Addressing the Recruitment Gap: The Impact of Unreported Male Mental Health on Retention

This is a guest blog by REC business partner, Numbermill

Addressing the Recruitment Gap: The Impact of Unreported Male Mental Health on Retention

When was the last time one of your male candidates or placed contractors told you they were struggling?

If your answer is "never," it does not mean all is well. In fact, it often means the opposite.

While the recruitment sector and HR departments have made welcome progress with initiatives like menopause policies and maternal mental health support, men’s health has largely dropped off the radar. This gap is now showing. It is costing businesses dearly in unexpected talent turnover, absenteeism and lost productivity.

As recruitment leaders, we must look beyond basic metrics and address the commercial and human impact of this silence.

The Reality Behind the Silence

The statistics surrounding men’s mental health in the workplace highlight a significant challenge for talent retention:

• The National Picture: Men account for around 75% of UK suicides
• The Stigma: Over 52% of men admit they fear taking mental health leave due to workplace stigma
• High-Pressure Sectors: In male-dominated industries like construction, workers are three times more likely to die by suicide than the national average
• The CIOB Data: A report by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) noted that 97% of construction professionals experienced stress over the past year and 26% have experienced suicidal thoughts

When a contractor or permanent placement abruptly leaves, employers are often caught off guard. The reality is that the warning signs were likely there, obscured by a culture that often mistakes male silence for resilience.

Where Talent Strategies Fall Short

Traditional recruitment and workforce management practices frequently miss the mark due to three key oversights:

1. Equating Silence with Success: Assuming a workforce or candidate pool is thriving simply because there are no formal complaints
2. Treating Wellbeing as an Annual Event: Treating Men's Health Week as a temporary checkbox exercise rather than a year-round retention strategy
3. Overlooking the Financial Impact: Failing to see how unmanaged stress leads to high replacement costs when a key worker walks away

Practical Steps for Recruiters and Hiring Managers

Addressing this risk does not require a large corporate budget or an expensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). Recruiters and hiring managers can support their workforces by implementing a few immediate, low-cost changes:

• Enhance One-to-Ones: Look beyond deadlines and KPIs. Dedicate the first few minutes of catch-ups to checking on how the person is managing
• Identify Behavioural Red Flags: Train managers to spot subtle shifts, such as sudden irritability, social withdrawal, uncharacteristic lateness or working excessive overtime
• Monitor Workloads and Timesheets: Keep overtime in check to prevent chronic exhaustion and burnout
• Signpost Confidential Support: Visibly display contact details for external organisations like Mind, Samaritans and CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably)

Aligning Wellbeing with Commercial Stability

In the temporary and permanent labour markets, workforce stability directly impacts financial performance. When a temporary worker or contractor faces a mental health crisis, timesheets stall, project delivery is delayed and client relationships suffer.

Proactive leadership means recognising that candidate wellbeing and revenue protection are directly linked.

Supporting Your Workforce with Number Mill

As a payroll partner, we see how sudden absences and unexpected dropouts impact your margins and client relationships. We can help you look after both the financial and practical wellbeing of your candidates.

Our payroll solutions include access to confidential health perks, financial wellness tools, and support systems designed to keep your workforce stable and healthy on the job.

Get in touch with our team today to find out more.

• Call us: 0333 121 2001
• Email us: enquiries@numbermill.co.uk
• Click HERE to learn more about our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
• Click HERE to learn more about our Employee Benefits
• Click HERE to learn more about our GP Overviews