When engaging with the male audience on inclusion issues, it’s crucial not to overlook some of the unique mental health challenges men can face in the workplace. Current pressures such as the cost-of-living crisis can highlight perceived gender roles such as men feeling like they need to be breadwinners, or that they need to display certain behaviours to remain safe in an uncertain job market. James Milford, men’s mental health specialist at Wellbeing Partners, says: “For many men, their sense of identity and self-worth is tied to their job, especially in professional and competitive environments. The traditional male “breadwinner” image is still prominent. Men often equate success with prosperity and professional status but during times of financial crisis, monetary challenges and setbacks can be seen as reflections of failure, undermining self confidence and self esteem and worsening mental health.” Furthermore, figures from the Office for National Statistics show that employees...

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Gen Z workers have different expectations and preferences regarding how, when, and where work is done in comparison to the older workers, many of whom established their careers in environments where a standard 9-5 office schedule was the norm. This could explain why they are more comfortable with these traditional work arrangements, less likely to complain about a return to 'normal' and may perceive remote work as less productive. Lou Campbell, co-founder and director of Wellbeing Partners, said older generations can be “too scared or ashamed” to talk about workplace issues due to fear of repercussions, or have been taught to “get on with it”. Differing generational views on the expectations of work “can lead to friction within teams because quite simply, Gen Z are rejecting the traditional paradigms on which concepts of work and success have been based”

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Employee assistance programme (EAP) counselling Lou Campbell, programme director at Wellbeing Partners, said counselling can often be hugely helpful. Speaking to HR magazine, she said: “As some of the feelings that are common among menopausal women include grief, loss, shame, fear and resentment, accessing counselling can help women to process these powerful feelings that can contribute to anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, difficulty coping with the endings and change.”

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Lou Campbell, programmes director at Wellbeing Partners, said training for HR, managers, leaders and all employees was “absolutely key”, and advised it consisted of two modules. “[The modules are] information on what support and adjustments should be available to women, if required, when they are experiencing symptoms related to periods/menstruation or menopause, plus the skills for how to have a supportive conversation about menopause or periods.” Campbell added that training and awareness of other “hormonal fluctuations that impact women’s wellbeing”, such as the early stages of pregnancy, would be “fantastic”.

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Lou Campbell, programmes director at Wellbeing Partners, said training for HR, managers, leaders and all employees was “absolutely key”, and advised it consisted of two modules. “[The modules are] information on what support and adjustments should be available to women, if required, when they are experiencing symptoms related to periods/menstruation or menopause, plus the skills for how to have a supportive conversation about menopause or periods.” Campbell added that training and awareness of other “hormonal fluctuations that impact women’s wellbeing”, such as the early stages of pregnancy, would be “fantastic”.

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Anxiety, and its fellow travellers of stress and depression, make up nearly half of all the work-related illnesses in Great Britain, with an estimated 17 million workdays lost to these conditions in 2021-22. This is not simply an ‘issue’ to be aware of anymore, it is becoming a workplace health crisis that needs effective HR leadership. It is imperative, for both the mental wellbeing of our staff and for the organisation itself, that HR departments prioritise supporting staff who are struggling, offering the assistance and services they need to help reduce anxiety and enable them to contribute effectively to their workplace.

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James Milford, Head of Behavioural Sciences at Wellbeing Partners, delivers sessions and courses for anxiety management. So, why is a hand on the heart so comforting? ‘Finding a way to both acknowledge the vulnerability whilst also supporting yourself through it is key – exactly what Pedro Pascal is doing here,’ Milford explains. ‘The hand over the heart is allowing the anxiety, not seeing it as an enemy to defeat, and it is also a physical manifestation of support. ‘Research into such compassionate gestures has shown that it can stimulate feelings of support, care and resilience.’

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The fact that menopause is becoming more widely discussed in the workplace is something to be celebrated. There is much hard work, predominantly led by women, around increasing the understanding of menopause and removing stigma and shame around this normal, natural phase in women’s lives. However, as the topic becomes more widely discussed, there is a growing trend for menopausal women to be discussed as a homogenous group, who all share an identical, challenging journey through menopause. This is not the case at all, and it is vital for workplaces to understand the distinctions and vast range of experiences of women, so that they may be supported in a way that is empowering and enables them to thrive at work

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Lou Campbell, programme director of employee mental health company Wellbeing Partners, said the findings highlight the toll of stress at work. Speaking to HR magazine, she said: "Burnout from excessive work-related stress can lead to both physical and mental health issues. Inflammation is a particular side effect of chronic stress. “Providing employees with an in-house team of fully qualified wellbeing counsellors is what progressive employers are doing. Prevention of ill-health is much more cost effective than remedy for illness, and is also the right thing to do for employees' wellbeing."

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Lou Campbell, programme director of employee mental health service Wellbeing Partners, said employee mental health should be considered during this time. She said: "At Wellbeing Partners we’ve seen a 253% increase of employees accessing our one-to-one counselling and wellbeing coaching sessions, including a very large number of employees feeling anxious about issues related to the cost of living crisis. “It is imperative that workplaces train their managers to be able to have supportive conversations with team members who are struggling, as many are at the moment with financial strains.

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