How HR can handle the sometimes debilitating health conditions for women
Common women’s health conditions like menstruation, menopause and PCOS can be incredibly painful and make it hard to complete normal work duties when symptoms arise. While women account for nearly half the workforce, few employers have implemented policies or created cultures recognizing and offering support.
But some are beginning to. Astrology app and media company CHANI offers unlimited paid menstrual leave for staff. Under the policy staff can reach out to their supervisor and let them know they are taking that leave, and most staff typically take one day or a half day off.
“Having a uterus can be very painful, and if you are experiencing menstrual pain or menopausal pain, you are neither sick nor on vacation,” said CHANI co-founder and CEO Sonya Passi. “We don’t want employees to deplete their sick days when they’re not sick, and we don’t want employees to work through pain.”
At CHANI, the policy is a crucial tool to help normalize regular health conditions that commonly arise yet aren’t often discussed in most workplaces, Passi said. “It felt important to name it. In naming it as a type of leave, it takes away the stigma of having the pain and then acknowledges that you need time to deal with it,” she said.
Menopause is another condition women experience that can make it difficult to carry on with their regular working routines. More recently it has garnered greater attention thanks in large part to wider conversations around the topic, and its impact on working women, on social media.
Women typically go through menopause around their fifties, and symptoms last on average about seven years. Some symptoms include hot flashes, fatigue, an array of stomach issues, insomnia, migraines, brain fog and mood changes. A study last year from the Mayo Clinic found American women with menopause collectively lose an estimated $1.8 billion in working time yearly.
Earlier this month the Menopause Society announced an initiative offering tips for employers to create more menopause-friendly work environments. Some of that guidance includes making working conditions overall more flexible and creating spaces where staff have greater control over temperature, breaks, work attire and other needs. It also includes updating time-off policies.
When employers neglect to offer important accommodations for women, they risk running into major retention issues. Two in five people experiencing menopause have looked for or found a new job because of their symptoms, according to a 2024 report from the Society for Women’s Health.
Polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS, is another condition getting more attention recently, and it affects an estimated 8% to 13% of women of reproductive age worldwide, according to the World Health organization.
Over half of women experiencing PCOS symptoms said it harms their productivity at work, and 40% said they have to take days off when dealing with it, according to a survey including about 400 respondents from Mira, a hormonal health company.
“For women managing PCOS, balancing symptoms like gut health disruptions often requires time-consuming visits to specialists, lab tests and dietary adjustments,” said Sylvia Kang, Mira CEO. “Allowing for flexible work hours, remote work options, or additional breaks demonstrates respect for your employees’ health and wellbeing.”