Men’s health in the workplace

Hi everyone, and welcome to this Bitesize Academy session.

My name's Emma Shatliff, manager of the Bupa Academy.

In today's session, we'll be discussing the role managers can play when supporting employees with endometriosis in the workplace.

I'm delighted today to be joined by Dr. Samantha Wild, Women's Health clinical lead at BUPA.

Thanks for joining us today, Sam.

Thank you for having me, Emma.

Let's get started with the first question.

So Sam, endometriosis is the second most common gynaecological condition in the UK, yet over half of the population don't know what it is.

So can you try and maybe explain what endometriosis is but also some of the symptoms that people may experience?

Yes, of course.

So about one in every ten women of childbearing age has endometriosis, which makes it as common as diabetes.

So it's unbelievable really that half of the population hasn't heard of it and it can affect any race or ethnicity.

Transgender and non-binary people too.

And it's a chronic and often very debilitating condition.

Doctors don't really know why it happens, but endometriosis is a condition where the cells that normally are found lining the womb also grow in other parts of the body.

So each month this tissue thickens, it builds up and then it breaks down.

But unlike the tissue that’s building inside the womb that can leave the body as a period.

These cells can't leave the body.

And so they cause local scarring, inflammation, and that can cause pain as well.

So this can happen often inside the pelvis, around the ovaries and fallopian tubes.

It can occur in the ligaments, which can make sex painful, but it can also go in other parts of the body, too.

So it can grow in the bowel, it can grow in the bladder, it can also grow in the lungs.

And so, yes, it can cause a lot of problems.

And so one of the most common symptoms is the pelvic pain that normally will start just before the period and then continue throughout the period as well.

Pain during sex is, as I said, the endometriosis can grow on the ligaments between the womb and the passage.

Very heavy, painful periods, heavy because there's extra cells there that need to leave the body.

Extreme fatigue.

And some women may find it very difficult to get pregnant again because of where the endometriosis is growing.

And some people may feel very sick or constipated or suffer with diarrhoea at the time of the month too, again, because of where the endometriosis is.

And understandably this can make women feel very down and depressed because of the long term pain that they have and all those symptoms that they're experiencing.

So those less common symptoms will happen in about 10% and they're the symptoms that occur because the endometriosis is growing in the bowel or the bladder or the lungs.

So at that time of the month, those women may either cough up blood and experience pain.

They may find that they have blood in their stools when they're opening their bowels, or there may be blood in their urine when they pass urine.

Saying that though about 20% of women won't get any symptoms at all.

And the endometriosis is not causing enough of a problem.

It's not causing enough inflammation and scarring to cause some symptoms, but it may still affect their fertility and so they only find out they have endometriosis when they're undergoing fertility testing.

I'd heard of endometriosis, but I don't think I was aware of quite some of those symptoms that people could experience with having that condition.

So 58% of those people within endometriosis will visit their GP over ten times before being diagnosed and on average it takes 8 to 9 years to get a diagnosis in the UK, which I found alarming really, to think that that's how long it would take.

So what are some of the barriers people living with endometriosis face when seeking treatment?

I think the difficulty is it's still such a taboo to talk about periods.

So many women don't realise that they are experiencing a problem, they don't know what is normal and they may never have heard of endometriosis in the first place.

So there's often a tendency just to get on with it and then just to put it down to it's women's things, I've just got to put up with it.

They can also feel very embarrassed about approaching their GP as well, and there's always a tendency to put other people first and they may not want to waste the GP’s time.

The nature of the symptoms also mean that a lot of women will get misdiagnosed.

It can be very similar to a lot of other conditions and so they may not get that diagnosis straight away.

And the only way to definitively diagnose endometriosis is to actually have an operation to have a laparoscopy.

So it's a surgical procedure and there is a waiting time obviously, for that.

Over-the-counter medications can work for some, but some people may need to take stronger painkillers or hormonal medications and all of these come with side effects as well.

So endometriosis can really impact on someone's life and it can really affect their mental health.

Living with uncertainty as to what they're suffering with in the first place, whether they'll be able to conceive in the future.

The pain that they may be in, the lack of sleep that they may be experiencing too.

And it can affect your relationships.

If it's very painful to have sex, you may not want to have sex with your partner.

You may find it difficult to open up to them and they may feel that they're being rejected as well.

So we do encourage women to try and talk about it as much as they can.

Don't be afraid to tell your partner how you are feeling so that you can get that support.

Thanks.

It's interesting.

I think we talk about some of those barriers that people experience when going through endometriosis.

So we know, I suppose, how to may be open up and start conversations.

Some of those barriers may contribute to why one in six women with endometriosis give up work.

So just how important is it that organisations and line managers support employees with endometriosis in the workplace?

So organisations risk losing female talent because the impact symptoms are having on them and they will feel often that they're misunderstood or unsupported in the workplace.

So we know that 55% of individuals with endometriosis have had to have time off work frequently.

And you know, you can understand why from what we've been talking about today.

And so women who are living with endometriosis need to have that more support at work.

They may be missing out on opportunities to do better within the workplace, you know, opportunities for promotion.

There may be financial implications as well.

And 27% of women actually say that they do feel that they've missed out on promotion because of endometriosis.

87% say that they there have been financial implications to it.

So we've got to provide better support within the workplace to make a big difference really to those women, to their lives, to create a more inclusive atmosphere for them so that they continue to thrive and fulfil their potential.

And you find that with people now working from home, in the past, if they have to go into the workplace more frequently, than symtoms they just couldn't ignore, whereas working from home they could mask them a little or do you think well at home it's not bothering everyone else, so I'll just put up with them.

Is that having an impact? Exactly, Yeah.

So I think it's it's good to be able to work more flexibly and to work from home.

And that's something that we'd recommend that workplaces look at offering for women suffering with endometriosis.

But as you said, that does mean that they can mask them.

And if you're not seeing a colleague on a day to day basis, as you might have done before in the office, you might not notice that they're struggling.

So it's very important just to be aware that that may be occurring.

But for women suffering with pain or heavy periods, obviously it's far better for them to be in their own environment.

40% of women with endometriosis worry about losing their job and 87% believe the condition has impacted their long term financial situation.

So what are some of the effects of endometriosis on the workplace and how can line managers in particular offer support?

So I think understandably, sickness and absence, women may need to have time off because of their symptoms or because they're undergoing investigations or indeed treatment for their endometriosis.

And as we've heard it can impact on their mental health as well.

So we need to make sure that we're aware of that and providing support for that.

They may also be experiencing difficulties with their symptoms whilst they’re at work.

So they're not able to work properly and they may be trying to keep their symptoms hidden as well.

So really important that, you know, line managers are aware of all the ways that endometriosis may impact a woman at work and make sure that everybody else is aware of it as well.

So they recognise that it's happening.

They're taking it seriously.

They're offering flexible working environments when they can and also, you know, just be understanding to the woman and listen to what she needs support her in any way that they can and signpost to any services that are available.

I think as you highlighted earlier, half the population still don't know what endometriosis is.

So actually it's really important.

I suppose organisations do regular communications or messaging around the condition to the whole of workforce because if you have someone on your team that's suffering and having to take long periods of absence other team members may feel that. unfair or they're having to pick up the slack if you like.

So actually they have an understanding and could be more sympathetic about some of these debilitating symptoms.

You know, it will hopefully provide a more positive environment in the workplace.

That's very true. Yes.

So we've just got to really champion endometriosis exactly what it takes to make sure that everybody understands.

And I think some people do find coping with endometriosis to be very challenging.

So in those situations, what advice would you give to a line manager on how best to start a conversation?

So I think it's really important firstly, to establish good relationships with all of your team so you get to know them by having open conversations so that they feel comfortable and able to talk to you.

And then hopefully then if they are struggling, you will notice quickly and you can approach them then.

And I would just start by asking them how they're feeling.

Is there anything that you can do to help?

And if they're ready to talk to you, then great, hopefully they will open up.

But don't be offended if they aren't ready at that stage to talk to you.

You know, give it a bit more time, but also offer somebody else that they may feel that they are more comfortable to open up to or offer to speak via someone else if they'd rather someone spoke on their behalf.

So listen to them then, you know, hopefully when they're ready to talk to you.

Listen, you know, try not to medicalised it.

You're not a doctor.

So just listen to their needs. And

I think just remember that every woman's experience is different.

So you know, that that's all I can say really is ask them what would help them.

Let them be aware of what is available.

So, you know, EAPs are fantastic.

I would always recommend signposting to Endometriosis UK, which are a wonderful charity that can provide lots of support and talk about flexible working too.

But you know really let the woman tell you what she thinks will help and, you know, do what you can to try and support that.

Thanks.

Well I’ve certainly learnt a lot from this session today, so thanks so much for joining me.

Not at all, thank you.

Hi everyone, and welcome to this Bitesize Academy session.

My name's Emma Shatliff, manager of the Bupa Academy.

In today's session, we'll be discussing the role managers can play when supporting employees with endometriosis in the workplace.

I'm delighted today to be joined by Dr. Samantha Wild, Women's Health clinical lead at BUPA.

Thanks for joining us today, Sam.

Thank you for having me, Emma.

Let's get started with the first question.

So Sam, endometriosis is the second most common gynaecological condition in the UK, yet over half of the population don't know what it is.

So can you try and maybe explain what endometriosis is but also some of the symptoms that people may experience?

Yes, of course.

So about one in every ten women of childbearing age has endometriosis, which makes it as common as diabetes.

So it's unbelievable really that half of the population hasn't heard of it and it can affect any race or ethnicity.

Transgender and non-binary people too.

And it's a chronic and often very debilitating condition.

Doctors don't really know why it happens, but endometriosis is a condition where the cells that normally are found lining the womb also grow in other parts of the body.

So each month this tissue thickens, it builds up and then it breaks down.

But unlike the tissue that’s building inside the womb that can leave the body as a period.

These cells can't leave the body.

And so they cause local scarring, inflammation, and that can cause pain as well.

So this can happen often inside the pelvis, around the ovaries and fallopian tubes.

It can occur in the ligaments, which can make sex painful, but it can also go in other parts of the body, too.

So it can grow in the bowel, it can grow in the bladder, it can also grow in the lungs.

And so, yes, it can cause a lot of problems.

And so one of the most common symptoms is the pelvic pain that normally will start just before the period and then continue throughout the period as well.

Pain during sex is, as I said, the endometriosis can grow on the ligaments between the womb and the passage.

Very heavy, painful periods, heavy because there's extra cells there that need to leave the body.

Extreme fatigue.

And some women may find it very difficult to get pregnant again because of where the endometriosis is growing.

And some people may feel very sick or constipated or suffer with diarrhoea at the time of the month too, again, because of where the endometriosis is.

And understandably this can make women feel very down and depressed because of the long term pain that they have and all those symptoms that they're experiencing.

So those less common symptoms will happen in about 10% and they're the symptoms that occur because the endometriosis is growing in the bowel or the bladder or the lungs.

So at that time of the month, those women may either cough up blood and experience pain.

They may find that they have blood in their stools when they're opening their bowels, or there may be blood in their urine when they pass urine.

Saying that though about 20% of women won't get any symptoms at all.

And the endometriosis is not causing enough of a problem.

It's not causing enough inflammation and scarring to cause some symptoms, but it may still affect their fertility and so they only find out they have endometriosis when they're undergoing fertility testing.

I'd heard of endometriosis, but I don't think I was aware of quite some of those symptoms that people could experience with having that condition.

So 58% of those people within endometriosis will visit their GP over ten times before being diagnosed and on average it takes 8 to 9 years to get a diagnosis in the UK, which I found alarming really, to think that that's how long it would take.

So what are some of the barriers people living with endometriosis face when seeking treatment?

I think the difficulty is it's still such a taboo to talk about periods.

So many women don't realise that they are experiencing a problem, they don't know what is normal and they may never have heard of endometriosis in the first place.

So there's often a tendency just to get on with it and then just to put it down to it's women's things, I've just got to put up with it.

They can also feel very embarrassed about approaching their GP as well, and there's always a tendency to put other people first and they may not want to waste the GP’s time.

The nature of the symptoms also mean that a lot of women will get misdiagnosed.

It can be very similar to a lot of other conditions and so they may not get that diagnosis straight away.

And the only way to definitively diagnose endometriosis is to actually have an operation to have a laparoscopy.

So it's a surgical procedure and there is a waiting time obviously, for that.

Over-the-counter medications can work for some, but some people may need to take stronger painkillers or hormonal medications and all of these come with side effects as well.

So endometriosis can really impact on someone's life and it can really affect their mental health.

Living with uncertainty as to what they're suffering with in the first place, whether they'll be able to conceive in the future.

The pain that they may be in, the lack of sleep that they may be experiencing too.

And it can affect your relationships.

If it's very painful to have sex, you may not want to have sex with your partner.

You may find it difficult to open up to them and they may feel that they're being rejected as well.

So we do encourage women to try and talk about it as much as they can.

Don't be afraid to tell your partner how you are feeling so that you can get that support.

Thanks.

It's interesting.

I think we talk about some of those barriers that people experience when going through endometriosis.

So we know, I suppose, how to may be open up and start conversations.

Some of those barriers may contribute to why one in six women with endometriosis give up work.

So just how important is it that organisations and line managers support employees with endometriosis in the workplace?

So organisations risk losing female talent because the impact symptoms are having on them and they will feel often that they're misunderstood or unsupported in the workplace.

So we know that 55% of individuals with endometriosis have had to have time off work frequently.

And you know, you can understand why from what we've been talking about today.

And so women who are living with endometriosis need to have that more support at work.

They may be missing out on opportunities to do better within the workplace, you know, opportunities for promotion.

There may be financial implications as well.

And 27% of women actually say that they do feel that they've missed out on promotion because of endometriosis.

87% say that they there have been financial implications to it.

So we've got to provide better support within the workplace to make a big difference really to those women, to their lives, to create a more inclusive atmosphere for them so that they continue to thrive and fulfil their potential.

And you find that with people now working from home, in the past, if they have to go into the workplace more frequently, than symtoms they just couldn't ignore, whereas working from home they could mask them a little or do you think well at home it's not bothering everyone else, so I'll just put up with them.

Is that having an impact? Exactly, Yeah.

So I think it's it's good to be able to work more flexibly and to work from home.

And that's something that we'd recommend that workplaces look at offering for women suffering with endometriosis.

But as you said, that does mean that they can mask them.

And if you're not seeing a colleague on a day to day basis, as you might have done before in the office, you might not notice that they're struggling.

So it's very important just to be aware that that may be occurring.

But for women suffering with pain or heavy periods, obviously it's far better for them to be in their own environment.

40% of women with endometriosis worry about losing their job and 87% believe the condition has impacted their long term financial situation.

So what are some of the effects of endometriosis on the workplace and how can line managers in particular offer support?

So I think understandably, sickness and absence, women may need to have time off because of their symptoms or because they're undergoing investigations or indeed treatment for their endometriosis.

And as we've heard it can impact on their mental health as well.

So we need to make sure that we're aware of that and providing support for that.

They may also be experiencing difficulties with their symptoms whilst they’re at work.

So they're not able to work properly and they may be trying to keep their symptoms hidden as well.

So really important that, you know, line managers are aware of all the ways that endometriosis may impact a woman at work and make sure that everybody else is aware of it as well.

So they recognise that it's happening.

They're taking it seriously.

They're offering flexible working environments when they can and also, you know, just be understanding to the woman and listen to what she needs support her in any way that they can and signpost to any services that are available.

I think as you highlighted earlier, half the population still don't know what endometriosis is.

So actually it's really important.

I suppose organisations do regular communications or messaging around the condition to the whole of workforce because if you have someone on your team that's suffering and having to take long periods of absence other team members may feel that. unfair or they're having to pick up the slack if you like.

So actually they have an understanding and could be more sympathetic about some of these debilitating symptoms.

You know, it will hopefully provide a more positive environment in the workplace.

That's very true. Yes.

So we've just got to really champion endometriosis exactly what it takes to make sure that everybody understands.

And I think some people do find coping with endometriosis to be very challenging.

So in those situations, what advice would you give to a line manager on how best to start a conversation?

So I think it's really important firstly, to establish good relationships with all of your team so you get to know them by having open conversations so that they feel comfortable and able to talk to you.

And then hopefully then if they are struggling, you will notice quickly and you can approach them then.

And I would just start by asking them how they're feeling.

Is there anything that you can do to help?

And if they're ready to talk to you, then great, hopefully they will open up.

But don't be offended if they aren't ready at that stage to talk to you.

You know, give it a bit more time, but also offer somebody else that they may feel that they are more comfortable to open up to or offer to speak via someone else if they'd rather someone spoke on their behalf.

So listen to them then, you know, hopefully when they're ready to talk to you.

Listen, you know, try not to medicalised it.

You're not a doctor.

So just listen to their needs. And

I think just remember that every woman's experience is different.

So you know, that that's all I can say really is ask them what would help them.

Let them be aware of what is available.

So, you know, EAPs are fantastic.

I would always recommend signposting to Endometriosis UK, which are a wonderful charity that can provide lots of support and talk about flexible working too.

But you know really let the woman tell you what she thinks will help and, you know, do what you can to try and support that.

Thanks.

Well I’ve certainly learnt a lot from this session today, so thanks so much for joining me.

Not at all, thank you.