Time for women’s policies to enter the boardroom

Professor Geeta Nargund at CREATE Fertility argues that employers can make a significant change to women’s health and reduce the health gap by implementing appropriate workplace policies

 

As the gender health gap continues to grasp media attention, reproductive health and female-focused policies are beginning to climb up the boardroom agenda.

 

For the first time, reproductive and hormonal issues, including miscarriage, fertility treatment and the menopause are starting to become a priority for many businesses and real action is being taken to address these workplace disparities.

 

However, the work is not finished and personal experiences have revealed that more needs to be done to address women’s health in the workplace.

 

The gender health gap revealed

The Government recently released their ‘vision for women’s health’ document, highlighting the findings from their call to evidence to discover where the Government had been lacking in their offering for women’s health.

 

The document revealed that an overwhelming majority of women feel their career progression is being hindered by their health. Surveying almost 100,000 women, the findings show that women feel their reproductive health is still stigmatised both inside and outside the workplace. Many feel they are unable to fulfil their career potential, with their mental health often suffering as a result.

 

Covid-19 has also shaken up the workplace, making approaches to employee wellbeing and workplace culture a greater focus for HR departments. With flexible working now becoming the norm, there is more demand for employers to implement policies over and above the requirement.

 

Progressive HR policies addressing diversity and inclusion (D&I) and physical and mental health are the only way employers can stand out from competitors as they continue to battle for the best talent.

 

The proof in personal experiences

Women’s health equality has grasped much media attention in recent months, so it is not surprising that so many employers are taking steps to restructure their workplaces in light of the health and wellbeing challenges women face in their careers.

 

To highlight the stark gap in workplace policies that serve the female workforce, we partnered up with Cityparents, to hear from women facing reproductive health challenges, specifically fertility treatment, pregnancy loss and menopause.

 

Our findings revealed that nearly half of employers (48%) had no policy in place to support their employees undergoing IVF treatment, despite one in six couples now requiring fertility treatment in order to start a family.

 

Furthermore, only 4% of employers provided appropriate training to HR directors or line managers on fertility treatment, with one respondent describing their experience of fertility treatment as “incredibly painful and lonely” as a result of no supportive policies being in place in their workplace.

 

For women facing miscarriage, only 12% of employees were allowed time off before it becomes a legal right at 24 weeks; with one in five pregnancies ending in miscarriage, providing paid leave at any gestation is essential in supporting women through pregnancy loss.

 

Despite menopause being increasingly spoken about, over 60% of women did not feel comfortable speaking to their line manager if menopausal symptoms were impacting their work. Even more alarmingly, almost 90% of employers didn’t have any sort of menopause policies in place – shocking considering a 2019 study found 14 million workdays are lost a year in the UK to menopause symptoms.

 

What steps can employers take?

Creating supportive and understanding workplace cultures is the way forward when it comes to making a difference to women’s health in the workplace. Large corporates are unsurprisingly leading the charge in implementing such policies.

 

Notably, Timpson’s have offered to pay for Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) to their staff going through the menopause, while law firm Burgess Mee have appointed the UK’s first ever “Fertility Officer” to support employees with their family-planning queries. They are joined by ASOS, Channel 4 and Freshfield, who are all stepping up to support their female workforce.

 

While this is clearly a turning point for the modern-day workplace and firms are finally making actionable change, the work is not done by any means, and we are not yet seeing the translation into improved personal experiences.

 

It is often forgotten that fertility treatment is the only option for same-sex couples or single parents to conceive, highlighting the clear disparities and inequality that can arise should workplaces not implement policies. In short, everyone should have the right to start a family in the knowledge they can maintain financial stability and career security.

 

Time for actionable change

Having reviewed the data, three critical strategies employers can use to help close the gender health gap have been identified – the provision of services; training and education; and policy.

 

Whilst the provision, or subsidisation, of fertility treatments may be an option reserved for larger firms, introducing this wherever possible is a massive step forward in reducing the extreme financial burden of fertility treatment.

Secondly, training for HR directors and line managers to improve their understanding of the impact of fertility treatment, miscarriage and menopause on both physical and mental health and wellbeing for employers is critical in providing reasonable adjustment options and fostering a culture of transparency.

 

Many women reported feeling ashamed or scared of sharing details with their line managers – having a point of contact in the form of a ‘fertility officer’ or offering firm-wide training on the issue, can help women feel listened to and supported, progressing the de-stigmatisation of women’s health.

 

Finally, tangible policies that acknowledge the impact of reproductive health will reassure female employees that their health will not hinder their career. Compassionate leave for pregnancy loss prior to the 24-week mark, while not a statutory right, is a great place to start and many firms, small and large, are beginning to adopt such policies.

 

Fertility treatment, however, is less acknowledged in the workplace with no statutory rights at all for employees, with many having to rely on annual or unpaid leave and in the worst cases, leave their jobs due to lack of support by employers.

 

Reversing centuries of inequality

Consistent underfunding of research into women’s health has resulted in a significant gender health gap to this day, manifesting in damaging taboos and stigmas that have prevented women seeking help.

 

Having struggled with lack of support both in a healthcare setting and jointly in their workplaces, we now need to see an urgent shift to break down these barriers and give women access to the support and treatment they need, without having to risk their careers.

 

This has presented a key opportunity for firms, and specifically HR departments, to accelerate this progress and elevate their women’s health offering.

 

Opening conversations and resetting the dial on workplace policies are ultimately the essential steps needed for workplaces to play their role in closing the gender health gap.

 

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Professor Geeta Nargund is Medical Director at CREATE Fertility

Main image courtesy of iStockPhoto.com