 male employees, found that many are forced to hide their mental health struggles because of expectations in the workplace.
In fact, 78% of men said they are either "constantly" or "occasionally" hiding their mental health struggles in order to appear strong or professional in the workplace.
Nearly a third of the respondents (32%) said the biggest barrier preventing them from discussing a mental health concern or seeking support at work is the fear that speaking up could hurt their career.
Another 30% said it was privacy or confidentiality concerns, while 20% said it was the lack of trust in their manager.
More than a third of men said fear of judgement and stigma (34%) and the desire to handle problems on their own (35%) are also barriers to getting mental health support.
Workplaces aren't making an effort to reach out as well, as 52% of the respondents said their manager didn't check in even once about their stress or mental wellbeing in the past year.
"A manager's check-in can open the door to a conversation that an employee might struggle to start. Forgoing these conversations can mean missing a critical opportunity to recognise issues early," the report read.
Addressing the silent stigma
The report blames the culture of silence in workplaces for normalising the need for men to hide mental health struggles at work.
"When men don't hear others speak openly about their struggles, they may assume the subject is taboo at work. That silence can make the expectation to power through it feel even stronger," the report read.
It warned that unaddressed mental health struggles can lead to employee turnover, as 29% of men who reached their breaking point at work said they left the job.
But having support in place is only part of the solution, according to the report.
"Men also need to feel they can ask for help and use available services without risking their professional reputation, privacy, or career prospects," it added.
