Every November, millions of people grow a moustache to talk about men's health. Movember at work means taking that annual moment and turning it into something useful for your employees: a chance to talk about a topic that's still too often left unsaid, without moralising and without any obligation to fundraise. This article sets the context for planning the operation, then gives you seven concrete actions you can run with the resources of an HR, communications or CSR team.
Contents
Movember in three sentences: what's at stake
Movember is an international movement, born in the early 2000s, that invites everyone to grow a moustache through November to open up the conversation on men's health. The movement centres on three main issues: prostate cancer, testicular cancer and men's mental health, with a strong focus on suicide prevention among men. There's also a structured workplace arm: the Movember Business Club invites companies to mobilise internally, with a fundraising commitment starting at £10k source: uk.movember.com, "At Work". You'll find the full detail on Movember's dates and origin in a dedicated article.
You don't need to join that scheme to run an internal action. Many companies choose a lighter version instead: a month of awareness, with no mandatory fundraising, centred on information and collective mobilisation.
Why talk about it at work
Men's health remains a subject rarely raised at work, even though the figures make a strong case for it. In the UK, around 57,898 new prostate cancer cases are diagnosed every year, according to Cancer Research UK source: Cancer Research UK, "Prostate cancer statistics". Caught early, it is treatable: 10-year survival stands at 78.9% [same source]. Testicular cancer is less common, with around 2,320 new cases a year in the UK, and incidence peaks in men aged 30 to 34, who account for almost one in five cases source: Cancer Research UK, "Testicular cancer incidence statistics", a stage of life that speaks directly to a good share of your younger employees.
The topic goes beyond screening alone. In England and Wales, men's suicide rate stood at 17.6 deaths per 100,000 in 2024, roughly three times the rate for women, at 5.7 per 100,000 source: Office for National Statistics, "Suicides in the UK". This figure is a reminder that men's mental health remains a blind spot in prevention, often because men consult less and talk about it less. A company can't replace medical care, but it can create the occasion to talk about it, point to the resources available (occupational health, organised screening, Samaritans free on 116 123, any time, day or night source: Samaritans) and normalise the conversation. That's exactly the role a Movember activation at work can play. For more on the topic, a dedicated article details the case for men's health at work.
7 actions to put in place
Here are seven actions you can combine depending on your budget, your calendar and how comfortable your teams already are with the topic. They range from a simple gesture you can organise in a week, to a challenge that spans the whole of November.
1. A prevention talk with occupational health
Start by involving your occupational health service. An information session, in person or online, on screening for prostate and testicular cancer, legitimises the topic and reassures employees who are still hesitant to see a doctor. It's also a chance to remind people of the resources available: the occupational health line, access to organised screening, and Samaritans (116 123) for anyone in distress or worried about someone close to them. This action costs little and can be organised quickly, as long as you slot it in early in your November calendar.
2. A connected challenge across the whole month
A physical activity challenge across the four weeks of November gives the operation a throughline. Its format is built around your context: by team or individually, at one site or across the whole company, with accessible targets so less sporty employees can join in too. At United Heroes, we help you build this challenge on the app, and, for example, a weekly article and quiz help your teams learn more about men's health. To see how we build a Movember challenge with you, visit the Movember challenge at work page.
3. A weekly lunchtime walk
Simpler to organise, a lunchtime walk creates a regular ritual without needing a budget. Set a time and a starting point each week of November, invite anyone who wants to join, no obligation attached. The value of this format: it also reaches employees who wouldn't spontaneously join a more structured challenge, and it opens up an informal moment for conversation, a natural setting to bring up men's health without forcing the topic.
4. A cross-site challenge for multi-site companies
If your company has several sites, turn November into some friendly competition between teams or locations. You could, for example, pit your sites or teams against each other for the challenge, in a format we build with you. This healthy rivalry turns the operation into a driver of cohesion beyond the topic of men's health alone. It's a particularly good fit for multi-site organisations or branch networks, where cross-team mobilisation is often harder to create than in a single location.
5. Content and quizzes that inform without guilt-tripping
Share short content on Movember's three issues: a quiz busting myths about prostate cancer, an article on warning signs not to ignore, a short two-minute video on screening. The goal isn't to make anyone feel guilty, but to give people reliable, digestible information. This format works particularly well built into a challenge: content gives rhythm to the four weeks and keeps attention going beyond the physical activity alone.
6. A bridge between Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Movember
If your company already ran an action for Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, Movember arrives at just the right time to carry the momentum forward. The message is simple: health prevention isn't limited to one month, or one gender. Reusing the same communication channels, building on October's momentum and widening the topic to men's health strengthens the consistency of your wellbeing strategy across the second half of the year, rather than running two separate, disconnected operations.
7. A closing moment to wrap up the month
End November with a shared moment: a recap of the challenge results, a voluntary testimonial from an employee or an outside speaker, a simple get-together. This closing moment gives meaning to the whole operation and avoids the "flash in the pan" effect where momentum quietly deflates: it anchors the message that men's health is a subject you can keep talking about all year, not just in November.
Summary table: action, effort and audience reached
| Action | Effort to set up | Audience reached |
|---|---|---|
| Occupational health talk | Low (organised internally) | All willing employees |
| Connected challenge | Medium (dedicated tool, four weeks of comms) | The whole company, including less sporty employees |
| Weekly lunchtime walk | Low (no tool required) | On-site employees, informal format |
| Cross-site challenge | Medium to high (multi-site coordination) | Multi-site companies, branch networks |
| Content and quizzes | Low to medium (content production) | The whole company, including remote employees |
| Bridge from Breast Cancer Awareness Month | Low (reuse of existing assets) | Companies that already ran an October action |
| Closing moment | Low (organising a shared moment) | Challenge participants, local teams |
FAQ
Do you have to fundraise to take part in Movember at work?
No. The Movember Business Club, which involves a fundraising commitment from £10k, is one option among others [source: uk.movember.com]. Many companies choose an internal awareness operation instead, with no mandatory fundraising, focused on informing and mobilising their employees. If your challenge does include a donation element, it's possible, for a charity of your choice, something we'd define together with you: United Heroes doesn't set or endorse a specific charity partner for this.
Is Movember only for men?
No. While the movement's three issues (prostate cancer, testicular cancer, men's mental health) directly concern men, a Movember activation at work benefits from involving everyone. Colleagues, family and managers all play a part in spotting early signs and building a climate where people can talk about health without taboo, whatever their gender.
How long does it take to organise a Movember action at work?
A simple action, like a lunchtime walk or a talk with occupational health, can be set up in one to two weeks. A fuller scheme, with a connected challenge across all of November, is best prepared four to six weeks ahead, to leave time to communicate and mobilise teams before 1 November.
Can you run Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Movember back to back with the same challenge setup?
Yes, and it's one of the recommended actions in this article. The two months follow each other directly, which lets you reuse a good part of the communication and organisation already in place, while widening the health prevention message beyond breast cancer.
Take it further
To go further, discover how United Heroes helps you build your Movember challenge at work. It's a connected challenge across November, whose format we define with you based on your context. For example, a weekly article and quiz in the app help your teams learn more about men's health.
Product Marketing Manager at United Heroes
