KR HR & TRAINING NEWS ARTICLES

Every Woman Day is held this year on 3rd September 2023 and aims to draw focus towards women’s health and remove taboos around topics such as menstruation, menopause and infertility. Our Business Assistant Rebecca has researched how employers can get involved.

With more and more women entering the workplace, it is becoming increasingly important for companies, employer and peers to consider how female health issues can impact employees.

More information can be found on the website: everywomanday.com

MENSTRUATION

Employers are required to carry out right to work checks on all employees before they start work to ensure they have immigration permission to work in the UK. If an employee does not have valid There are taboos surrounding menstruation, more commonly known as periods. For employers, addressing these taboos can enable employees to feel more comfortable to disclose such health concerns about periods should they affect their working life. Menstruation affects most women and other people who have a menstrual cycle, including trans, non-binary and intersex people. Periods can have very strong and painful affects, such as strong cramping and high emotional distress which can be difficult for employees to manage. As well as affecting individuals, this can affect organisations, including affecting short term absence rates, morale and productivity. You can learn more on the symptoms of menstruation through the NHS website.

Employers wanting to take the first step towards supporting employees during periods need to be willing to start conversation to break down stigma around periods, otherwise employees may struggle to feel comfortable enough to engage in any support you can offer as an employer. Organisations might choose to create a ‘period policy’ – such as offering a set number of paid days off for individuals struggling with severe symptoms, making allowances for period-related leave when reviewing absence rates and having sanitary products freely available in bathrooms to make life easier.

If you’re thinking a “period policy” sounds a step too far, internationally there are many examples from the past 100 years.

Kristy Chong, the CEO of Modibodi, based in Australia, has no regrets since introducing 10 days of paid period leave for her staff in May last year. She says trust among managers and workers has increased, employees seem more productive than before and the benefit has helped position Modibodi as an attractive place to work.

“By supporting women with these policies,” she says, “you empower them to actually want to be at work and to put their best forward.”

For further reading, this BBC Worklife article is a good source of further examples.

INFERTILITY

Infertility is the inability to conceive a child. Infertility affects around 1 in 7 couples, so it is likely an employ may experience these health concerns and it can be a highly stressful time. With infertility as a common issue, employers who are serious about inclusion must be willing to discuss infertility openly and create policies to support employees. Fertility treatment can be a long process and have many emotional, physical and financial effects on women and their partners. Many employees choose to not share their infertility issues in the workplace because it extremely personal and because they worry about possible repercussions on their career, which excludes them from possible support their employer can offer. You can learn more on the symptoms of infertility through the NHS website.

Employers wanting to support employees going through struggles with infertility need to allow flexibility and understand that working priorities might change during these times. Working women may opt for less stressful positions in hopes of improving pregnancy chances and could thus seem like they are underperforming in their roles, however infertility’s effects should be considered during work performance reviews. Fertility treatments can be long and exhausting, which can affect working schedules, so by allowing open conversation and adjustment to working hours, employers can support employees to feel more comfortable. By creating an environment where fertility issues are discussed in policy without judgement or critique, employees are more likely to feel comfortable to disclose health issues of such sensitive nature. Their privacy should be respected and the support a company can offer should be made clear for the best results for both managers and employees.

MENOPAUSE

The menopause is a natural stage of life which affects most women and other people who have a menstrual cycle, including trans, non-binary and intersex people. People can also be affected if they are supporting someone through menopause. It is important for employers to be educated and considerate of all who could go through menopause and offer support equally. Menopause can be a stressful time in anyone’s life and can cause a lot of physical and emotional distress. From physical discomfort to mental exhaustion, menopause can greatly impact work and personal life so employers should be aware of the impact it plays in the role of their employees. You can learn more on the symptoms of menopause through the NHS website.

Employers should consider how a person’s job could affect their symptoms and comfort. Working long shifts, having little to no working flexibility and having restrictive or uncomfortable uniforms can all make menopause harder for employees to go through.

There are many actions employers can take to help support employees with periods, menopause or infertility.

TRAINING MANAGERS

It can give staff more confidence to talk to their managers about the effects of women’s health on their work if they know the managers are trained to talk and listen sensitively, are educated on women’s health and the support and guidance organisations can offer. Employers should train all managers, supervisors and team leaders to make sure they understand how the law relates to women’s health issues, how gender identity can link to women’s health and their responsibilities in creating supportive environments where employees are comfortable to discuss such conditions.

HEALTH AND SAFETY CHECKS

By law, it is the responsibility of the employer to protect and assess the safety of their employees, whether that be within an office setting or working from home. Employers should consider not only general safety when assess working conditions but if conditions are considerate of specific conditions that could affect employees.
For staff affected by painful periods, infertility or menopause this means ensuring symptoms are not made worse by the workplace or its work practices and making changes to help staff manage their symptoms when doing their job.

WHAT RISK ASSESSMENTS COULD INCLUDE WHEN CONCERNING AN EMPLOYEE GOING THROUGH WOMEN’S HEALTH CONCERNS:

• whether proper ventilation and temperature are upheld to ease discomfort
• whether toilet facilities are easily accessible
• whether rest areas, such as a quiet room, are provided should employees require them
• the material and the fit of the uniform and whether it might make employees feel too hot or uncomfortable
• whether cold drinks are readily available
• whether managers have been trained on health and safety issues relating to the women’s health

Upholding these standards ensures employers uphold their legal responsibilities, while also aiding employees who can be going through difficult times.

Written by Rebecca Hannam, Business Assistant. Pictured is Rebecca (right) with Kathryn and Kirsteen celebrating Every Woman Day a couple of weeks early, ahead of Rebecca returning to university to continue with her studies in psychology.