Women’s health is finally getting the attention it deserves, but we’re not there yet. While the conversation has come a long way, many women still face stigma, silence, or a lack of support in the workplace. So how can organisations move beyond awareness and into real action?

As part of our Live Well campaign, we sat down with Dr Samantha Wild, Women’s Health Clinical Lead at Bupa Health Clinics to explore practical, meaningful ways employers can champion women’s health and create a workplace where every woman feels seen, supported, and empowered.

Dr Samantha Wild, Women’s Health Clinical Lead at Bupa Health Clinics

What are the most common workplace-related health issues women face?

Heavy, painful periods, menopause and fertility issues are all areas women tend to struggle in the workplace. For example, Bupa’s research shows more than a million-women mask period sick days each year because they’re unable to tell their boss the true reason for their absence - showing the scale of the issue!

How should employers accommodate and support women’s changing health needs across different life stages, from periods to menopause?

Women’s health has become less of a taboo topic over recent years, thanks to some high-profile campaigns, but it’s still hard for employees to raise the issue at work.  

Support might include:  

Training: keep managers up to speed on women’s health and symptoms. Give managers access to guides or webinars to increase their knowledge and advice on how to start a conversation about particular topics.   

An open and honest culture: launch internal campaigns or host events with internal or external speakers. Link these to awareness days or make a particular topic a focus for the month, sharing colleagues’ stories and experiences and providing access to manager guides.  

Consider women’s health champions: creating champions across the business so your people have someone outside of their immediate team to talk to confidentially is helpful.    

Publicise your support: ensure people know about what you offer in terms of supporting colleagues, so they know how to access help.

What impact can hormonal fluctuations (e.g., PMS, perimenopause) have on performance or mental clarity at work and how can women advocate for themselves in these moments? 

They can definitely impact your performance at work, when you aren’t feeling your best, it’s hard to give 100%.   

During your luteal phase (before your period) it’s common to experience Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) e.g. premenstrual mood swings, low mood and headaches. For some, symptoms can be debilitating, affecting concentration and making them feel too unwell to work.    

Perimenopause symptoms can be hard to tackle alongside your 9-5. Brain fog, impaired concentration and mood changes are often cited as the toughest symptoms to deal with while working. They can knock your confidence and make you feel less sharp and capable.    

Women should not be afraid to speak to their managers and ask for the support needed, such as working flexibly or from home.    

Women are not robots! It’s ok for your output on certain days to be less than others. We can’t work at 100% all month long. Be kind to yourself and ask for the support you need.

What practical steps can managers take to help reduce the mental load many women carry when balancing work and caregiving responsibilities?

Offering flexible working - caring responsibilities are impacting employees’ performance. Research from the Bupa Wellbeing Index found that 14% of people said caregiving impairs their ability to concentrate at work. For millennials, this figure rises to 18%.  

Almost half (45%) of workers reported losing sleep due to worrying about the health and wellbeing of family members, having a knock-on impact on performance.  In response, almost a third (31%) of employees are now actively seeking flexible working arrangements to help balance their work-life and caregiving responsibilities.

Flexible working policies mean employees don’t need to worry about taking time out to take a family member to an appointment or getting enough sleep when they’ve been awake worrying.  

Providing education - With employees facing a multitude of challenges outside of work, it’s important for employers to find ways to support their workforce. Providing staff with tools and guidance for managing caregiving responsibilities and maintaining their wellbeing is one of the biggest priorities for workers (68%).   

Manager training is key to helping support staff and can also help people have open conversations with their managers.    

Be understanding - Family caregiving is having a direct impact on the UK workforce as employees are taking time off to look after their loved ones. Millennial workers reported to missing an average of six working days each year due to caregiving. Millennials also use six days of annual leave each year to look after family members.   

One in seven (14%) respondents also reported on missed work social events due to looking after others, with this figure rising to one in five (20%) millennials. This means that caring responsibilities not only affect workforce productivity but also social and networking aspects, crucial for career development. It’s important to make these women feel included.    

Access to healthcare benefits - When considering the benefits they would most value when looking for a new job, schemes that support caregivers in multigenerational families score highly. Private healthcare (20%) and private medical insurance (20%) are also important factors for people when looking for a new job.   

Companies that provide health insurance, private GP services, digital health or mental health support will reap the benefits of helping employees to stay well and in work.

What's one thing workplaces can do to put women's health front and centre in the workplace?

Employers should invest in creating a culture of openness where everyone feels comfortable to talk about what they are experiencing and bring their whole self to work every day. It’s impactful when people of all levels of the organisation share their personal experiences and is a great way of encouraging women to open up and ask for support when needed most.