How Can Employers Support Women’s Well-Being in 2023?

Women can face health and well-being challenges at all stages of their careers. Their experiences, workplace requirements, and issues vary from men’s in a number of ways, including pregnancy, fertility issues, menstruation struggles, and menopause, to name a few. Yet women’s health issues often are missing from workplace environments and policies, and this is something that needs to be addressed.

Although we’ve seen progress recently through national conversations about menopause, women still find it difficult to discuss issues such as menstruation or fertility with their employers. Equally, leaders and line managers can be uncertain about how to broach the subject of female health and what support to offer.

Yet, research shows urgent change is needed to improve women’s well-being in the workplace:

• One in five women live with heavy periods; 45 percent have taken time off work due to symptoms (Bupa).
• Almost a million women have left their job due to perimenopausal symptoms (CIPD).
• One in four people undergoing fertility treatment have suffered negative experiences at work (Fertility Matters at Work).
• More than half of women with a hormonal or gynecologic condition believe it has harmed their career (Women’s Health).

Compassionate well-being support during key life stages such as fertility, pregnancy, and menopause can be the difference between women feeling able to continue in work and feeling obliged to leave their job (or the workplace altogether).

Let’s explore how to assess and support women’s well-being at work, along with recommendations to create an inclusive well-being strategy.

Why Should Employers Focus on Women’s Well-Being?

Employee well-being has been a hot-button topic for quite a few years, but it became even more of a focus area during the pandemic, as employers recognized the importance of mental and physical well-being for engaging and retaining colleagues. Similarly, a shift to remote working prompted employees to reset boundaries around their personal health and put their well-being first.

Employees expect their leaders and managers to actively support their health. Indeed, well-being has become a major influence on where women choose to work. For instance, two-thirds of women would be more inclined to apply for and accept a job if the company had a menstrual policy in place.

Talking openly about female health issues, raising awareness, and putting the right support in place can have a transformative impact on how women feel and, in turn, how they perform at work.

When employees feel like their employer truly cares about their health, we see productivity, loyalty, and performance improve. However, when employees feel overworked, unsupported, or lonely at work, they lose motivation, become more stressed, and ultimately move on.

How to Measure Women’s Well-Being

To make meaningful progress with women’s well-being, start by assessing current well-being levels and gathering feedback from female employees via well-being surveys, focus groups, and other listening activities.

An anonymous well-being survey provides a robust measure of well-being, and shows which areas are having the biggest impact on how people are feeling. Open-text comments also provide rich insight into the areas employees would like to see change, and ideas to shape your well-being strategy.

People Insight’s well-being surveys use the THRIVE framework to assess organizational well-being based on three outcomes of positive well-being. These surveys include questions to help you understand how employees are feeling about each area.

While these well-being survey questions can apply to all employees, breaking down survey results by gender can help you understand how women experience your workplace, show you which factors are most important to women’s well-being, and pinpoint areas for action.

Examples of survey questions to explore women’s well-being at work:

1. Do you feel valued and recognized for the work you do?
2. Do you have the right opportunities to learn and grow at work?
3. Does your manager treats you fairly and with respect?
4. Would you still like to be working at XYZ company in two years’ time?
5. Are you able to strike the right balance between your work and home life?

Once your results are in, use focus groups to dig deeper into specific areas of feedback and generate more discussion and ideas from employees. For example, you could run a focus group with peri-, menopausal, and post-menopausal women from across your organization, as well as have male representation. Have an external partner facilitate these sessions to encourage safe and honest conversations.

Focus group questions about menopause experiences in the workplace could include: 

1. To what extent can menopause be an issue for women in our workplace? Does this vary by role, department, or demographic?
2. What does good support look like? And are there any times we might have gotten it wrong?
3. What practical things can be done to help women feel supported?
4. What can we do to break down barriers of openly discussing menopause at work?

These questions are focused on understanding current experiences, as well as identifying where more support is needed, so you can put together a targeted plan.

Strategies to Support Women’s Well-Being

Small changes can make a big difference to women’s experiences in the workplace and help them feel safe and supported. Whatever well-being initiatives are introduced, employers must ensure they are inclusive, easy to use, and encourage a culture of open discussion around all health issues.

Recommendations to support women’s well-being could include:

1. Adopt flexible working policies to make it easier for women to flex their schedules around appointments, accommodate care responsibilities, or adjust their start time following a broken night’s sleep (a common symptom of menopause).
2. Utilize inclusive office design with elements such as breastfeeding rooms, transparent meeting rooms, and temperature-controlled areas.
3. Start conversations around mental and physical health to destigmatize issues and encourage employees to ask for help.
4. Provide training and support for managers to improve their understanding of female health issues and normalize conversations.
5. Encourage stress-reduction habits such as mindfulness classes, practicing meditation, or taking regular breaks.

There are many actions employers can take to support women’s health in the workplace. Start by listening to employee feedback and ideas, and use these to shape a well-being strategy that creates a supportive and healthy workplace where women can thrive.