Workplace guide
How to support men's mental health at work
Many men keep going until something gives. This guide sets out practical steps employers can take to make it easier for men to speak up early, and to get the right support when they do.
7 min readUpdated 21 October 2026By MENd Together CIC
Why men's mental health needs its own attention
Stress, depression and anxiety are among the biggest causes of work-related ill health in Great Britain. The Health and Safety Executive reports that they account for around half of all work-related ill health cases.
Men are no less affected, but they are often less likely to say so. Men account for around three-quarters of suicides registered in England and Wales, according to the Office for National Statistics (2023 registrations). In workplaces with a large male workforce, that pattern makes early, approachable support a serious responsibility.
What gets in the way
Most men don't avoid support because they don't care about their health. More often it's a mix of pride, worry about how they'll be seen, not having the words, and not wanting to be the one who can't cope. Many have simply never been somewhere it felt normal to talk.
Workplace culture can add to that. If the only option is a phone number on a poster, or a formal process that feels like it goes on your record, many men will wait until things are much worse.
Practical steps for employers
The most effective approaches make support feel ordinary, private and low-pressure.
- Talk about it openly and often, not just in an awareness week. Managers mentioning their own bad patches helps more than any leaflet.
- Train managers to start a conversation and listen, without needing to fix or diagnose anything.
- Offer more than one way in: a group to sit in on, a one-to-one conversation, or something active. Not every man wants to talk face to face.
- Make confidentiality clear. Say exactly who will and won't hear about it.
- Assess work-related stress risks properly, as the law requires, and act on what you find.
- Make sure everyone knows where to go in a crisis, including outside working hours.
Where an outside partner can help
Some men find it easier to open up to someone outside the business. An external partner can run sessions that sit alongside your own policies and occupational health, without replacing them.
MENd Together is a Community Interest Company that delivers men's wellbeing support for employers. That can include facilitated workplace men's circles, men's mental health workshops, confidential one-to-one support, wellbeing drop-ins, leadership support and longer-term partnerships, shaped around your workforce. It is peer and wellbeing support, not therapy or clinical treatment.
For employers
Support for the men in your workforce
MENd Together is a Community Interest Company delivering practical, confidential men's wellbeing support for employers: workplace men's circles, workshops, one-to-one support, drop-ins, leadership support and ongoing partnerships, shaped around your workforce.
Common questions
- Do we need a formal mental health policy first?
- It helps to have one, and Acas publishes guidance on what to include. But you don't need a perfect policy before you start making support easier to reach.
- Is this the same as occupational health or an EAP?
- No. Wellbeing sessions and peer support sit alongside occupational health and employee assistance programmes. They often help men feel ready to use those services.
- What should we do if someone is in crisis?
- If someone is at immediate risk, call 999. For urgent mental health support, call NHS 111 and choose the mental health option, call Samaritans free on 116 123, or text SHOUT to 85258.
Sources
- Health and Safety Executive: Work-related stress, depression or anxiety statistics in Great Britain
- Office for National Statistics: Suicides in England and Wales, 2023 registrations
- Acas: Supporting mental health at work
- Health and Safety Executive: Work-related stress and how to manage it
This guide is general information, not legal, medical or clinical advice. MENd Together is not a crisis service. If someone is at immediate risk, call 999.