Around 1.5 million women are currently living with endometriosis in the UK, according to the charity Endometriosis UK.
The debilitating symptoms are well known. A report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on endometriosis highlighted the “devastating impact” the condition has on women.
However, a survey by digital health platform, Peppy, shows that only 9 percent of HR decision makers offer support for endometriosis.
What is endometriosis?
Endometriosis can have a significant impact on woman’s life in many ways. The main symptoms outlined by Endometriosis UK are:
- Chronic pain
- Fatigue/lack of energy
- Depression/isolation
- Problems with a couple’s sex life/relationships
- An inability to conceive
- Difficulty in fulfilling work and social commitments
As we near the end of Endometriosis Month, it is important to highlight both the chronic symptoms woman suffer, and the way that companies can offer support for woman in the workplace.
This is vital to ensure endometriosis does not continue to interfere with women’s careers.
How important is it for companies to address this issue suffered by women?
“Standard healthcare ignores the physical and emotional issues that many women experience. From our research, we found eighty-five per cent of women experiencing at least four conditions during their working life that are currently underserved by standard healthcare services. Ultimately, this impacts their wellbeing as well as their employers’ bottom line,” says CEO of Peppy, Dr Mridula.
“The female body goes through several specific phases and stages but we recognise that support is not only needed at these physiological change points in a women’s life. Support could be required at any time during an employee’s working life and therefore having workplace support available that is easily accessible, devoid of any wait time, from expert practitioners is what’s really needed, and this speaks volumes about how much an employer values its staff,” Mridula continues.
“We all understand that the NHS has been under huge pressure, particularly over the past two years, but this means that so many women cannot currently access the services and support that they require, and in some cases, desperately need.”
Amelia Brand is the Editor for HRreview, and host of the HR in Review podcast series. With a Master’s degree in Legal and Political Theory, her particular interests within HR include employment law, DE&I, and wellbeing within the workplace. Prior to working with HRreview, Amelia was Sub-Editor of a magazine, and Editor of the Environmental Justice Project at University College London, writing and overseeing articles into UCL’s weekly newsletter. Her previous academic work has focused on philosophy, politics and law, with a special focus on how artificial intelligence will feature in the future.
