May 2023
Why do women increasingly feel unable to talk about mental and personal health challenges in the workplace.
A growing number of women feel uncomfortable talking about their mental and personal health challenges in the workplace, according to a new Deloitte Global report, called ‘Women@Work: A Global Outlook’.
The research, now in its third year, surveyed 5,000 women in 10 countries, including 500 working women in the UK, to better under- stand the experiences of women in the workplace.
The research revealed that when it comes to menstruation and menopause, many employees suffer in silence: more than a quarter of women (28%) experiencing symptoms related to menopause and 40% work through menstruation pain without taking time off.
Women in the UK experiencing challenges related to menopause are more likely than their global counterparts to work through pain (30% in the UK compared with 20% of global respondents).
There has been a significant decline in the number of respondents who feel comfortable talking about mental health in the workplace: only 28% of UK respondents feel comfortable talking about it at work, compared with 45% last year.
Jackie Henry, managing partner for people and purpose, Deloitte UK said:
“Our research shows that there is a stigma around discussing mental health and women’s issues in UK workplaces, but it’s concerning to see that this has worsened in the last year.”
