Women's healthcare has long been overlooked and underrepresented in medicine, in turn, leaving them without knowledge of their own bodies and reproductive health.
We all know that many aspects of our healthcare system are broken. But one area which needs far more attention, according to Hertility co-founder Deirdre O’Neill, is reproductive care. Hertility believes that large parts of the medical and healthcare sector simply don’t fully understand or offer effective solutions to a wide range of issues impacting women.
As a result, their mission is to revolutionise women’s reproductive healthcare by empowering women to make informed decisions about their future, and providing them with comprehensive at-home testing, in-house experts and clinical services, to give them clarity into their hormones and fertility. And that goes for the workplace too.
“What we’re talking about here is not just employers making access to support for women’s mental and physical healthcare available via apps and online means,” says O’Neill, “but about a fundamental transformation in the way in which women, and the reproductive issues they face throughout their lives, are recognised and fully addressed in the workplace.”
Resetting the workplace
Both mental and physical health issues have become a major concern in recent years. No surprise then that when it comes to reward packages, more and more employers are starting to focus on healthcare as a significant benefit. Topics like infertility (affecting one in six people) and menopause are finally getting the attention they deserve, breaking free from taboo.
That’s good. But at a more fundamental level what’s needed, says Hertility, is the creation of workplaces where these are not just seen as ‘issues’ which need to be addressed but as natural parts of the journey through life for so many employees. The solution is, therefore, much deeper. It’s about creating a culture which sees these ‘issues’ as a natural part of life and providing not just support, but a fundamental reset in the workplace which enables and encourages employees to make informed choices about their bodies and their lives.
Hertility believes that individuals should be equipped with the knowledge they deserve about their bodies so that they can then make informed decisions when it matters, not when it’s too late. The goal is to achieve that – and create the Future Workplace – by using a range of tools, from workshops to home testing, and data-driven diagnostics, and fast-tracked access to specialist clinicians, to empower employees to proactively take control of their reproductive health from menstruation to the menopause.
The future workplace and the bottom line
As O’Neill points out: “We all want to aspire to create diverse and inclusive workplaces. At the same time, there is a definite financial impact for organisations which, if it isn’t addressed, can be significant. Our research looking at businesses of around 1,000 employees, 50% female, highly skilled and with an average salary of £50,000, suggests that the total cost to those businesses due to reproductive health conditions could be as high as £1,469,352 per annum. Yes, there are assumptions here, which include a certain level of staff turnover due to those conditions and the number of working days lost, but both are based on industry average figures, coupled with peer reviewed research, and still suggest that staff turnover costs £78,763 per annum and such a business is likely to be losing out on the equivalent of 4,976 days of productivity a year, amounting to an estimated unspoken of cost of £1,390,769.”
Even assuming that these are ‘average’ figures, that’s a truly shocking hit to any business’s profitability and outputs. And yet one which, Hertility argues, could so easily be addressed.
A movement, not just a healthcare ‘solution’
For Hertility, this is about cultural change as much as about healthcare. It’s about supporting women – and their partners – at every stage of their reproductive lives. It’s about allowing them to take control and make informed decisions. It’s also not reactive but proactive. It’s about supporting employees as they go through what can be lonely, traumatising and painful journeys, but which don’t have to be this way.
Of course, it is also about attracting and retaining talented people, boosting employee satisfaction levels, reducing turnover rates and improving productivity. Those things matter – and Hertility’s Re-Productive Report (see the link at the end of this article) has all the facts and figures needed to understand the impact on businesses and their employees.
But, as O’Neill is very clear, this isn’t just about the ‘head’, the future workplace is also about the ‘heart’. “It’s about creating workplaces which don’t just say they care but show they care in the way they treat every single individual. It’s a movement – and we believe firmly that it’s a movement whose time has come, and we’d love you to join us.”
To find out more about Hertility and its mission to create Future Workplaces, you can start by downloading its ReProductive Report. At the same time, why not view – and share – these campaigning videos: A Love Letter to a Future Workplace and Ooh, Someone’s Hormonal.
Watch them, then discover more about Hertility and what it proposes do to boost your employees’ reproductive health: Hertility Health
