Movember 2025

Every November, moustaches take centre stage not just as a playful trend, but as a powerful statement for men’s health. Movember is a global movement that encourages men to grow a moustache to spark conversations, raise awareness, and fund programmes tackling some of the most significant health issues facing men today: prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health, and suicide prevention.

What started in Australia in 2003 has become a worldwide symbol of change, reminding us that early detection, open conversations, and community support can save lives. But beyond fundraising or facial hair, Movember also invites organisations to reflect on wellbeing, culture, and leadership.

For highly regulated sectors, where workforce resilience and governance are closely linked, Movember 2025 offers an opportunity to go beyond compliance to champion open dialogue, safeguard wellbeing, and create environments where everyone feels supported to speak up and seek help.

In this blog, Anna Nova Galeon will explore what Movember is, why it matters especially in highly regulated organisations, and how you can embed its spirit into your workplace culture and compliance-driven environment.

What is Movember?

The term "Movember" is a portmanteau of "mo" (Australian slang for moustache) and "November". The movement began in Australia in 2003 and has since evolved into a worldwide campaign that invites individuals, particularly men (“Mo Bros”) and their supporters (“Mo Sisters”), to grow a moustache during November, raise funds, and spark conversations about men’s health. 

The movement focuses on three core areas:

1. Prostate cancer - The prostate gland is a significant male health risk area 
2. Testicular cancer - Especially relevant for younger men and often under-discussed
3. Men’s mental health and suicide prevention - Addressing the profound inequalities in help-seeking and outcomes for men. 

Movember also encourages “Move” initiatives (running or walking, symbolic of the 60 men lost to suicide every hour globally) and “Host a Mo-ment” events. 

So in summary: Movember 2025 runs throughout November, offering a platform to shift culture, challenge stigma, spark dialogue, and support research and health programmes. 

Why Movember matters, especially for regulated organisations

For organisations operating in highly regulated sectors (finance, healthcare, social care, legal, compliance-heavy industries), the Movember movement offers more than a charitable gesture; it presents significant implications for culture, risk management, workforce wellbeing and regulatory alignment. To understand how Movember connects with organisational governance and compliance, let's explore five key areas where its impact is most relevant:

1. Workforce well-being and duty of care

Regulated organisations often have statutory or normative duties to safeguard the health and welfare of their employees (for instance, under health and safety, employment law, culture and governance codes). Promoting men's health via Movember helps reinforce that duty of care. Encouraging screening, health check-ups, mental well-being initiatives and open conversations aligns with mature governance frameworks and demonstrates proactive stewardship.

2. Stigma, silence and organisational risk

Men are statistically less inclined to seek help for mental health issues and are at higher risk of suicide. 

 In a workplace, this translates into hidden risk, presenteeism, unreported stress, burnout, attrition, reputational harm and culture failures (which regulators increasingly scrutinise). Movember provides a structured approach to breaking the silence and normalising conversations about health. For a compliance leader, this is risk mitigation as much as it is employee support.

3. Early detection & the business case

Beyond mental health, early detection of prostate and testicular cancer delivers better outcomes and lower-cost interventions. If employees are supported to attend check-ups or the organisation facilitates access (through screening awareness programmes, employee assistance programmes, or health plans). The business stands to benefit from reduced absenteeism, higher productivity, and lower long-term health cost burdens, all of which are increasingly visible to regulators and internal auditors.

4. Culture, leadership and regulatory expectations

Regulators in many jurisdictions emphasise culture, leadership tone, employee wellbeing, diversity & inclusion. Movember provides an opportunity for leadership to visibly endorse wellbeing (a “lead from the front” signal), embed inclusive behaviours (e.g., recognising that men’s health matters, promoting allyship, open dialogue) and thereby strengthen the ‘tone at the top’. This is not merely a nice-to-have but increasingly part of the governance narrative.

5. Aligning with your compliance ecosystem and brand = Trust

For organisations that already operate mandatory training, compliance programmes, internal audits and risk frameworks, Movember can be integrated as part of the broader wellbeing and training calendar, reinforcing that compliance isn't just about avoiding fines, but about people. It ties into values-based leadership, authenticity, and resilience, which your brand may already promote.

Practical steps for regulated organisations to engage with Movember

Here are five recommended steps for how regulated organisations, whether in healthcare, social care, financial services, legal, regulated utilities or the public sector, can leverage Movember this year:

Step 1 - Plan early & build awareness

• Communicate the objective - Explain what Movember is, why it matters for your workforce, and how it ties into your organisational values, duty of care, and risk mitigation

• Provide educational materials - Facts on prostate/testicular cancer, mental health awareness, and workplace wellbeing. Use trusted sources

• Tie into existing frameworks - Link to your mandatory health & wellbeing training, embed in regional/divisional briefings.

Step 2 - Engage leadership and role-modelling

• Encourage senior leaders to commit (e.g., grow a moustache, pledge to host a Mo-ment, run the “Move” challenge). Leadership doing so signals authenticity and removes stigma

• Publicise participation internally: photos, updates, small competitions, making the campaign visible and socially endorsed.

Step 3 - Embed into employee-facing activities

• Launch a “Grow a Mo” campaign - Colleagues can choose to grow a moustache, sponsor colleagues, or participate virtually (for remote/hybrid teams)

• “Move for Movember” - Set a collective target (e.g., 60 km per team) and link it to fundraising or internal wellness awards

• Host a Mo-moment - Lunchtime event, awareness session, webinar on men’s health, mental health check-in forum

• Offer screening sign-ups / reminders - Collaborate with HR or occupational health to issue reminders for prostate/testicular checks, as well as general health reviews

• Leverage HR/Wellbeing/EAP partners to heighten focus on mental health resources, open conversations and removing stigma.

Step 4 - Measure, report, and integrate with your compliance calendar

• Establish simple metrics, including the number of participants, the number of awareness sessions held, the funds raised (if any), and the screening uptake

• Communicate to stakeholders: HR, internal audit, the risk committee, or the board may welcome a brief summary of wellbeing initiatives as part of culture risk assurance

• Integrate into training calendars: e.g., link to your mandatory training programme and show how this campaign complements it.

Step 5 - Reflect & embed beyond November

• Use Movember as a catalyst for a year-round men’s health/ wellbeing strategy, embedding ongoing check-in mechanisms rather than one-month bursts

• Capture lessons learned: what worked, what didn’t, what areas of support emerged (e.g., increased mental health referrals, screening take-up)

• Consider policy enhancements, such as the inclusion of men’s health in HR wellbeing policies, revised EAP communications, and new training modules (e.g., resilience for men).

Key reminders & compliance-relevant themes

As with any workplace initiative, especially in regulated environments, Movember activities should align with governance standards and ethical best practices. Here are key reminders to ensure your campaign remains compliant, inclusive, and impactful:

• Confidentiality & sensitivity - When dealing with mental health, screening or cancer awareness, ensure communications respect privacy and are non-judgemental

• Inclusivity - Although Movember is men-focused, campaigns should include and engage all genders (Mo Sisters, allies) and recognise diverse needs (age, ethnicity, remote vs on-site)

• Integration with existing obligations - This is not a separate “nice to have” but part of your broader duty of care, regulatory compliance, culture risk and employee wellbeing strategy

• Clear sponsorship & governance - If you raise funds or involve third-party charities, ensure transparency, governance and alignment with your internal controls

• Follow-up matters - Awareness raising is only the beginning; proactive signposting, support mechanisms, and ongoing engagement are key to real impact

• Data and Audit Trail - Consider capturing data (while maintaining privacy) on participation/uptake, and reflecting this in your governance/compliance reporting cycle.

Why this matters in 2025

In a world where regulatory expectations around culture, wellbeing, and workforce risk are rising, Movember 2025 is more than a moustache moment; it is a platform for meaningful dialogue and action. With mental health challenges and men’s physical health risks continuing to advance in the headlines, participating in Movember is both timely and strategically wise.

For regulated organisations facing scrutiny of culture, employee engagement, health outcomes and reputational risk, embracing Movember demonstrates proactive leadership, embedded wellbeing and a commitment to making a meaningful difference: to individuals, to teams, and to the overall organisational resilience.

Champion men’s health with ComplyPlus™

This November, consider how your organisation will show up for Movember. Will you simply send a poster and call it done, or will you embed a structured campaign that complements your compliance and training frameworks, demonstrates leadership, and supports the men in your workforce?

At The Mandatory Training Group, compliance and well-being go hand in hand. Our ComplyPlus™ ecosystem provides tailored training, leadership development and culture-driven support materials, and Movember is a perfect fit for your annual awareness calendar strategy.

Speak to us about how you can integrate Movember into your compliance roadmap, reinforce your duty of care and build a stronger, healthier workforce.

Let’s mould moustaches this November into meaningful change for men, for organisations and for culture.