What Can Men's Health Data Tell Us About The Workplace?
Workplace mental health provision has come under scrutiny following the publication of England's first men's health strategy by the Department of Health and Social Care.
The findings present both a challenge and an opportunity to rethink how employee wellbeing programmes are designed and delivered, particularly for organisations managing predominantly or partly male workforces.
The strategy, titled "Men's health: a strategic vision for England", drew on nearly 6,600 submissions during a 12-week consultation. The data reveals systemic gaps in how men access care, with 46% of respondents identifying mental health as their top priority and 44% reporting difficulties accessing timely support.
These figures indicate that existing employee assistance programmes may be failing to reach a significant portion of the workforce.
Engagement gaps mirror workplace patterns
The demographic profile of survey respondents raises critical questions about which employees are being heard. Around 79% of those who submitted evidence were aged between 45 and 84, whilst just 6% were under 35.
This mirrors a familiar pattern in workplace wellbeing: older, more established employees tend to engage with formal support structures, whilst younger male employees remain notably absent.
According to the Office for National Statistics, men aged 25 to 44 face a suicide rate of 20.5 deaths per 100,000, only marginally below the 23.3 rate among men aged 45 to 64. This data suggests that HR strategies built solely on feedback from engaged employees may be missing the demographics most at risk.
Dr Kultar Singh Garcha, an NHS GP and Chief Medical Officer at Flow Neuroscience, argues the imbalance undermines the strategy's foundations.
He says: "The strategy tells us about the men who chose to take part, but younger men, the group most affected by suicide and untreated mental illness, are barely represented.
"When more than half of men say they avoided seeking help, we also need to think about the men who never enter the system at all," he adds.
Traditional wellbeing models may not fit
The consultation identified several barriers that could have direct workplace parallels: difficulty securing appointments, lengthy waiting lists and discomfort discussing mental health.
Only 32% of respondents said they knew where to turn during a mental health crisis, a figure that could reflect similar confusion within employee wellbeing ecosystems.
Kultar argues that services built around men coming forward may inherently exclude those who struggle with traditional care models. He says: "Traditional models hinge on in-person appointments, long referral chains and medication-led care, despite these being the very factors men cite as barriers."
When more than half of men say they avoided seeking help, we also need to think about the men who never enter the system at all.
Alternative pathways show promise
Earlier this year, Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust trialled an at-home brain stimulation pathway for adults with depression using Flow Neuroscience's CE-certified transcranial direct current stimulation device. The pilot targeted patients who find repeated appointments difficult or cannot tolerate antidepressants.
Clinicians reported that suicidal ideation among participants fell by two-thirds, with stronger engagement and fewer dropouts, particularly among men who had previously avoided treatment. "The NHS already has early evidence that these approaches work, and policy now needs to build on it," Kultar suggests.
Whilst such clinical interventions fall outside HR's remit, the principle could inform workplace strategy: flexible, accessible and low-barrier support models may achieve better outcomes than traditional structures.
The strategy will continue to develop throughout 2026, with NIHR-funded research focusing on men from underrepresented groups. The challenge lies in whether workplace wellbeing frameworks can adapt faster than national policy, or whether they will continue to document barriers without removing them.
The gap between identifying problems and solving them will determine whether this marks a genuine change in how organisations support male employees.
