National leaders from the business, health, and charity sectors are working collaboratively to improve women’s workplace health with the development of a new and innovative platform.
The Women’s Workplace Wellness (WWW) platform has been developed to help small businesses, and organisations in the charity and social enterprise sector to implement meaningful changes that will support women’s health in the workplace, with benefits for both the business and employees.
The platform acts as a one-stop resource that offers support, training, advice, networking and resources across subjects around women’s reproductive health.
Dame Lesley Regan, the Government’s Women’s Health Ambassador, joined Small Business Commissioner Liz Barclay, Charity Commission CEO David Holdworth, The Women’s Organisation, and other notable leaders from clinical, legal and business communities to showcase the Women’s Workplace Wellness Platform which will be rolled out to over 4m SMEs and charities in England.
Poor Women’s Workplace Health Support is Costing UK Economy £11 Billion Annually
Research shows that poor women’s health and a lack of workplace support costs the UK economy 150 million lost working days annually (consistent with ONS figures), a burden disproportionately affecting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and third-sector employers who lack the resources of larger organisations.
This is a progressive step toward addressing health disparities, driving culture change, enhancing performance, contributing to a more equitable workforce, and empowering SMEs to become champions for women’s health
The economic cost of absenteeism due to unsupported women’s reproductive health issues is estimated to be nearly £11 billion per annum.
Women aged 45–55, account for almost 4 million workers in the UK. Alarmingly, 23% of women in this age group have considered leaving work due to inadequate workplace support.
For SMEs, the lack of confidence, knowledge, and practical tools to address these needs exacerbates the issue.
Unemployment due to menopause symptoms has a direct economic impact of approximately £1.5 billion per annum with approximately 60,000 women in the UK not being in employment due to menopause symptoms.
“The platform offers an innovative response to a pervasive problem that has a huge, measurable impact on the economy of the wider issue of women’s health disparities.
By effectively reaching small businesses and third-sector organisations, a nationwide rollout would not only support national health initiatives but also stimulate small business growth.”
Liz Barclay – Small Business Commissioner
Recognising this gap, the Women’s Workplace Wellness Platform has been co-developed by The Women’s Organisation and key partners, including legal specialist Morecrofts to provide businesses with tools to better support women’s health, enhancing productivity and reducing absenteeism. During its development and testing phases the platform has already seen over 3700 examples of active engagement.
With women making up nearly half the workforce and SMEs representing 99% of UK businesses, this initiative is crucial for addressing economic inactivity and talent shortages.
The Women’s Workplace Wellness Platform
The platform addresses these challenges head-on, offering SMEs and third-sector employers accessible, scalable solutions to improve women’s workplace health and wellbeing.
Its features include integrated and technology driven resources, clinically informed and legally compliant tools, accredited training opportunities, and access to support networks and mental health support tools, all designed to be widely adopted across sectors.
National business networks including the Institute of Directors (IOD) and the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), Greater Manchester Employment Charter and Mersey and Cheshire Integrated Care Board have helped co develop the Platform as a key response to improve productivity and reduce costs on the health system to its development.
WWW also works to deliver on the UK Government’s commitments to reducing gender health disparities and promoting workplace equity. It aligns with broader goals of tackling economic inactivity, advancing equality, and reducing healthcare system strain through preventive measures, and delivers measurable benefits such as enhanced productivity, cost savings, talent retention, and economic growth.