“A new report shows that only 14% of men would disclose mental health issues to an employer.”
Taboos, stigmas, and stereotypes have historically ensured that men are less likely to talk about mental illness than women which has led to a culture in which men generally suffer silently from poor mental wellbeing. This is particularly true in the workplace. Given that this week is International Men’s Health Week, we at Veran have spent some time gaging how our male employees maintain good mental health, what makes them happy and how they felt colleagues could better support them in the workplace. Ranging from ‘how do you maintain a healthy work/life balance’ to ‘what is your favorite food’ to ‘how comfortable do you feel talking about your mental health’, our survey gave us valuable insight into how we can maximize the happiness of our own male employees and how they themselves maintain good mental health and wellbeing.
Some key takeaways:
1: Work life balance is essential
The number one take away we have from our survey is that setting boundaries, setting time limits and strict self-management strategies are key to how most our male employees ensure that work and leisure are balanced. On top of this, most responses showed that keeping active, socializing, and spending time with loved ones are the predominant ways in which employees find relief from stress and ensure healthy mental wellbeing.
2: Good work culture and good colleague relationships
When asked what makes you happiest in the workplace and why, most respondents said it was the happiness and support of their colleagues. As a company who deeply values teamwork, transparency, and empathy, this was a really reassuring response to see. It crucially also shows just how important office culture is for ensuring employee productivity and mental wellbeing. Looking forward we aim to consider how we can upkeep and enhance culture with the shift towards remote working and hybrid work models.
3: Safe spaces, controlled screen time and assurance of support
We also asked how men felt they could be better supported at work. The responses to this were fascinating and helpful suggestions for how we as a company can aide employee happiness in the future. Mainly, the responses suggested that men should have a safe space or a selected person who they can talk to regarding their mental health as well as having resources made available to all employees to raise better general awareness for the signs and triggers of poor mental health. Responses implied that these frameworks could improve the rate at which and the confidence with which male employees communicate any of their mental health and wellbeing issues. More generally, there were suggestions about monitoring screen time and restructuring the working ‘norm’ to allow for more breaks and less hours at the desk. This is pertinent given the current remote working situation most companies are in.
Finally, we also found out that most men in the company have a steak if they want instant food-related happiness – expensive taste indeed!
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