One of the more pleasing workplace related trends of recent years is the growing acceptance of discussions around mental health.  Indeed, the Thriving at Work study highlights the scale of the challenge, with 15% of people typically having mental health issues at any given time. Indeed, recent data from Accenture revealed that 90% of UK workers having been touched by mental health in some way at work, with two-thirds (66 percent) reporting having personally experienced mental health challenges and even more — 85 percent — saying someone close to them such as a family member, close friend or colleague had experienced them.

Despite this however, there remain challenges in raising mental health challenges at work, as the Thriving at Work report aptly states.

“We found that in many workplaces, mental health is still a taboo subject and that opportunities are missed to prevent poor mental health and ensure employees who may be struggling get the support they need. In many instances employers simply don’t understand the crucial role they can play, or know where to go for advice and support,” the authors say.

These taboos can be especially difficult for men, with data suggesting around 40% would prefer to try and hide any issues from their boss out of fear that it might negatively impact their career.  So profound is this problem that a recent report from the Work Foundation suggests that the very issue of mental health might need re-framing to make it more accessible for men.

Reaching men

The report lauds the attention that has, rightly, been given to the impact a growing female presence in the labor market has had, but suggests that less focus has been given to the workplace changes seen by men over the same period.  The report urges policy makers to explore mental health through a uniquely male lens to understand not only the different needs of men and women in this area, but the differing ways men and women access help.  Indeed, they go as far as to say that work itself should be considered a health outcome, so important is our job to our physical and mental wellbeing.

“On the face of it, it may seem that the average man in the UK has not experienced the same rate of change as the average woman in the world of work, but scratch a little deeper and we find rapid, significant changes to men’s experience in the workplace, which has affected their health and wellbeing,” the authors say.

The differences manifest themselves especially in the kind of work men and women do.  For instance, the authors suggest that man are more likely to do physically dangerous work, whilst they are also more likely to be self-employed and work away from home for prolonged periods.  What’s more, the jobs that pose the biggest physical risk are often among the lowest paid and with least job security.  They believe that this means there should be clearly designed health policies with men in mind.

“The Department of Health and Social Care should consider reframing mental health services as men can find commonly used terms alienating. Learning from interventions in different contexts and settings and creating resources like ‘stress manuals’ could make a real difference to overcome the stigma men associate with ‘mental health’ in the UK,” the authors say.

Flexible access

The report goes on to suggest that out of hours access to GPs and other support services would also be hugely valuable, as many men are reluctant to access help during work hours out of fear regarding the reaction of their boss, and even their colleagues.  The ability to access services outside of traditional working hours can be hugely valuable therefore.

This is something that medtech startup My Online Therapy aim to provide.  The platform offers therapy support remotely via your smartphone or laptop, so you can consult with a professional at a time and place that suits you.

I caught up with Elena Touroni and Tom Pennybacker from My Online Therapy for a chat via Facebook Live recently, and they mentioned the growing acceptance of discussing mental health challenges, but challenges persist for men.

“For men, there is still a real difficulty in being able to be open about it and feeling that it’s safe and okay to do that,” Pennybacker said. “That people’s idea of masculinity can get really caught up in a sense of what it’s okay and not okay to do, so I think there has been a massive shift but there’s also a long way to go still.”

A recent study from Indiana University highlighted the valuable role online interventions can play, especially in knocking down the barriers that prevent people from starting to address their mental health.

For men, this is perhaps the first hurdle to overcome, so the fewer barriers in place the better, and it will be fascinating to track the progress of My Online Therapy, and other online mental health platforms, in the coming year as they attempt to tackle male mental health head on.