The Top 5 Female Policies you need to have in your business

Encouraging conversations around women's health at work can increase awareness of the often taboo subjects. 

For example, women often feel uncomfortable revealing genuine physical and psychological symptoms of what they're going through.

Employers have a social responsibility to formulate policies and develop a framework to adequately support female health issues, such as monthly menstruation, pregnancy and maternity leave, fertility, and menopause.

Proper bathroom facilities, access to cold drinking water, a desk fan and ventilation can ease the symptoms of menstruating or menopausal women.

A significant cause of stress for women is juggling work with childcare and domestic responsibilities.

• Offering flexible work instead of a 9 to 5 pattern can help women work around their other routines. 
• Employers need to set realistic deadlines, not expect immediate responses to email, internal messaging or other demands. 
• Gender pay gap issues should also be addressed.

Women need access to contraception, antenatal and fertility care, menopause care, and routine screening.

Women should feel that these types of appointments can be accommodated with their work timetable. A business can also put provisions in place to allow access to a virtual GP. Company funded health checks could include cervical and breast screening.