Most workplaces now have wellbeing support in place. Employee Assistance Programmes. Mental health resources. Flexible working policies. Private medical cover. But having the right workplace wellbeing culture to encourage people to use it is a different challenge entirely.

And yet many employees still won’t use them.

Men’s Health Week is a good moment to ask why. Because the conversation around men’s health has shifted in recent years. The focus isn’t only on access to healthcare. It’s on why people don’t reach out when they’re struggling, and what gets in the way.

For employers and HR professionals, that question lands squarely in the workplace wellbeing culture.

 

Support on Paper Isn’t the Same as Support in Practice

The gap between providing wellbeing resources and people actually using them is real, and wider than many organisations realise.

Research by Cigna Healthcare found that 58% of HR leaders reported their wellbeing benefits were underutilised, even as investment in them continued to grow.

This isn’t simply about the support available. It’s about whether your workplace wellbeing culture makes people feel comfortable using them.

When employees consider whether to access support, they’re not just asking “does this exist?” They’re asking something harder:

• Will anyone find out?
• What will my manager think?
• Will it change how I’m seen at work?
• Am I making too much of this?
• Should I just deal with it myself?

A benefits brochure doesn’t answer those questions. Workplace culture does.

This is particularly relevant during Men’s Health Week. The male suicide rate in the UK remains around three times higher than the female rate. Men are less likely to access psychological therapies. The reasons are complex, but expectations around self-reliance and coping alone play a role. And those expectations don’t disappear when someone walks through the office door.

 

What Actually Stops People Reaching Out

It’s easy to assume that if support is available, people will use it when they need it. In reality, the decision to ask for help is rarely that straightforward.

Fear of being judged. Concerns about confidentiality. Worry about how raising a wellbeing issue might affect career prospects or how colleagues see you. The quiet conviction that you should be able to manage alone.

And if someone has raised something before and felt dismissed or overlooked? They’re unlikely to try again.

These barriers aren’t unique to men, but they can be particularly acute. And they’re not solved by adding another resource to the intranet.

The biggest obstacle isn’t usually the absence of support. It’s the uncertainty of what happens after someone asks for it.

 

Culture Is What Makes Support Real

Policies matter. Benefits matter. But workplace wellbeing culture is what determines whether employees feel genuinely comfortable using them, or whether support stays available on paper for everyone while being accessed by almost no one.

Culture isn’t built by what’s written in a handbook. It’s built through everyday moments. How a manager responds when someone says they’re struggling. Whether leaders talk openly about wellbeing or treat it as a tick-box exercise. Whether workloads and expectations actually align with the messages being sent.

Employees pay attention. They take their cues from what they see, not what’s communicated in a policy document.

Trust is the foundation. When people believe they’ll be listened to and treated fairly, they’re far more likely to reach out before things escalate. When that trust isn’t there, even a generous wellbeing package goes unused.

Psychological safety matters here too. Not a buzzword, but a practical reality. When people feel safe to admit they need help, they access support earlier. When they don’t, problems grow quietly until they’re much harder to address.

For smaller businesses, this is actually an area of genuine advantage. You may not have a dedicated wellbeing team or an extensive benefits package, but you often have something more powerful: close working relationships, real visibility of your people, and the ability to respond quickly when someone isn’t okay.

 

Empathy Isn’t a Soft Skill

For many employees, the experience of seeking support comes down to a single conversation.

A manager who listens well, takes concerns seriously, and responds with genuine care can make all the difference. A dismissive response, even an unintentional one, can make sure that person never raises something again.

This isn’t about managers having all the answers. Most don’t, and that’s fine. It’s about being willing to listen before moving into problem-solving mode. About not assuming you know what someone needs. About asking, and then actually hearing the answer. It’s also about making sure employees know what support is available and how to access it. Clearly, consistently, without jargon. Uncertainty is a barrier in itself. If someone doesn’t know whether the EAP is confidential, or what “occupational health referral” means in practice, they’ll often do nothing.

Managers are often the first person an employee turns to. Not HR, not a helpline. Their manager. That’s a responsibility that deserves proper preparation, not just good intentions. Equipping managers to handle sensitive conversations, knowing when to listen, when to signpost, when to escalate, is one of the highest-value investments an organisation can make.

 

What HR and People Professionals Can Do

HR sits at the intersection of intention and experience. The organisation wants to support its people. Employees experience what that actually feels like day to day. HR’s job is to close the gap between those two things.

That means more than implementing policies. It means helping leaders understand their role in creating a culture where people feel safe to reach out. It means clear communication: employees should know what’s available, how to access it, and what to expect if they do. And it means giving managers the skills and confidence to handle difficult conversations, because a manager who freezes or deflects when someone opens up can do real damage without ever meaning to. If your wellbeing initiatives aren’t being used, find out why. Don’t assume people just don’t need them.

For independent HR professionals working with clients, this is a meaningful opportunity. Many SMEs have genuine care for their people but lack the expertise to translate that into effective support structures. Helping them develop their managers and create cultures where wellbeing is real rather than performative, that’s significant work, and it’s exactly the kind of value an experienced HR indie brings.

 

The Question Worth Asking

Men’s Health Week is a prompt to look beyond the obvious.

Access to healthcare matters. Wellbeing resources matter. But for many people, men and women alike, the moment that determines whether they get help is not the availability of a helpline. It’s a conversation at work. A manager’s response. Whether the culture around them signals that it’s safe to be honest.

Creating a strong wellbeing culture in the workplace isn’t complicated, but it does require intention. Trust, built through small consistent actions. Empathy, practised as a habit rather than a one-off gesture. Communication that’s clear, not corporate.

And for businesses without in-house HR support, that’s precisely what an experienced HR professional can provide.

If you’re looking for independent HR support, the HRi Directory connects you with experienced, accredited HRi Certified HR and People professionals who are serious about making work better.

 

Author: Mary Asante | HRi