Under two thirds of men wish to quit their jobs as they believe it is negatively affecting their mental health.
Research from CV-Library, an independent job board, found that 61 per cent of men want to leave their jobs because it is impacting their mental health.
Despite more women (35 per cent) than men (21 per cent) suffering from mental health problems, men are more prone to feel the effects of mental health in the workplace. A huge 82 per cent of men say it affects their working life, compared to 68 per cent of women.
Both genders said the people they are least likely to talk to regarding mental health issues are their colleagues and their boss.
A majority of 61 per cent of men feel they cannot talk to their boss with the main reasons for this being:
- Believing their professional abilities would be questioned (44 per cent)
- They do not think their boss would understand (40 per cent)
- Their boss would judge them (39 per cent)
Men said they would turn to a medical professional (46 per cent) where as women are most likely to talk to friends (39 per cent).
Male employees suggested that promoting a healthy work/life balance (54 per cent) would make their jobs less stressful.
As well as referring employees to a counseling service (40 per cent) and reducing pressure to work longer (36 per cent).
Male workers also believe that allowing them to take time out when they need to (31 per cent) and talk more openly about mental health (30 per cent) would also help.
Lee Biggins, founder and CEO of CV-Library said:
It’s extremely concerning that work plays a principal factor in worsening men’s mental health. There’s a lot of pressure on men already to excel at their job, put in long hours and provide for their families. And clearly, despite more women being in work than ever before, the pressure to be the ‘primary breadwinner’ hasn’t gone away.
This is something which is prevalent amongst all age groups. In fact, statistics show that suicide is the most common cause of death amongst men aged 20-49 and something clearly needs to change in order to ensure men have the support they need. Our findings suggest it starts in the workplace, so employers have an important role to play here.
Although the initial cost of such a service may give cause for concern, it’s vital to show that you’re an employer who cares. There’s plenty of ways to do this, but ultimately if you don’t act, you’ll end up losing employees who simply can’t cope with the pressures of the modern working world.
CV-Library spoke to 2,000 UK workers to obtain these results.
Darius is the editor of HRreview. He has previously worked as a finance reporter for the Daily Express. He studied his journalism masters at Press Association Training and graduated from the University of York with a degree in History.
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