Each November, some of the men you know may look a bit different, perhaps turning up at work with a new moustache.
If that sounds familiar, you may already know it’s part of an increasingly popular trend to support the charity Movember, which works to increase awareness of men’s health.
Movember seeks to raise awareness of health issues like prostate and testicular cancer, and mental health issues that can lead to men’s suicide. Three-quarters of all suicides in the UK involve men.
This blog post takes a look at how employers can help support men’s health via the employee benefits they provide, and how to signpost these to your staff.
Men and mental health
Men’s mental health can suffer because of the traits typically associated with masculinity. There is an expectation in our society that men should be strong, dominant and in control, and that it’s a sign of weakness to reach out for help.
Showing vulnerability and expressing emotions can be judged negatively, although they are the behaviours that are most helpful when people are struggling with their mental health.
Men are reluctant to seek help for mental health issues and are also more likely to use drugs or alcohol as coping mechanisms, which in turn leads to more issues.
Looking after staff
Increasing awareness about mental health is a great first step to helping people recognise that they may need help, and how to ask for it.
The link between employees’ health and wellbeing, and a company’s success is well established. So it’s worth investing in employee wellbeing, and an easy way to start is via employee benefits.
Wellbeing benefit
Our online Wellbeing Programme offers your team access to a range of videos and fact sheets designed to help them with their emotional and physical wellbeing.
The programme addresses different aspects connected to health and wellbeing:
- Sleep
- Nutrition
- Emotional agility
- Finances
- Mental Health Awareness
Each of the five subjects is dealt with in “bite-size chunks” so that employees can access the videos as and when they feel the need to, from work or at home.
Each video can be viewed in sequence or on its own, allowing your employees to get the right amount of information they need at their own speed. There are fact sheets too, supporting each subject, that employees can use as a reminder.
November is an ideal time to remind staff about the programme or consider including it in your range of benefits. It can be added as an additional tier to your EAP support programme or as standalone videos and fact sheets.
Staying fit
In addition to our wellbeing programme, benefits that make it easier or cheaper to get fit and healthy can provide a big boost to mental health.
The Gym Membership programme gives employees discounted corporate rates, without a joining fee, at their choice from thousands of gyms and leisure centres across the UK. At the same time, it’s a cost-neutral benefit to your business.
And the popular Cycle to Work scheme lets people save up to 47% in tax and NI on the cost of a bike while getting them outdoors more and saving them money on transportation costs.
Cycling to work lets many people squeeze in exercise during their commute time and can lead to a lifelong love of cycling. The physical benefits are just part of the story, as having a regular exercise routine can build resilience and good mental health.
Time off and days out
The Holiday Exchange scheme lets employees buy an extra week of leave if they need more time off to spend with family or doing things they enjoy.
Extra holiday may be just what some employees need at certain times of their lives, to relax and reduce stress.
Our Discount Club also allows employees to save up to 40% off on holidays and days out, so they can relax or have fun with their family or friends.
Host a Mo-ment
If you’d like to support men’s health in Movember, find out how you can host a Mo-ment with your staff – click here.
One of the key ways to support mental health is by talking about it. So why not remind your staff about the wellbeing benefit this month and the importance of looking after ourselves and each other?
You can also promote all of the benefits above in your team comms or monthly newsletter in time for November.
Read more about Movember here.
About Us
At Enjoy Benefits, we have great experience in helping companies of all sizes introduce benefits that are suitable for their workplace.
Benefits are easy to set up and ongoing administration is then run through a hub, allowing employees to manage their own benefits while the employer can see which benefits are proving popular and what level of take-up each has had.
If you would like an obligation-free chat to discuss which benefits might work for your business and your employees, please contact us by calling 0800 088 7315 or using our Contact Form.
Ready to start working with us?