Maggie O’Carroll, CEO of The Women’s Organisation talks to Dr. Paula Briggs, leading expert in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Chair of the British Menopause Society, about the pressing issue of women's health in the workplace and its impact on staff retention.
With small businesses grappling to keep female employees, Dr. Briggs gives insights into nurturing a healthier, more supportive work environment for everyone.
The transcript below is taken from a podcast filmed at Liverpool podcast studio in 2023, as part of The Women’s Organisations Women’s Workplace Wellness project.
M: Many small businesses are really in need of support, advice and just awareness
raising in relation to the issues of women in the workplace. Why do you think it's important to consider women's work based health and what relevance it has to the world?
P: I think women bring something quite unique to the workplace, whether that's a small business or a big organisation, and they have specific health needs that would be different from men.
Things like contraception, planning pregnancies and family size are really important, but there's so many myths out there.
Then there are conditions linked to reproductive health, which specifically obviously affect women.
Heavy periods are really common and really not talked about. I think if you are somebody
who has a problem like that can dread every month, they might try to hide it.
What would be much better would be to have an open conversation, and for workplaces to keep sanitary protection in the toilet so that women are supported.
Going back to contraception, I think ease of access to the right method for Women can also actually help manage common gynecological problems like heavy periods and then other things like menstrual migraine, which can devastate women on a monthly basis.
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder is very poorly recognised yet has a significant impact on how women function, and how they function in the workplace.
They need to recognise mental health issues which I think following the pandemic have become much more common. There’s been an increase in anxiety, low mood depression.
Businesses could support women to engage in a healthy lifestyle, and to help with access to healthy food and simple exercise options like getting out for a walk at lunchtime.
Exercise also helps with exposure to sunlight. Vitamin D reduces the risk of osteoporosis, which is a common problem also.
So there's so many things, some of which are really basic, and they're not necessarily health issues but they have a huge impact on ongoing health problems, such as high blood pressure and type two diabetes.
There is an awful lot that we could change, but it's going to take quite a long time. Having that open route of communication will be a really good starting point.
M: You've covered a number of the common challenges that women face in the workplace. How can a small business support a staff team of women?
P: I think probably the biggest challenge is being open. I genuinely believe that women will assume that any health issue would be viewed in a negative fashion, and so they might try to conceal something like that.
For example, things like mood related disorders that are linked with the menstrual cycle, many women might be worried that they're going to lose their job.
Changing the culture is really important, even around things like the working environment. If a woman is experiencing common menopausal symptoms like hot flushes, night sweats and not sleeping, then having that conversation about if the workspace is suitable can really help.
Asking, would you like to be in a cooler environment? Would you like to be somewhere where you can open the window? That could make the difference between somebody being in work or not being in work or having flexible working arrangements.
I think it needs to be acknowledged that people may have those problems and that there are solutions to them, which doesn't necessarily mean not being at work. Leaving work is the extreme end result of not having that conversation.
M: It seems that what’s needed is awareness, confidence around using the language in regards to women’s health, and also the policies you touched on such as flexible working. What other practices do you think might be helpful for small businesses or for any employer to introduce?
One thing I didn't mention when I was talking about exercise was mindfulness and thinking about CBT, for example, or even bringing a Pilates teacher in at lunchtime.
That's another really positive way of supporting the workforce.
Small businesses might wonder if we give half an hour of time that's dedicated to mindfulness at lunchtime, do they lose out? I think the answer is always going to be no.
M: For employees, employers and small businesses that are watching this, what would you advise them to do next in terms of adjusting their workplace environment, and where might they get advice and additional support?
P: There are some really good resources, such as Women's Health Concern, which is the patient facing arm of the British Menopause Society. They have good information on menopause related matters.
Policy is the first step in the right direction, but at the end of the day, a policy is a piece of paper, isn't it?
The thing that will make a difference to women is seeing changes, so perhaps a first offering
could be that opportunity for flexible working and being open about what it's for.
Things that often fall to women such as managing children or elderly parents which can cause a huge amount of stress.
An employer might say you can do the same job from home, and if it will allow you to
have an extra half an hour in bed, we're really happy to support that.
That’s not about losing productivity, it's actually about increasing productivity.
M: So you can reap the benefits in terms of actually firstly retaining staff, retaining female employees and potentially becoming known as a good employer in terms of attracting female employees.
P: One of the challenges for small businesses now is the fact that it's quite difficult to maintain a skill base and develop the skills. If you've invested all that time, money, and energy into your staff team, it would make sense to maintain and retain them, and support them in this field.
I'm sure actively doing things, albeit small things, will be really appreciated by staff.
It will mean that people will talk in a positive way about their particular employer.
Productivity wise, if you've had a female member of staff for 10, 15 years, she's then extremely experienced and would be able to teach other people.
Women bring something unique to the workplace. They have a different skill set to men and having that mix will achieve the best results for everyone.
M: What do you think small businesses could do to prevent ill health in the workplace, particularly in the context of their female staff?
P: I think having the confidence to put things in place to support women to be as healthy
as possible would make a big difference.
It could potentially reduce the risk of high blood pressure and of type two diabetes, which comes with a whole host of chronic health problems.
Simple things like being aware of a healthy diet, having the opportunity to move during the day, to get out and walk, to do Pilates and to complement that with something like mindfulness would make a huge difference.
The Women's Workplace Wellness project is supported by the VCSE Health and Wellbeing Fund, part of a partnership program between the Department of Health & Social Care, NHS England and UK Health Security Agency.
To keep up to date, find out more, follow the project’s LinkedIn page here: (4) Women’s Workplace Wellness: Posts | LinkedIn
To access the full podcast episodes, register here: https://www.thewomensorganisation.org.uk/how-we-help/womens-workplace-wellness/
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