Marketing anything to men and women at the same time can be difficult because men like it one way and women like it another. Women tend to be more open to new ideas and willing to take a gamble whereas men are less open initially and need the science and hard facts before they'll engage. Generalisations I know but broadly true.
HR departments sometimes feel this when trying to get men in offices interested in health and wellness. It's not surprising really that men are less keen to talk about any health issues or asking for advice when you consider how hard it is to get men to visit their doctor!
But men's health can't be ignored so what can you do about it to engage men more in the subject?
Recently, there was a discussion on BBC Radio 4 covering Men’s Health in the Workplace. This is a really hot topic at the moment.
At The Tonic we recently ran a ‘Men Only’ wellness event for one of our major clients and the response from a male population, previously not that interested in their wellbeing, was fantastic. The feedback from those that came along was brilliant and, as well as the guys learning a lot during the sessions, we had reports following the event that many more men had been booking in for cholesterol and Blood Pressure checks than in previous months.
This year National Men’s Health Week runs from June 15th to June 21st so don’t miss this opportunity to get the male population in your office into shape with good health and wellness initiatives. The benefits of doing so will be that the individuals concerned feel better about themselves which in turn makes the office a more positive place to be.
All you need to do is pitch your wellbeing messages carefully so they appeal to the male population:
1. Think performance, not health
Men aren’t too interested in the health benefits of maintaining healthy habits, they like to think they’re indestructible and can soldier on no matter what. So talk to them about how being healthy can sharpen up their performance. If they think they’re working well now, just imagine how well they could be doing if they tightened up on their eating habits or their fitness routine a little bit.
2. Get competitive
It’s in-built in men to be competitive so if you want to organize health related initiatives you need to think about some competitions or challenges. Things like, who can walk the most steps in one week; which department has the fittest team as measured by a few key performance measures; who can eat the best for a few days, and which group has the best work life balance? Individual and team challenges will capture the imagination and make sure there’s a reason for everyone to stay on track with their healthy behaviours.
3. Plan for the future
Think about initiatives that you can set up during Men’s Health Week that will continue for months to come. Use the National event to raise awareness of Men’s Health but then aim to keep the issue in people’s minds at all times by updating the challenges. Be sure to award prizes that men can display on their desks and publicise winning individuals and teams on notice boards and the company website. The more you make a feature of healthy men in the workplace, the more people you’ll reach to start them thinking positively about their own health.
4. Consider what you want them to say about the event when it’s over
When organizing any event, you need to plan for the best possible results. The comments below are from people who attended the Tonic ‘Men Only’ wellness event I mentioned earlier. Make sure you know the positive feedback you’re aiming to receive and then plan initiatives that will guarantee you get it.
‘Thank you for organising. This was excellent’
‘Very useful and thought provoking, this session was excellent and very informative’
‘Very useful – increase motivation to make changes’
‘Excellent’
‘Wasn’t sure what to expect – informative, made me think’
‘Very useful’
Did all the topics you were expecting get covered? ‘Yes, plus more.
Made me think about changes I need to make’
‘I would like a follow up session’
Photograph by POSITiv (flickr)
But men's health can't be ignored so what can you do about it to engage men more in the subject?
Recently, there was a discussion on BBC Radio 4 covering Men’s Health in the Workplace. This is a really hot topic at the moment.
At The Tonic we recently ran a ‘Men Only’ wellness event for one of our major clients and the response from a male population, previously not that interested in their wellbeing, was fantastic. The feedback from those that came along was brilliant and, as well as the guys learning a lot during the sessions, we had reports following the event that many more men had been booking in for cholesterol and Blood Pressure checks than in previous months.
This year National Men’s Health Week runs from June 15th to June 21st so don’t miss this opportunity to get the male population in your office into shape with good health and wellness initiatives. The benefits of doing so will be that the individuals concerned feel better about themselves which in turn makes the office a more positive place to be.
All you need to do is pitch your wellbeing messages carefully so they appeal to the male population:
1. Think performance, not health
Men aren’t too interested in the health benefits of maintaining healthy habits, they like to think they’re indestructible and can soldier on no matter what. So talk to them about how being healthy can sharpen up their performance. If they think they’re working well now, just imagine how well they could be doing if they tightened up on their eating habits or their fitness routine a little bit.
2. Get competitive
It’s in-built in men to be competitive so if you want to organize health related initiatives you need to think about some competitions or challenges. Things like, who can walk the most steps in one week; which department has the fittest team as measured by a few key performance measures; who can eat the best for a few days, and which group has the best work life balance? Individual and team challenges will capture the imagination and make sure there’s a reason for everyone to stay on track with their healthy behaviours.
3. Plan for the future
Think about initiatives that you can set up during Men’s Health Week that will continue for months to come. Use the National event to raise awareness of Men’s Health but then aim to keep the issue in people’s minds at all times by updating the challenges. Be sure to award prizes that men can display on their desks and publicise winning individuals and teams on notice boards and the company website. The more you make a feature of healthy men in the workplace, the more people you’ll reach to start them thinking positively about their own health.
4. Consider what you want them to say about the event when it’s over
When organizing any event, you need to plan for the best possible results. The comments below are from people who attended the Tonic ‘Men Only’ wellness event I mentioned earlier. Make sure you know the positive feedback you’re aiming to receive and then plan initiatives that will guarantee you get it.
‘Thank you for organising. This was excellent’
‘Very useful and thought provoking, this session was excellent and very informative’
‘Very useful – increase motivation to make changes’
‘Excellent’
‘Wasn’t sure what to expect – informative, made me think’
‘Very useful’
Did all the topics you were expecting get covered? ‘Yes, plus more.
Made me think about changes I need to make’
‘I would like a follow up session’
Photograph by POSITiv (flickr)
1 comment:
Excellent article addressing a valid point!
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