Supporting male workers through grief, caring responsibility and wellbeing challenges
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Grief can affect anyone. With 24% of the working population experiencing a bereavement each year, and around 600 people leaving full-time work every day to care for a loved one, grief and caring responsibilities are likely something that will impact members of your team through their working lives.
This includes men.
Challenges faced
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However much of the support offer surrounding grief and caring may not reflect many men’s experiences.
Narrow views of masculinity across many cultures celebrates self-reliance, independence, and coping without support1.
Therefore, if an organisation’s wellbeing strategy frames wellbeing only through the lens of emotional vulnerability or requires self-disclose, this may not resonate with men who would otherwise benefit from the support offer.
We know that key moments in working men’s lives such as bereavement, caring, and diagnosis combined with the ‘pressure to cope’ can be a trigger for poor mental health2.
Whether or not these experiences are shared openly, the impact can show up in the workplace. Organisation need consider if the current support meeting our male workers needs and incorporate other routes to accessing support.
It is important to note that there is no on- size-fits all model. Men are not homogonous and all members of staff are different. Other aspects of identity such as age, race, disability, sexuality, faith or belief, culture may influence the ways in which people experience grief and caring responsibilities and intersect differently with masculinity.
With all of the following engagement tips ensure that you embed feedback opportunities for your members of staff and respond to the needs that are shared.
Engagement tips
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There are ways in which you can engage male workers more, for example:
Research indicates authenticity is important to many men. Clinicallanguage can be alienating, and lengthy content is often not digestible. Messaging needs to be honest and succinct. Use direct language with key words and a remain practical and action focused with a clear outcome or offer.
Lotsof people can feel more comfortablesharing side by side. Walking meetings can be great for this and feel less intimidating compared to a formal discussion around wellbeing.
There can be stigma around accessing support services and it takes time to build trust. Anonymous feedback options or access to information/support allows workers to share without fear of social or practical consequences.
Communitysupport is incredible valuable and team events can build relationships and trust. Some examples might be pub quiz activities, team football match, breakfast club where staff can safely discuss challenges around topics such as grief and wellbeing
Managers and senior leaders using de-stigmatising language around wellbeing and amplifying support options enables a culture where workers feel safe to share experiences and access support.
Not everyone will speak with their manager about what they are going through. Therefore we need to make sure there are alternative ways support can be accessed. Signposting to other services need to be clear, specific and accessible.
Leaflets and posters are anonymous. Put them in areas your male members of staff use (where they are not where you think they should be) e.g. toilet, kitchen, smoking area, locker room.
Signposting
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Below are some great organisations that men can access outside of work.
Urgent help
NHS 111: 24/7 service staffed offering medical advice and information. Call 111
Andriessen, K., Logan, N., Ball, S.-A., De Goey, T. and Krysinska, K. (2026). Suicide bereavement in men: A qualitative study of barriers and enablers to seeking support. Death Studies, pp.1–13. doi:10.1080/07481187.2026.2649284.
Galdas, P. (2025). SUPPORTING MEN’S MENTAL HEALTH IN THE WORKPLACE: A Practical Guide for Organisations. Performance Habits.
Kwon, M., Lawn, S. and Kaine, C. (2023). Understanding Men’s Engagement and Disengagement When Seeking Support for Mental Health. American Journal of Men’s Health, 17(2). doi:10.1177/15579883231157971.
