Two-fifths (42%) of men aged 25–34 have admitted that they receive no mental health support at work, according to new research by Instantprint.
The online printing firm questioned 2,000 UK office workers for its Unlocking creativity in 2025 report. It found that male employees are significantly more likely to feel unsupported in terms of mental wellbeing compared to their female colleagues.
A third of men said their workplace offers no mental health support at all and six in 10 (60%) have hidden mental health struggles from their employer, citing stigma and fear of judgement as the main barriers. Of those, 68% said they feared being seen as weak, 54% were worried about harming their career progression, and 39% felt it would change how colleagues saw them.
More than a quarter (27%) said their organisation offers some form of support, but that it is not actively promoted, and 15% said support exists but it is hard to access. Just 12% of men said they felt completely supported at work.
When asked what changes would help most, 38% said regular awareness campaigns and workshops, 34% said mental health training for managers, and 29% said clearer signposting to external resources. Almost a quarter (24%) said more confidential counselling options, and 21% said mental health days included in leave policies.
Meanwhile, awareness of external mental health charities remains low. Only 19% had heard of Andy’s Man Club via work, 14% were signposted to Samaritans, and just 8% knew about the British Printing Charity through internal communications.
Vicki Russell, head of TX (HR) at Instantprint, said: “Many men in the workplace are silently struggling, not because support doesn’t exist, but because it’s hidden or framed in ways that don’t feel approachable. It’s not enough to have an employee assistance programme buried on an intranet page, it needs to be visible, normalised and encouraged at every level.”
