The number of calls from male employees seeking mental health support has increased by 84 percent compared to six percent for women, according to new research.
Personal Group, an employee services provider, studied data to find the increase from May 2018 compared to April 2019.
The company said that whilst this could be seen as a negative indicator of worsening mental health amongst male employees in the UK, the increase in men seeking mental health support could also be viewed as a positive indicator of a shift in both the awareness and acknowledgement of male mental health struggles.
Deborah Frost, chief executive of Personal Group, said: “Employers must make more effort to reach employees when and where they are most in need of help, often outside of the workplace, when they are alone, whether this be via the traditional phone support or via a mobile app. More diverse and geographically spread workforces are harder to reach by traditional, desk-based intranet wellbeing services.
“Employee assistance programmes, implementing mental health first aiders, providing access to counselling and a well-rounded benefits package provide genuinely life-changing solutions that support employees and their loved ones when they need it most.”