The Impact of Good Leadership in the Workplace on the Mental Health of Male Employees
- Brainz Magazine
- Aug 19
- 5 min read
Dr. Adam Harrison is an international expert in personal and workplace well-being and kind leadership cultures. He is a former family physician, qualified attorney-at-law, company director, charity trustee, healthcare business advisor, award-winning life, leadership, and executive coach, organisational well-being and leadership trainer, and host of the 'Inspiring Women Leaders' podcast.
For many men, work is the arena where identity, purpose, and belonging are forged, and where stress, isolation, or silent suffering can also take root. Good leadership is one of the most powerful, non‑medical levers we have to protect men’s mental health at work. It shapes job design, social norms, psychological safety, and how quickly people get support when they start to struggle. In recent years, guidance has shifted from “offer a mindfulness app” to “fix the job and train the manager.”
Why a male‑specific lens matters
Men, on average, seek help later and less often for mental health concerns. Research links stronger conformity to traditional masculine norms with poorer mental health and lower help‑seeking, which means leaders must lower their threshold to speak up and get support for struggling male team members.
Designing male‑friendly entry points, e.g., peer discussions, practical coaching language, and confidential first conversations, can make the difference between early care and crisis. Male‑dominated sectors, such as construction, have faced elevated suicide risk, prompting sector‑tailored interventions that focus on peer support, supportive team briefing sessions, and visible leadership commitment.
What “good leadership” looks like (and why it works)
1. Build psychological safety
Psychological safety, the belief that it’s safe to speak up with questions, concerns, or mistakes, is a proven driver of learning and performance. Studies have associated it with better learning behaviour, lower burnout, and stronger employee retention, particularly under pressure. Leaders create it by inviting contrasting viewpoints, rewarding candour, and responding to errors with learning rather than blame.
For men who may fear appearing weak, explicit leader behaviours that normalise “I need help” make support‑seeking a strength rather than a risk.
2. Train supervisors to support (not diagnose)
Leading guidance recommends mental‑health training for managers to enable them to recognise early signs of distress, adjust harmful work conditions, and make warm referrals. This does not turn managers into clinicians; rather, it equips them to be effective first responders at work.
Occupational research also shows that lower levels of supervisor support are associated with higher risks of depression and anxiety in their team members. Timely, private check‑ins and practical problem‑solving (workload, role clarity, schedule fixes) align with how a lot of men prefer to engage initially.
3. Design fair, predictable work
Job design is mental‑health design (at work anyway). When leaders improve predictability, e.g., by making rosters more consistent, employees sleep better, stress less, and businesses perform better.
In a large retail experiment, more stable scheduling increased sales and productivity and improved worker well-being metrics.
In many male‑dominated roles with shift or site work, predictability of hours and recovery time reduces fatigue and conflict at home, well-known stress multipliers.
4. Stop bullying and incivility
Bullying is a major, preventable mental‑health hazard. Meta‑analyses link exposure to bullying with higher symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress; one five‑year study found lasting impacts that were particularly pronounced for men. Leadership sets the tone: clear policies, swift action on reports, and leader role-modelling are non‑negotiables.
5. Create male‑friendly pathways to help (peer programs work)
Sector‑specific initiatives show how leadership plus peer programs can shift outcomes. The ‘MATES in Construction’ model (‘MATES’ = Mental Awareness, Training and Education for Safety) in Australia and New Zealand combines on‑site training, volunteer ‘Connectors’ and case management. Evaluations report gains in literacy and help‑seeking, and some evidence of reduced suicide risk at the population level. Senior leaders endorsing and attending sessions are consistently cited as a success factor.
Case examples leaders can learn from
Working time (NZ): Perpetual Guardian piloted a four‑day work week (pay held constant) focused on output, not hours. Internal and independent reporting described lower stress, stable or improved performance, and better work-life balance.
Retail scheduling (US): Executives authorised a randomised rollout of stable scheduling (more predictability, adequate hours, input into shifts). Sales and labour productivity increased while worker‑reported health measures improved.
Construction (AU/NZ): Industry leaders funded and embedded MATES in Construction across sites; leaders attend sessions, allow time, and publicise help channels. Evaluations indicate improved help‑seeking and literacy, and some evidence of reduced suicide risk.
A practical blueprint (30-60-90 days)
First 30 days: Listen and signal. Run a quick, anonymous survey on psychological safety, workload, and bullying exposure; share what you heard. Begin 15‑minute weekly check‑ins with each direct report. Publicly affirm zero tolerance for bullying and outline reporting routes.
Days 31-60: Fix the job. Stabilise schedules/rosters and ensure recovery time; calibrate workload and priorities; remove low‑value tasks. Pilot a peer‑support initiative (e.g., trained ‘connectors’) and advertise EAP and local resources in masculine‑inclusive language.
Days 61-90: Build it into the system. Train all people leaders in supportive supervision and civility; embed psychological‑safety rituals (round‑robins, after‑action reviews). Track leading indicators (schedule predictability, overtime spikes, team psychological safety), and reported civility breaches. Share stories of men who got help early (with consent).
Measuring what matters
You’ll know it’s working when burnout scores fall (e.g., from the Maslach Burnout Inventory), help‑seeking rises earlier, absence and turnover decline, and incident reports shift from ‘nothing’ to ‘low but addressed’. Externally, investors and stakeholders increasingly expect clear leadership commitment and measurable objectives.
Conclusion
Good leadership is mental‑health leadership. For male employees, who often face higher stigma and later help‑seeking, leaders can tip the balance from silence to support by designing fair work, cultivating psychological safety, stopping bullying, and making help easy to access. The payoff is human and commercial: safer teams, stronger performance, and reputations that attract talent.
Call to action
If you lead a team, start weekly 1:1 check‑ins, set two predictable scheduling rules, and run a learning‑focused after‑action review this week.
If you lead a business, fund manager training aligned to best‑practice guidance, publish your anti‑bullying stance, and pilot a peer‑support program in one high‑risk part of your operation.
If you influence policy, encourage sector‑specific models (like MATES‑style approaches) and hold leaders accountable for job design, not just wellness offerings.
Read more from Dr. Adam Mark Harrison
Dr. Adam Mark Harrison, Leadership and Wellbeing Coach and Trainer
Dr. Adam Harrison is a leader in the fields of well-being, workplace bullying, and leadership. After experiencing burnout and being a target of workplace bullying as a junior doctor, the second stage of his career has nurtured a strong interest in coaching individuals affected by these challenges, for which he received an international award in 2024. To broaden his reach and deepen his impact, he has expanded his approach by creating and facilitating training events on topics such as personal and workplace well-being, workplace bullying, the benefits of kindness in the workplace, and 'How to be a Great Leader', in multiple countries around the globe. He is also enjoying more recent roles as a company director and trustee of a charity which aims to end adult bullying in New Zealand’s organisations.
Selected references:
World Health Organisation. Guidelines on Mental Health at Work (2022).
Seidler Z et al. The role of masculinity in men’s help‑seeking for depression: Systematic review (2016).
Wong Y et al. Meta‑analysis of the psychology of men and masculinity and help‑seeking (2017).
Edmondson A (and subsequent literature) on psychological safety and team learning.
Verkuil B et al. Meta‑analysis: Workplace bullying and mental health (2015).
Einarsen S et al. Longitudinal study: Long‑term effects of bullying, with pronounced impact in men.
MATES in Construction—program evaluations in AU/NZ (various).
Stable scheduling experiments (UC Berkeley/UChicago, WorkLife Law).
Perpetual Guardian Four‑Day Week white paper (NZ).
