In July 2023 we ran an roundtable at Develop:Brighton about managing female health and the menopause in studios. The session was resoundingly well received. But for me it was bittersweet.  How are we only just beginning to discuss these issues in workplaces now, when in my working life I've heard the stories of many women or those assigned female at birth affected by health issues that only they will suffer? It's so positive that Develop:Brighton was willing to put this session on their agenda but in our world we've seen the direct impact of not recognising the need to support females and those assigned female at birth, with effective policies and adjustments. We wonder is this one of the reasons we have a low female representation in the industry?

Where bias hides.

Bias in women's health, it seems, is not just limited to workplaces, it presents itself in health research too. Until only recently investment into female health research post menopausal stage was woefully underfunded leading to a huge gap in knowledge around how the menopause affects long term health, including the link between the menopause and dementia, Alzheimers and heart disease. Yet these conditions are some of the biggest killers of women across the UK.

And it doesn't stop there, it is only through the awareness raising of people like Dr Louise Newson and Davina McCall that we've begun to discover the link between the peri-menopause and mental health. Until their knowledge sharing began, women, or those assigned female at birth were often mis-medicated through the GP service and prescribed anti-depressants when in fact they needed HRT.

Although the menopause and peri-menopause are hugely topical at the moment there are many issues that women, or those assigned female at birth, have suffered in silence with, yet have triggered many work place issues including overuse of sickness absence and emergency leave and it's here we want to highlight some of those issues and give you some tips to manage it well.

As businesses, we employ people to help us deliver on our work demands, and naturally we want a return on that investment. But life happens, and inevitably things crop up that affect someone's ability to work from time to time.  For women that picture can vary vastly and go far beyond life happens into patterns and challenges around their health that are simply life changing. 

Before the menopause

Let's start with the menstrual cycle. A monthly occurrence which for many slips by unremarkably and yet for a few can be fully debilitating.  They don't choose that option, its not an elected pain but it can cause catastrophic symptoms for some, wiping them out with intense pain, migraines or mental health issues.  This is a condition known as Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder and for those affected there will be weeks where they are simply too ill to function beyond their symptoms. Imagine that, each month you're struck by something beyond your control that literally consumes you with pain and mental ill-health. 

Other issues that can be just, or more debilitating, are conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome or endometriosis.  These conditions are not only severely painful but can lead to issues with fertility. Women or those assigned female at birth, can find these health problems intensely demanding on their physical wellbeing and yet they're expected to attend work as if all is normal.

All female health conditions like those listed are at their extreme life changing, often for a short period of time but nonetheless need care and support from the health system.  This requires time to attend appointments and adaptions to their working patterns. Women often just get on with it and try to make adaptations but are these issues leading to the talent drain and skills crisis with women in the industry? We believe they are and with better understanding about these issues and so many more - we haven't mentioned IVF - you could be creating workplaces and studios that attract more women, or those assigned female at birth, by merely making some small and yet easy to manage changes.

So what can you do?

Firstly, find out through gentle and compassionate discussion with your female members of staff what they are managing with their health. There are ways to do this if conversations are not forthcoming with information; health forms can be a great way to get information.  Or annual surveys that gather up-to-date info on people around health, changes to addresses, phone numbers etc.  Remember its not compulsory to share but if you create a safe space to talk and discuss, you will be far more likely to find out what's going on.

Next, look for patterns.  Sometimes issues lurk in the corners of frequently used sickness absence, or emergency leave. When you see this happen its a great way to open a conversation with others and find out what's happening.  These aren't just conversations for line managers or leads to be having, if you see a colleague is struggling don't be afraid to ask if they need anything to help.

Create ambassadors and champions, ensuring there's knowledge sharing across teams and leaders. That way when people struggle you'll have knowledge at your finger tips to help you navigate the issues.

Learn yourself.  This isn't something that sits with HR and it is your job to know something about these problems because you will know someone it's affecting who may be suffering in silence.

Ask us for help.

We know that life happens to everyone, not just the females amongst us, so we've developed a great policy you may wish to purchase or one of our toolkits. If you'd like any information on any of the above then get in touch and we'll be happy to help.

At Fresh Seed our entire ethos is to help clients and studios understand how to manage people well.  People first is at the heart of what we do. And teaching or helping clients manage issues like this through up-to-date info is really important so if you'd like to know more about our training or would like us to come and share our knowledge with your whole studio, then get in touch at info@freshseed.co.uk