Three-quarters of women (74%) experience health problems at work yet their line managers too often are not trained properly to support women’s health, research has suggested.
The poll of 4,000 adults for workplace health benefits provider Simplyhealth has found almost half of managers (46%) have not had training to support employees with their health.
Women reported generally higher rates of being affected by health issues than men in the workplace, with 37% reporting experiencing anxiety last year compared with just 26% of men.
Women were also twice as likely to report having migraines (20% compared to 10% of men) and experience back pain (29% versus 25%) and muscle pain (18% versus 14%).
Women’s health
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Yet, despite a significant number bringing their health issues to the attention of their managers, with more than half of line managers reporting this (54%), more than a third of women (34%) said they did not think their manager takes their health problems seriously.
As well as a lack of training, 39% of managers said they did not know how to signpost people they manage to any health benefits offered by their company. A third (33%) also said they did not think it was their responsibility to support employees with workplace health problems.
Simplyhealth has published a guide for line managers on how to have comfortable conversations with their staff about some of the most common women’s health issues, from breast and ovarian cancer to fertility, menopause and menstruation and mental health.
Claudia Nicholls, chief customer officer at Simplyhealth, said: “We know that women’s issues in the workplace have historically been at best overlooked and at worst ignored. It is vital that employers do their bit to keep working Britain healthy – easing the burden on the NHS and ensuring a motivated and happy workforce – and this means women’s health must be prioritised.
“Not only should employers provide appropriate health support – such as 24/7 GP and counselling access – they must also reconsider the wider structures in place for employee health. Managers must be equipped with the knowledge to signpost staff to the right resources, and trained to have comfortable conversations that start to break down the barriers so many of us have faced when talking about women’s health issues in the workplace,” she added.
Lancet menopause article criticised
Separately, the British Menopause Society (BMS) has criticised an opinion article in The Lancet for arguing that most women should navigate menopause without the need for treatment and that “over medicalisation” of the condition can lead to disempowerment and over-treatment.
The BMS has emphasised that women experiencing severe symptoms, potentially making them eligible for HRT or other non-hormonal treatments that could relieve symptoms, should be provided with appropriate care.
Paula Briggs, BMS chair and a consultant in sexual and reproductive health, said: “Historically, there has been a lack of information about the menopause and some women have found it hard to get the treatment they need.
“This is changing for the better, and there is concern that the use of the word ‘over medicalisation’ could in fact lead to the disempowerment of women. A balanced approach is important, to ensure that the women who need treatment get it.”
Chemical protection policy
Finally, the British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS) has warned that the UK’s chemical protection policy is insufficiently focused on protecting women.
The society has expressed concern about a government paper that has outlined a rationale for not restricting certain substances under the UK REACH regulations, the post-Brexit mechanism for protecting people from harmful chemicals being placed on the market.
The government has argued it is not a UK priority to introduce tighter regulation arising from some harmful period products, cosmetics, nappies, and textiles under the regulatory system. It has also deferred consideration of a series of substances that, BOHS argued, can cause illness in the workplace.
A total of 26 chemicals were under consideration for UK REACH because of serious health concerns, leading to regulation in European countries. Of these, only five are being acted upon. Of the remaining 16 not determined to be a priority, 10 are toxic to reproduction and six are specifically more likely to have other health impacts on women, BOHS has warned.
The society is particularly concerned that a common factor in the substances and products not deemed a priority is their impact on women or on reproduction.
BOHS chief executive Professor Kevin Bampton said: “Protecting unborn children from preventable illness and women workers from exposures to chemicals that affect them differently from men, would seem to be at the heart of any rational national strategy for health protection. However, the UK has no such policy.
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“You don’t need to be an expert in equality law to read this rationale and wonder why it seems to be women and children last when it comes to UK REACH,” he added.
