Men’s Health Week

*Did you know that one in five men die before the age of 65, many from an illness that could have been prevented?*

This is just one of the many reasons we’re raising awareness of Men’s Health Week, an annual campaign from Men’s Health Forum which this year starts on 10th June 2019 and focuses on men’s health by numbers, highlighting 7 numbers all men need to know. Visit the website to find out more. Male suicide prevention Shockingly, 75% of suicides are committed by men. Whilst deprivation can be a factor in why this figure is so high when interacting with certain personality traits, there are several factors said to contribute to this tragic statistic, including relationship breakdowns, challenges in mid-life and males having a more risk-taking response to stress. We know that men are under-represented in the local authority workforce. As such, men’s health issues may not occur as often in your school. Nonetheless, it’s clear that we need to be taking action to support our male colleagues. What can you do to support your male employees? Talk! Regular one to ones with your staff are extremely valuable not only to find out how things are going at work, but outside of work as well. Make time to find out about your employee’s wellbeing. We know that it can be difficult for men in particular to open up about personal difficulties; take the time to find a way of discussing this that works best for them. Signpost them to external support services such as: Andy’s man club – a charity run by volunteers, Andy’s man club provides a space for men to get together and talk every Monday at 7.00pm at a range of locations. Campaign Against Living Miserably – CALM run a free and confidential helpline 365 days a year for anyone who needs to talk, as well as supporting those bereaved by suicide. 16 tips from men to men – how to reach out when having a hard time. You can also download a range of resources from Men’s Health Forum, including free posters and the new interactive MAN MOT Manual. How can PACT HR help? PACT HR along with the Employee Health & Wellbeing Unit can assess how you can support your employees in managing their health and wellbeing and your dedicated HR Business Partner will work with you to explore any reasonable adjustments or support programmes. We offer a variety of training sessions on topics including Managing Stress and Wellbeing and Personal Resilience and we can also deliver in-house and bespoke training to meet your school’s needs. Courses can be found on our website here. We can work with you to design a survey aimed at capturing the voices of your male employees. Find out what else your male colleagues may want or need from their employer and how best to support them with this. Outsourcing this to PACT HR will also ensure anonymity, which often increases the return rate. Visit our previous ‘Insights’ blog for more information on effective feedback.