Men are twice as likely to feel their employer doesn’t care about their wellbeing as women

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A survey carried out by Sapio into men’s health, commissioned by PAM OH for International Men’s Day, shows that 16% of men say work provides little or no wellbeing support, compared to just 8% of women.

At the same time, men have experienced other challenges with accessing healthcare. 47% have found it difficult to access their doctor of GP, 56% have experienced days accessing NHS healthcare and 38% have been personally affected by a cancelled operation.

In terms of what men want and need to stay healthy, emotional health, financial worries, weight gain and developing cancer are their biggest worries. However, work has a valuable role to play. Two thirds of men say their employer has responsibility for their health and wellbeing and 68% of men say wellbeing support provided by their employer makes them less likely to want to work elsewhere.

Dr Bernard Yew, medical director for PAM OH says:

“Gendered stereotypes persist, with men often perceived to be less in need of emotional support and more resilient. This means managers are more likely to ask female employees how they’re feeling and coping. Critical to transforming this is encouraging managers to make a habit of conducting ‘check-in chats’ with men as well, to ask them how they are, instead of just talking about targets. Although these conversations can feel a little awkward at first, over a quarter of men (28%) say a supportive manager is important for helping them to stay healthy. Making men feel cared for can also help to retain them, with two thirds of men saying the wellbeing support provided by their employer makes them less likely to want to work elsewhere.”

Below is an infographic summarising data from the survey:

Source: Health at Work Report, PAM OH

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