Men’s Health Week 13th-19th June 2022
Making it easier for the males in your business to look after themselves is more important than ever. It’s a very sobering statistic that one man in five dies before the age of 65 and so it’s time to look at practical solutions to ensure that the male health agenda is pushed as equally as the government’s promised agenda for women.
But why is men’s health in such a poor state? Do you remember life before Covid when we travelled, we gathered in numbers whether at work or socially and our day-to-day routines and services were familiar and readily available? Included in that were our routine and face-to-face health checks with dentists and doctors which we probably took for granted. Indeed, most of us were lucky enough to be ticking along nicely, comfortable in the knowledge that if we needed health support, we could get it.
The last two years, however, have taken their toll on most of us in one way or another – whether mentally, physically, emotionally or all three – and life pre-Covid can sometimes seem like a distant, hazy memory.
Among the many, serious consequences of the pandemic was the pausing of routine over 40s health checks and the general difficulty in getting an appointment with a doctor or medical specialist. Add to that, the worry that we might be wasting a doctor’s time when they were swamped and trying to roll out the vaccine programme, and many of us – men in particular – just didn’t find the help we needed.
Sadly and worryingly, many serious health conditions went, and continue to go, undiagnosed. Between not being called in for a health MOT and maybe putting what appear to be simple health niggles on the back burner, we are risking our health, with men more likely to ignore or sit on symptoms which require medical intervention.
So how can the workplace help? Whether you’re based in an office or work from home, here are some top tips on helping to keep the males you work with in the best shape health wise as possible:
- Encourage your male staff to take a DIY MOT – None of us enjoy going to the doctors and if there’s something we can do to help ourselves then most of us would prefer to do it. By taking a DIY MOT, men can identify some key health pointers which can arm them with discussion starters at the doctors. Having something to get the conversation started with a professional is always empowering. https://www.menshealthforum.org.uk/diy-man-mot
- Consider training up Health Champions – An easy way to tackle issues with men’s health at work – whether in the office or at home – is to have empathic people on hand who genuinely care about the health of others. Evidence suggests that having Health Champions in the work place opens conversations, reduces feelings of isolation caused by home working and provides a bridge towards formal health services. For more information and training https://www.menshealthforum.org.uk/mens-health-champions-training
- Highlight what’s available – The NHS ‘What’s Your Heart Age’ app is often advertised at the doctors but if you’re not going you’ll never know there’s such a thing. Making a focus of these health apps and encouraging all staff to take the test gets everyone considering whether they’re on the right health track or what they could do to improve things. Other checkers include Prostate Cancer UK’s Prostate Checker for men.
- https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/nhs-health-check/check-your-heart-age-tool/
- https://prostatecanceruk.org/risk-checker?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=risk-checker&gclid=CjwKCAjw14uVBhBEEiwAaufYx_VGAB1guvweP5YwTjAWg1viyRpRXjaSH9NG8myoAsNv8m5UZ4bEyBoCU_YQAvD_BwE
- Visual Reminders – Perhaps your workplace is office based so posters are an easy win or maybe your staff are home-based since the pandemic which makes sharing reminders via the socials all the more important. Not only will your posts reach your own staff but your wider audience of followers will benefit too – if you’re putting the message out there about being aware of your health, you never know who you might help. For free posters and social shares https://shop.menshealthforum.org.uk/collections/mens-health-week-2022/products/menshealthweek-time-for-your-mot?_ga=2.205784787.1703200908.1654847055-26341356.1654847055
- Encourage all staff to book an NHS Health Check – all over 40s health checks are now back up and running and have been since April. They’re free and comprehensive, designed to spot the early signs of stroke, kidney disease, heart disease, type 2 diabetes or dementia. Whether staff are over 40 or not, encouraging your people to have a chat with their doctor could make all the difference and post-Covid, many people are dealing with signs of stress and anxiety. Make the difference and be the workplace which cares. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/nhs-health-check/
- Mental health isn’t just a buzz word – these days there’s always someone talking about mental health in the media. But even though issues around mental health grab headlines, for far too many people it’s still a taboo subject and one that they prefer to avoid talking about, including in the workplace. Mental Health at Work has a range of resources to help companies develop policy and practice, and improve mental health support and workplace culture.