Every November in the UK we recognise Movember, a facial-hair-themed awareness campaign focusing on the topic of men’s health. Engaging staff is hard, though, and coming up with ideas for Movember in the workplace is harder. It’s very specifically themed, after all.
But don’t worry, we’re here to help! And there are actually some incredibly fun and engaging ways to raise awareness of men’s health during Movember.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at 5 ideas for Movember 2022 in the workplace.
1. Grow a Moustache for Movember (with a Twist!)
Moustaches are a big part of the theming for Movember. But not all of us can grow them, unfortunately. So here are some inclusive (and very entertaining) ideas around moustaches to help raise money and awareness in the workplace.
- Get a photo or drawing of someone in your office (probably your boss, if they’re willing), then have everyone design some facial hair for them, and have a prize for the winner. The more outlandish (and embarrassing), the better!
- If someone in your workplace is particularly gifted in the facial follicle department, ask your team to sponsor them to grow a moustache or beard throughout November. Then staff can even vote on the shape, size and style!
- If you’ve already got some particularly impressive whiskers around the workplace, why not sponsor someone to shave them off?
These can be implemented easily, and your whole team can get involved, too.
2. Hold a Team-Based Physical Challenge in the Workplace
Physical competitions in the workplace are tricky. Not everyone is willing or able to get involved. For a more inclusive approach to this challenge, why not try a team-based physical feat?
You can hand out pedometers (or use an app) and challenge staff to collectively traverse a specific distance in their day-to-day lives. You can get family, friends and clients to sponsor the team, too.
If you’re a small team, this might just be a specific number of miles or the distance to a pre-determined point. For larger teams with locations around the country, you could even have the team travel the distance it would take to visit each branch. The best part about this challenge is that it encourages staff to be more physical across the month, which will help improve health overall.
3. Host a Workplace Quiz or Event for Movember
Enough time has probably now passed that we can all enjoy a Zoom quiz again. Or, if you’re back at work, a face-to-face one! A quiz with prizes (and an entry fee, donated, of course) is a great way for everyone to get involved and raise awareness for Movember. In fact, the Movember campaign even has its own pre-made quiz available to download. It even works for both virtual and in-person quizzes! You can download it by clicking here:
If a quiz isn’t your thing, you could always host a simple raffle as a great way to raise funds. If your team are particularly adventurous, a workplace Movember talent show is a pretty outlandish way to mark the occasion and to help raise awareness around men’s health. These easy-to-set-up events make great ideas for celebrating Movember in the workplace.
4. A Movember Workplace Dress-Down Day
In a throwback to your school days, why not hold a dress-down day? If your workplace has a dress code, allow staff to make a donation to wear something a bit more casual. You could even take it one step further and host a fancy-dress competition! All in the name of raising funds and awareness this Movember.
5. Men’s Health Workshops
Movember is all about promoting men’s health – specifically awareness around testicular and prostate cancer, suicide, and physical activity.
Awareness is such an effective tool in any workplace wellbeing programme. A Men’s Health Workshop could help to save a life in your workplace this Movember.
The New Leaf Men’s Health Workshop helps attendees understand more about their overall health, as well as conditions that can specifically affect men. Delegates will learn how to self-check for testicular cancer and know when they should go for a prostate screening. They’ll also learn about their mental health and how they can support themselves.
These workshops aren’t just for men, though. Everyone can attend, as the skills and knowledge are transferrable, and can be passed along to other men the attendees may know. We offer a range of workshops (including Women’s Health, too) – if you’d like to learn more about awareness for the workplace, click here.
