Masculinity is at Work
By Sarah Andrews
This has been a popular subject during COVID-19 through Next Gen Men's Equity Leaders initiative. Men may not only be fighting for their mental health and well-being but fighting what they may think it means to ‘be a man’ on top of it.
The average person will spend approximately a third of their life at work—proving we are no longer working from home but rather living at work.
Advocates have worked tirelessly to reduce the stigma that clings to discussing mental health, but has this shift in acceptance led to real change at work? With 3 in 10 employed men reporting always or frequently feeling stressed because of work, the answer is a resounding no. It is high time we take a closer look at how we can do better.
“Staying the same means you’re going down.”
The first step is recognizing that men’s willingness to discuss their mental well-being depends greatly on the perceived degree of stigma they may encounter when disclosing mental health challenges. Men often feel burdened by the pressure to appear masculine, with many believing that being seen as self-reliant and emotionally strong as key features of masculinity—think, ‘I am a provider,’ ‘I am a protector,’ ‘I am a rock.’
For instance, almost half of employed men said they would be worried about people talking negatively about them behind their backs if they spoke about their mental health issues at work. Even more concerning, 30% of men believe it could cost them their job if they discussed their personal problems at work.
“[To be manly/masculine is to be] strong, not open about feelings, always fix everything.”
Safe environments that facilitate conversations surrounding the challenges workers face are crucial in improving mental health and shifting attitudes on what is considered masculine. With 77% of men believing that talking can be an effective way to deal with problems, there is a clear desire for conversations to occur but require support to change the status quo.
Employers have both the means and responsibility to encourage positive and equal behaviour for all workers. In a 2019 report, Deloitte identified three calls to action that can improve gender equity in the workplace, and as a result, improve mental well-being for all.
The three actions include the following:
- Shift work culture of expectations of achieving success away from ‘always on, always available’ and instead encouraging regular time off and healthy work-life balance.
- Leadership should reflect on how their own personal biases and behaviours may be influencing expectations and work norms.
- Employers and business leaders need to address barriers that may be hindering organizational inclusivity.
In practical terms, these calls to action can be boiled down to the old adage ‘be the change you want to see in the world.’ When workers see leadership being vulnerable by honestly discussing imperfections or failures, it opens the door for others to feel safe in sharing their own challenges.
Furthermore, normalize conversations that go beyond workplace formalities by having meaningful conversations and regularly checking in on staff. Those informal, yet honest, conversations build trust within the team that can proactively reduce stress among workers. Those small changes in prioritizing workers' mental health, can culminate in a substantial improvement across the 90,000 hours someone will spend at work in their lifetime.
Want to learn more about how we can create safe environments that facilitate conversations and produce better mental health outcomes for men?
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