Leading mental health discourse around suicide by ‘lifting the base’

After nearly 30 years working at big Australian banks, one ambassador for men’s mental health spoke about the psychological impacts that working men experience and the accompanying preventable risk factors.

In a recent HR Leader Podcast episode, Tim Hewson (pictured), the founder of Mongrels Men and Betterment Consulting, spoke about the unique and idiosyncratic wellness challenges that men face in the workplace.

Fear, shame, and embarrassment

Hewson spent approximately 27 years working at financial institutions such as Commonwealth Bank, ING Bank (Australia), and Rabobank before leaving the corporate world about two years ago. For almost 20 of those years in banking and finance, he recalled feeling fear, shame, embarrassment, and ignorance about the mental health challenges he faced during this time.

Hewson reached a turning point when he realised that he could no longer go on “pretending that everything was OK”; he sought professional support and found “new ways to connect with other blokes”. In 2008, he built a community group called Mongrels Men, and after holding mental-health-focused activities for 14 years, the group became a registered charity in 2022 – now operating in 14 locations across NSW and Queensland.

After his departure from the corporate world around two years ago, Hewson began working with corporations and communities, aiming to “create mentally healthier human beings, workplaces and communities”. For Hewson, what drew him to men’s mental health space was really made clear after seeing the positive impacts he was making for the men in his community.

Suicide: ‘Massive amount of stigma’

Hewson identified the fear of opening up and having conversations about mental health in the workplace – “there’s still a massive amount of stigma that’s being faced”.

Hewson noted that suicide is one of the leading causes of death. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, it is the leading cause of death for people aged 15 to 44. Lifeline Australia found that nine people die by suicide every day, and it is the 16th leading cause of death, according to ABS data from 2024.

Suicide Prevention Australia’s data revealed that men accounted for over three in four (76.5 per cent) of deaths by suicide in 2024 – approximately seven in nine daily deaths by suicide will statistically be a male victim.

Impacts of occupation

Based on Hewson’s findings, construction is one of the most susceptible industries to suicide and mental health challenges, comprising up to three or four of the seven who die by suicide every day.

According to recent research by the University of Western Australia, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, high levels of loneliness among West Australian construction workers are the “most pertinent factor” that drives suicidal thoughts in the industry.

It said: “Researchers identified people in the LGBTQAI+ community, those with a recent relationship breakdown, apprentices and individuals working in a FIFO/DIDO (drive-in drive-out) arrangement as the most vulnerable groups.”

In addition, Hewson found that legal, banking and finance workers experience high pressure, competitive and fast-paced environments and are always asked to do “more with less” – “key contributors” to the mental health impacts that workers can experience in these roles.

Catering to the individual

“We have to find a balance for what people want and need,” Hewson said.

He stressed the importance of normalising conversations about mental health to reduce its negative stigma in the workplace.

“[It] comes with time [and] ... education. And after that, you need to build skills, confidence and knowledge for business leaders,” he said.

“Lead by example and lift the base … Empower your people and drive better education, engagement, awareness and support.”

“Think[ing] about that as being a safety net from bottom up takes a little bit of the heavy lifting off the leaders, but it also means that you can spread it much wider across the business … [changing] culture holistically.”

Help is available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 and Beyond Blue at 1300 22 4636.