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Corporations are making strides in supporting employees’ physical and mental wellbeing, but hormonal health still needs attention.
In the past decade, and particularly recently in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been a significant shift in how workplaces approach “health.” Employers and employees alike are much more conscious of both their physical and mental wellbeing, while there has been an incredible progression of de-stigmatization.
A 2021 study found that nearly two-thirds of respondents talked about their mental health to someone at work in the past year and benefits such as mental health days, four-day workweeks, and enhanced counseling benefits or apps have become commonplace.
However, an important piece of overall wellness is often overlooked. Hormones are chemical messengers that have profound effects on mental, physical, and emotional health, yet hormone-related programs and benefits in the workplace are virtually nonexistent. Science & Humans (S&H), a consumer-first digital platform for hormone health treatments, is looking to support this change for the betterment of both employee and employer.
General research is very much in favor of broadening work wellness programs as it shows the investment leads to healthier employees and greater engagement with the company. The same 2021 study’s respondents who felt supported in their health were less likely to underperform and miss work, had higher job satisfaction, intended to stay at their company, and had more positive views of their company and its leaders, including trusting their company and being proud to work there; Which all leads to lower attrition rates and higher productivity.
Looking at the effects of hormone wellness programs, companies see around a 30% increase in productivity after implementation, a 25% increase in employee retention, and 78% of employees feel their overall wellbeing was positively impacted.
Just one example of how hormone health affects the workplace is the impact of menopause – a stage of the body that can last up to 10 years. In Canada, one quarter of the 19-million-person workforce are women over the age of 40, with 10% of these women being forced out of the workplace because their menopause symptoms are debilitating. In the United States, menopause-related symptoms cost women an estimated $1.8 billion in lost working time annually.
For the women impacted, the workplace stress, which contributes to an overproduction of cortisol and leads to health issues such as exhaustion and burnout, and the hormone imbalances caused by menopause are having a compounding effect on their mental, physical, and emotional health.
S&H had seen this clear need for hormone-wellness support and ran a month-long “Jump for Menopause” skydiving campaign to bring excitement and attention to the cause this past October. The campaign’s aim was to grow awareness of the severe impact of menopause on women’s daily lives, the de-stigmatization of discussing its impact both at home and at work, and the treatment options available so women no longer feel they need to suffer in silence. The corporations that were able to participate made a significant impact on showing their support for women’s health in the workplace while inspiring other organizations to follow suit.
To continue fueling these conversations and shifting towards greater inclusion of hormone health into workplace wellness programs, S&H is offering free workshops, webinars, toolkits, and options for access to care tailored to both men and women for any corporation or group. For organizations looking to focus on women’s health, partners of S&H will receive a Women’s HealthEmployer logo and toolkits for HR and DEI leaders specific to hormone l health, perimenopause, and menopause.
Through these initiatives and corporate partnerships, S&H wants to emphasize the importance of working with health professionals who can provide lifestyle guidance, adequate testing, and personalized hormone treatments. Their goal is to continue to prove the value of normalizing this dialogue within the workplace and providing digestible, approachable, and highly insightful information about hormone health.
To learn more about creating a truly comprehensive wellness program, corporations can visit www.scienceandhumans.com. You can also contact Olivia-Joy Abbott for hormone education.
