Women are nearly two thirds (62 per cent) more likely to feel unsupported at work for health issues than men, a survey has found.
The Workplace Health and Wellbeing 2025 Survey from UK Meds, which polled employees from 280 workplaces, also revealed 60 per cent of women believed their health issues were not taken seriously in the workplace.
An additional 13 per cent of women felt completely unsupported when dealing with health concerns at work.
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Rachel Suff, senior wellbeing adviser at the CIPD, said it was “disappointing” to see the perceived lack of support for women’s health issues at work given the impact this can have on “unhealthy presenteeism”.
“Women make up nearly half of the UK labour market, but fewer women than men are in employment and they are more likely to become economically inactive,” she explained, citing CIPD research that found a lack of effective support for women’s health could have a range of negative impacts, with “many working women feeling they have no choice but to drop out of employment altogether”.
Continued stigma around women’s health issues
Just 10 per cent of women said they felt comfortable discussing menstrual health issues at work.
Women were also 20 per cent less likely to feel they could take sick leave when needed, and 27 per cent more likely to worry about how their team perceived their absence. They were also 24 per cent more likely to worry about taking a mental health day.
Additionally, 65 per cent of women reported experiencing internal pressure to work even when they were unwell.
The research found 82 per cent of workplaces did not offer menopause support.
Suff said that, for many women, not being able to talk about health at work “perpetuates the stigma” around issues such as pregnancy loss, menopause, menstruation and menstrual health, noting that this leads many women to feel alone and isolated from the organisation.
“Conversely, providing support and understanding can help employees cope with a challenging situation and boost their loyalty to the organisation,” she added.
Separate CIPD research found employers were losing around one in six female staff because of a lack of support for menopause, while a quarter (24 per cent) with a disability or long-term health condition have considered leaving their job. One in 10 (12 per cent) with menstrual health issues said it had a negative impact on their career.
Pressure to work while unwell
The employee health concerns also extended beyond women’s health, with the UK Meds report finding 75 per cent of employees have worked while they felt physically or mentally unable to perform their duties, and a quarter worried about how taking a sick day would be perceived.
Only one in five (20 per cent) felt they could talk to HR about their health concerns at work, and less than half felt comfortable discussing health concerns with colleagues, with 62 per cent feeling unable to discuss their mental health at work.
A quarter (25 per cent) were concerned about the financial implications of taking a sick day.
Zoe Sinclair, workplace wellbeing expert and co-founder of This Can Happen, said a lack of support for health issues and perceived inability to take sick days could have a “huge impact on the mental wellbeing of women in the workforce”.
“Continuing to push through with work despite wider health issues can lead to increased levels of stress and anxiety and could even lead to burnout as well, all of which could exacerbate the initial health issues with serious consequences,” she warned.
What can employers do?
Suff advised fostering a supportive and inclusive culture, noting that time off for medical appointments and flexible working could make a “considerable difference to the employee’s commitment, performance and mental wellbeing”.
“Support for employee health and wellbeing should be embedded in an organisation’s culture, leadership and people management practices,” she said, adding that people managers needed ongoing training and guidance to support their teams during these sensitive conversations.
Rob Woollen, chief operating officer and wellbeing specialist at DSG group, added that it took time and effort to create a culture where people are comfortable to talk about their mental health, but it was worth it. “When people are supported in their health, we find they take less time off, and are more productive,” he explained.
Sinclair said HR teams must create “psychological safety” to empower female employees to speak about health conditions and receive the full support they need.
She advised HR to give due consideration to how leadership speaks about health concerns in the workplace, and evaluate whether changes in approaches could “tackle stigma from the top down and distil a culture of trust across the organisation”.
“It is important to understand the nuances within your population of women and how this might impact their experience and levels of engagement with wellbeing at work – age, sexuality, faith and culture all play a part,” she said.
Organisations can review their wellbeing approach using the CIPD’s handy tool