Men’s health doesn’t get nearly enough attention in the workplace.

Companies spend billions on employee healthcare and wellness programs, yet many of those programs focus on broad categories without addressing some of the health issues that affect men disproportionately or that men are often reluctant to discuss.

That matters because health and work aren’t completely separate.

Poor sleep can hurt concentration and decision-making. Chronic health problems can affect energy and engagement. Mental health issues can affect performance. And for men dealing with genuinely low testosterone, symptoms such as low energy, reduced libido and changes in physical performance can affect quality of life.

A healthier employee isn’t automatically a more productive employee, but removing preventable barriers to good health can certainly help people feel and function better at work.

Here are 10 ways employers can take men’s health more seriously.

1. Make men’s health part of the wellness conversation

Men’s health is much bigger than testosterone.

A good workplace approach can include cardiovascular health, sleep, mental health, metabolic health, sexual health, preventive screening and hormonal health.

The key is making these topics normal.

Employees shouldn’t feel like they need to wait until they have a serious problem before they can access information about their health.

Even simple educational resources can help employees recognize when something is worth discussing with a healthcare professional.

2. Pay attention to testosterone and hormonal health

Testosterone naturally changes throughout a man’s life.

For some men, however, testosterone levels can become abnormally low and may be associated with symptoms such as reduced energy, lower libido, loss of muscle mass, changes in body composition or mood changes.

That doesn’t mean every tired man needs testosterone therapy.

Proper diagnosis matters, and treatment decisions should be made with appropriate medical supervision.

But employers can still acknowledge that hormonal health is part of men’s overall health.

Ignoring the subject doesn’t make it disappear.

3. Understand why feeling healthy matters at work

Nobody should think of testosterone or men’s health as a way to squeeze more productivity out of employees.

The better way to look at it is that people generally perform better when they feel physically and mentally well.

Energy, sleep, mood, physical fitness and overall health all influence how someone experiences their workday.

An employee who is constantly exhausted or struggling with an untreated health problem may have a very different experience at work than someone who is healthy and well rested.

The employer’s job isn’t to optimize an employee’s biology.

It’s to make appropriate healthcare easier to access.

4. Don’t assume traditional insurance covers testosterone care

This is where things get complicated.

Many health insurance plans have restrictions around testosterone replacement therapy. Coverage can depend on the diagnosis, laboratory results, medical-necessity requirements and the specific insurance plan.

And even when testosterone treatment is technically covered, some men may find that getting evaluated and treated through a traditional healthcare pathway isn’t particularly convenient.

That’s where specialized services can play a role.

TRT Power focuses specifically on testosterone replacement therapy and provides information, testing and treatment resources for men exploring their testosterone health.

That can make TRT Power relevant to employers even when an employee already has traditional health insurance.

An employer doesn’t have to tell employees to take testosterone.

Instead, it can make employees aware that specialized resources exist for an area of healthcare that may not fit neatly into their standard insurance pathway. Encourage the use of HSA and FSA plans for these types of products.

5. Treat sleep like a real health benefit

Sleep is probably one of the easiest men’s health benefits to overlook.

It shouldn’t be.

Insufficient sleep is associated with reduced concentration, slower reaction times, more errors and poorer workplace performance. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that employers recognize sleep as a workplace health issue and provide education and pathways to care for sleep problems.

Employers can support sleep health by providing education about sleep hygiene, encouraging reasonable work schedules and making it easier for employees to access sleep medicine when appropriate.

For companies with shift workers, the issue becomes even more important.

6. Don’t ignore sleep apnea

Sleep apnea deserves its own discussion.

An employee can technically spend eight hours in bed and still wake up exhausted because their sleep is repeatedly disrupted.

Employers don’t need to diagnose sleep apnea. They can simply educate employees about symptoms and make it easier to find appropriate medical resources.

That might include access to primary care, sleep specialists, home sleep testing or treatment through the employee’s health plan.

The business case is pretty straightforward too. Poor sleep can affect attention, judgment, reaction time and workplace safety. Lofta offer a $99 at home sleep test which isnt as good as an in-clinic test but works for many cases and is easy to use.

7. Encourage cardiovascular screening

Men’s health programs should go well beyond hormones.

Cardiovascular health deserves major attention.

Employers can encourage employees to stay on top of blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose, weight, exercise and other established cardiovascular risk factors.

This is an area where traditional health insurance can work extremely well.

The opportunity for the employer is simply making sure employees know what preventive care is available and how to access it.

8. Make mental health easier to talk about

Men can be reluctant to seek help for mental health problems.

Employers can help by making mental health resources visible and normal rather than something employees have to go hunting for after reaching a crisis point.

Companies can offer traditional EAP services, counseling, therapy or digital mental-health resources.

Services such as Headspace and Calm have helped make mental health and mindfulness resources more accessible outside the traditional doctor’s office. They also offer a B2B offering, talk to your benefits broker about it.

The important thing is not which particular service an employer chooses.

It’s making support easy to find.

9. Support physical health and injury prevention

Men’s health also intersects with physical activity.

Employers can encourage strength training, mobility, exercise and injury prevention through wellness programs, gym benefits or digital programs.

For employees dealing with musculoskeletal problems, specialized digital physical therapy companies such as Hinge Health offer another example of how healthcare is moving beyond the traditional doctor’s office.

Again, the point isn’t that every employer needs Hinge Health.

It’s that employers now have more options than simply offering a gym reimbursement and hoping employees use it.

10. Make all of these resources easier to find

Here’s where a lot of otherwise good benefits programs fall apart.

An employer can offer medical insurance, mental health support, wellness programs, sleep resources and specialized healthcare services.

But if employees don’t know where to find them, utilization suffers.

This is particularly problematic for smaller companies, where employees may receive a benefits guide during open enrollment and then rarely look at it again.

A dedicated benefits website can give employees one place to find their plan information and understand what resources are available.

A great service is Benefits Studio which starts at only $49 a month. They are designed to give employers and benefits brokers a simple benefits website where employees can find their benefits information without having to dig through PDFs and scattered carrier websites. Their advanced plans even have an amazing AI assistant that can answer benefits questions saving your HR department a ton of time.

It doesn’t replace the healthcare providers or specialized services themselves.

It helps employees find them.

The future of men’s health benefits is about access

Employers don’t need to become healthcare providers.

They need to make it easier for employees to find appropriate care.

For one employee, that might mean finally getting a sleep study.

For another, it might mean using mental health resources.

For someone else, it might mean getting cardiovascular screening or investigating whether low testosterone is contributing to symptoms.

Traditional health insurance remains the foundation of employee healthcare.

But it doesn’t necessarily cover every service or make every type of care equally easy to access.

That’s why specialized services such as TRT Power can still have a role alongside employer-sponsored insurance.

And it’s why making benefits information easier to navigate matters.

The best benefits package isn’t necessarily the one with the most programs.

It’s the one employees can actually understand, find and use.