Men’s Mental Health at Work: Taking the Conversation to Where Men Are

For many men, work occupies a significant part of life.

We spend time getting there, time doing the work, time thinking about it afterwards and, increasingly, time remaining connected to it through phones and technology.

Work can provide income, purpose, structure, relationships, identity and a sense of achievement.

It can also bring responsibility, pressure, uncertainty, conflict, fatigue and stress.

For some men, the workplace may also be one of the environments where they have the most regular contact with other men.

That makes work an important setting in which to consider men’s mental health.

Taking the conversation to where men are

If we want men to engage with mental health, it makes sense to consider the environments where men already spend their time.

The workplace is one of those environments.

This does not mean every workplace needs to become a counselling room.

It means workplaces can create opportunities for people to develop greater awareness, have relevant conversations, recognise when something may not be right and understand where appropriate support can be found.

For some men, participating in a mental health conversation at work may be one of their first meaningful interactions with the subject.

That matters.

Work is often part of identity

When we meet someone, one of the first questions we often ask is:

“What do you do?”

For many people, work becomes closely connected with identity.

I am a builder.

I am an electrician.

I am a manager.

I am an engineer.

I run a business.

I lead a team.

There can be pride in that.

Work can provide mastery, responsibility, status, connection and purpose.

But when identity becomes heavily tied to performance and responsibility, difficulties at work can also affect how we see ourselves.

Redundancy, conflict, mistakes, financial pressure, organisational change, injury, burnout, retirement or feeling that we are no longer performing at the level expected of us can reach beyond the workplace.

The impact can follow us home.

The responsibility men carry does not stop at work

Many men move between roles throughout the day.

Employee.

Manager.

Leader.

Business owner.

Partner.

Father.

Son.

Friend.

Provider.

Each role may come with different expectations and responsibilities.

A man may spend his day making decisions, managing employees, solving problems and dealing with pressure, then arrive home to another set of responsibilities.

There may be children who need attention, a relationship that needs energy, bills to pay, ageing parents, household responsibilities and other people relying on him.

It is possible to become very focused on what needs to be done next.

That outward focus can make it difficult to notice what is happening internally.

Functioning can hide difficulty

One of the challenges with mental health in workplaces is that people can continue to function while struggling.

Someone can turn up.

Meet deadlines.

Manage employees.

Answer emails.

Make decisions.

Have a laugh with colleagues.

And still not be travelling particularly well.

Mental health difficulties do not always look dramatic.

Sometimes the changes are subtle.

A person becomes more withdrawn.

More irritable.

Less patient.

More tired.

They stop joining colleagues for lunch.

Their relationships become strained.

They drink more.

They lose motivation.

They work longer.

They become increasingly disconnected from people around them.

None of these things automatically means someone has a mental health condition.

They can, however, be reasons to pay attention.

Mental health maintenance should not begin with crisis

Workplaces have traditionally become involved in mental health when something has already gone wrong.

There is an important role for professional treatment and support when people experience significant mental health difficulties.

But that does not need to be the first time we talk about mental health.

We understand the idea of maintenance in many other areas of life.

Equipment is maintained.

Vehicles are serviced.

Systems are reviewed.

Physical health is monitored.

Mental health also benefits from awareness and attention.

That can include recognising stress, understanding emotions, maintaining relationships, noticing changes in behaviour, considering coping strategies and knowing when additional support may be useful.

Mental health requires maintenance, not just intervention.

Managers have an important role, but they are not counsellors

Managers can have an important influence on the experience people have at work.

They are often also among the first people to notice when an employee’s behaviour or performance changes.

But managers do not need to become counsellors.

They should not be expected to diagnose mental health conditions or provide therapy.

What managers can do is learn how to notice, listen and respond appropriately.

Sometimes that begins with a straightforward conversation.

“I’ve noticed you haven’t seemed yourself lately. How are you going?”

Then listen to the answer.

Not every problem needs to be immediately fixed.

Sometimes the useful response is listening, understanding what the employee needs, considering what can appropriately be addressed within the workplace and connecting the person with professional or organisational support where needed.

Managers don’t need to become counsellors. They need to know how to listen, respond and connect people with appropriate support.

Having an EAP does not automatically create engagement

Many organisations already provide Employee Assistance Programs and other mental health supports.

These services can provide important pathways to professional help.

But having a service available and having employees meaningfully engage with mental health are different things.

A phone number on an intranet is useful when someone has already recognised that they need support and is willing to make contact.

Some people have not reached that point.

They may not recognise what they are experiencing.

They may not think counselling or psychotherapy is for them.

They may not know what an EAP actually provides.

They may intend to call but never do.

Or they may be more comfortable beginning with a conversation that occurs in a familiar environment.

This is where workplace mental health initiatives can complement existing support.

The organisation may already have the systems.

The challenge can be helping people engage with them.

Creating relevant conversations

Mental health initiatives are more likely to be meaningful when people can see how the subject connects with their actual lives.

That means moving beyond simply telling people to “speak up”.

A conversation about mental health might begin with

Relationships.

Sleep.

Emotions.

Anger.

Work pressure.

Stress.

Responsibility.

Alcohol.

Loneliness.

Loss.

Being a father.

Managing people.

Feeling stuck.

Not switching off.

Resilience.

Seeking and providing support.

Or simply recognising that life has become almost entirely about getting things done.

These are human experiences.

Mental health language should help people understand their experience rather than make the subject feel more distant.

Men can learn from other men

Workplace groups can also create opportunities for men to hear from one another.

A colleague may describe something differently.

Someone may admit that they have struggled with something others recognise.

A discussion may reveal that people who work beside each other every day have very different perspectives on stress, emotions, relationships or asking for help.

That does not mean everyone needs to disclose personal information.

Sometimes the value comes simply from listening.

When people hear different perspectives, they have an opportunity to consider their own.

That can create greater awareness.

And greater awareness can create greater choice.

Workplace mental health is broader than individual resilience

There is an important boundary here.

Mental health programs, counselling, psychotherapy and awareness initiatives should not be used to place responsibility for workplace problems solely onto individual employees.

Organisations have responsibilities for psychological health and safety and for managing psychosocial hazards associated with work.

If workload, bullying, poor organisational change, inadequate support, role conflict or other work-related hazards are contributing to psychological harm, telling employees to become more resilient is not an adequate response.

Individual support and group programs can contribute to a broader approach, but they do not replace an organisation’s responsibility to identify and manage work-related psychosocial risks.

Building a bridge to support

One useful way to think about workplace mental health programs is as a bridge.

On one side are employees going about their everyday lives.

On the other are counselling, psychotherapy, EAP, GPs, mental health professionals and other appropriate services.

Between those two points there can be a gap.

Awareness.

Recognition.

Trust.

Language.

Knowing what support exists.

Feeling comfortable enough to use it.

Relevant workplace conversations can help reduce that distance.

The objective is not to turn the workplace into a therapy room.

It is to make mental health something people can understand, discuss appropriately and respond to before crisis is the only thing that gets our attention.

Research and Further Reading

Seaton et al.
Men’s Mental Health Promotion Interventions: A Scoping Review
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5675255/

Australian Institute of Family Studies, Ten to Men
Mental Health Care Needs and Access Among Australian Men
https://aifs.gov.au/tentomen/insights-report/mental-health-care-needs-and-access-among-australian-men-data-linkage

Australian Men’s Health Forum
Men’s Mental Health
https://www.amhf.org.au/mens_mental_health

SafeWork NSW
Psychological Health and Safety
https://www.safework.nsw.gov.au/resource-library/psychosocial/psychological-health-and-safety

SafeWork NSW
Consulting Your Workers About Psychosocial Hazards and Risks
https://www.safework.nsw.gov.au/resource-library/psychosocial/consulting-your-workers-about-psychosocial-hazards-and-risks