As we near the end of Mental Health Awareness Week 2023, a Deloitte report, Women @ Work 2023: a Global Outlook finds that women continue to feel uncomfortable talking about mental and personal health challenges in the workplace, with many struggling with menstruation and menopause symptoms.
Now in its third year, the report surveyed 500 women in the UK and also covers Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, India, Japan, South Africa and the United States, with a total of 5000 women taking part.
Working through pain
New to the report this year, the research revealed that when it comes to menstruation and menopause, many employees suffer in silence: more than a quarter of women (28%) experiencing symptoms related to menopause, and 40% with symptoms related to menstruation, work through pain without taking time off.
Women in the UK experiencing challenges related to menopause are more likely than their global counterparts to work through pain (30% in the UK compared to 20% of global respondents).
Also in the UK, more women feel they are expected to go into the workplace despite flexible workplace messaging (35%, an increase of 21 percentage points since 2022), whilst flexible working is still not an option for 29% of women.
Flexibility creates loyalty
There is, the report highlights, a correlation between flexibility and employer loyalty: those with flexible work arrangements said that they plan to stay longer with their employers than those without (39% compared to 27%).
Flexibility is a top deciding factor for women who have recently left an employer (17%) and for women who are considering leaving their current employer (25%).
Jackie Henry, Managing Partner for People and Purpose at Deloitte UK, said: “Our research shows that there is a stigma around discussing mental health and women’s issues in UK workplaces, but it’s concerning to see that this has worsened in the last year. The research highlights how important it is for employers to actively listen to the needs of women — and, crucially, take action to create an inclusive culture, where everyone feels their health concerns are addressed.”
Lessons for employers
It can be daunting for an employee to share details of their health, particularly with sensitive conditions like fertility, so it’s important to create a culture of open communication and support.
Doing so allows employees to ask for the help they need, which in turn contributes towards increased productivity, satisfaction and retention. Employers should also ensure that all senior members of staff are trained on how to discuss health conditions, particularly sensitive issues, in the most effective and empathetic manner.
Managers who are not given adequate support and resources to hold such conversations may unintentionally cause more harm than good, so it’s really important that attention is given to this area.
How we can help
At S.E. Hunter Associates we can help to provide support to promote inclusivity, and assure employees of their value and worth in the workplace. Preparing, informing and training organisations, managers and leaders on how to ensure both the practical support and information necessary to support staff facing these situations will help to keep your organisation running effectively with a productive and compassionate culture.
Some of the services we offer that can help with this are:
- Creation of an employee support toolkit to address menopause, endometriosis, menstruation and fertility;
- Creating a Menopause policy;
- Support employees struggling with infertility and fertility treatment;
- Creating policy related to ensuring reasonable adjustments under Equality Act 2010 with regards specifically to women’s health;
- Creating checklists and process for reasonable adjustments;
- Support with undertaking investigations, disciplinaries, grievances and performance management where menopause or menstrual related conditions may be a factor;
- Organisational participation in breaking stigma, by celebrating awareness events such as Menopause Week and Endometriosis Awareness Month.
If you would like to discuss any of the above, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us, either by mailing info@sehunterassociates.co.uk or calling 07838184094.