More than a third (35%) of women have delayed cervical screenings due to work commitments, research commissioned by gynaecological cancer charity, the Lady Garden Foundation, has revealed.
The survey of more than 2,000 women also highlighted that half (50%) of the women polled said they had felt pressured to prioritise work over personal health appointments, including cervical screenings.
To create a workplace culture that openly supports preventive health screenings such as cervical smears, start by discussing it, advised Siera Torontow, managing director of Work Health Experts, a provider of reproductive health education for workplaces.
She added: “You create the culture by talking about it, not tiptoeing around it. That means mentioning cervical screening in your wellbeing calendar, including it in internal comms, and encouraging leadership to set the tone. When people see that preventive care is treated as normal and encouraged, not awkward or optional, they’re far more likely to engage.
Read more: Allow women to attend cervical screenings during work
“And it’s not just about information, it’s about language. Managers and colleagues don’t need to be health experts, but they do need to feel confident talking about these things in a respectful way. That’s how you create a culture where people look after their health without hesitation.”
Nearly a third (31%) of women admitted to having booked annual leave for their screenings, while 16% said their boss or workplace insisted that they book time off to attend appointments. Nearly a third (31%) claimed that their boss or workplace would not see their cervical screening as a valid reason to be off work.
“If a company says it cares about its people, that care has to show up in the small moments, not just in posters on the wall or wellbeing campaigns,” said Tyler Lowe, founder of workplace wellbeing and performance consultancy, Loving Life.
“No one should feel like they have to justify going to a health appointment. HR professionals can go a step further and actively remind people that they’re encouraged to take that time. When you’re proactive, you create a culture where no one feels like they have to choose between their health and their job,” he added.
Read more: How to positively impact your workforce’s health
Despite more than 16m British women over the age of 16 in employment, more than half (58%) of those surveyed said they were unaware of any policies or programmes in their workplace to support women to take time off to attend their cervical screening.
To better support women’s health in the workplace, Torontow said that employers must begin by educating everyone, not just those with lived experience.
She said: “Reproductive health isn’t niche; it’s a business issue. It impacts absenteeism, engagement, and retention. So invest in education that’s engaging, inclusive, and easy to access. Don’t wait for employees to ask; many won’t even realise the support is relevant to them until it’s offered. Make the first move, and you’ll see the impact.”
The Lady Garden Foundation commissioned to survey Prospectus Global 2,006 women in the UK aged 25 to 49, in May 2025.
