Healthwork Alert 44

18/08/2017

Men are twice as likely to have mental health problems due to their job

New research by Mind has shown that men are twice as likely to have mental health problems due to their job, compared to problems outside of work.

The research surveyed 15,000 employees across 30 organisations. The study found:

• 1 in 3 (32%) of men attribute poor mental health to their job.
• Only 1 in 7 (14%) report poor mental health due to problems outside of work.
• Only 1 in 3 men (31%) feel the culture of their organisation makes them feel able to speak openly about their mental health problems.

Findings from the study suggest that although men are more likely than women to have mental health problems related to their job, they are less likely to be open with their employer about it. Often men will turn to other means to try to solve or block out the problem such as alcohol, exercise or self-medication.

Positive results from the study highlighted that line manager’s feel equipped to support employees with mental health problems:

• 3 in 4 line managers (74%) feel confident in supporting team members with mental health problems (However there was a discrepancy between the sexes with female line managers feeling more confident than male line managers (60% vs 74%)

Healthwork Advice and Discussion

We understand that recognising and supporting those with mental health problems can be difficult for employers and managers, especially when the employee is reluctant to speak openly.

At Healthwork, our aim is to work collaboratively with our customers to support and promote the health and wellbeing of their employee’s.

We have an established counselling and wellbeing service ensuring that managers and staff are provided with the support they need.

We offer a wide range of health and wellbeing services/packages which include:

• Group work (including promoting self-help groups)

     -  Healthwork are launching a facilitated group based workshop on Tuesday October 10th. It will run over 5 weeks and we are offering 8 free places to individuals. The topic will be based on developing awareness on common mental health conditions and responding to stress.

• Individualised one to one therapy sessions
• Training (for staff and/or managers) Stress and mental health training promoting workplace well-being involves developing knowledge and skills in relation to the various problems that are likely to arise
• Preventive support we can now offer preventative support such as a Wellbeing check in, supervision and consultative support

Additionally, we are proud to provide early intervention counselling treatment and psychiatric assessments where required.