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Menstrual Health at Work Webinar — Transcript

by Endometriosis UK · 7,417 words · 1,081 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

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0:00uh good afternoon everyone uh thanks for
0:02joining uh me today um so in this
0:05webinar we're going to talk mental
0:07health atwork um I'm ganisha um and I am
0:10the workplace mental well-being manager
0:12here at endometriosis UK um so just in
0:16nutshell my role in the organization
0:18currently is um where is I'm running a
0:21project and the project focuses focuses
0:24on um mental health conditions obviously
0:27endometriosis is one of the conditions
0:29that we do highlight
0:30but there's a five other conditions that
0:32the project also looks into as well and
0:35um my main role um and responsibility is
0:38kind of ensuring the information is out
0:40there um ensuring that managers HR teams
0:45uh Employers in general are supported to
0:48um support their staff of mental health
0:51conditions um and allow women and you
0:53know those are months for have
0:54conditions to thrive out whack um so
0:58just going to a quick quick overview
1:00what we're going to talk about in the in
1:02the hour um that we have for the webinar
1:04so I am going to go through five months
1:06through health conditions endries will
1:08not be one of them um just because we
1:10are going to do a um kind of Silo
1:13presentation on that where it'll be
1:15endometriosis at work um that will
1:17happen in March during endometriosis
1:20Awareness Month um so do tap into that
1:22but obviously if you do have any
1:23questions um around Endo at work do um
1:27pop it into the Q&A um chat and I can
1:29answer to that all at the end um so I
1:32will go through five mental health
1:33conditions I'll talk a little bit about
1:35mental health at work the impact at work
1:38um and then the last um 10 to 15 minutes
1:42I will also talk about best practice
1:45example suggestions um and way in which
1:48you know colleagues can support their
1:51their colleagues as
1:53well so uh mental health conditions um
1:57so these are the conditions I'll be just
1:59quickly running through today so I'll
2:02start off with polycystic ovary syndrome
2:04premenstrual dysphoric disorder
2:07adenomiosis fibroids and heavy menstrual
2:10bleeding so we're going to start with
2:12polycystic ovary syndrome also known as
2:15PCOS um so PCOS is a chronic lifelong
2:19condition affecting one in every eight
2:21women in the UK it is is is a common
2:24condition that affects how a woman
2:26woman's ovaries
2:27work um common symptoms of pdos include
2:31irregular periods or a complete lack of
2:34periods um irregular ovulation or no
2:38ovulation at all and this can lead to
2:40subfertility um unwanted facial or body
2:43hair oily skin acne uh thinning hair or
2:48complete hair loss um from the
2:51scalp um and weight problems so this
2:54could be being overweight you could
2:56experience rapid weight gain um but also
3:00difficulty losing weight as
3:02well PC affects women in different ways
3:05so not everyone would have all these
3:07symptoms um some may only have mild
3:09symptoms While others may have wider
3:12range of more severe symptoms um and
3:16just want to highlight the symptoms such
3:18as unwanted facial or body hair the oily
3:21skin acne Etc the thinning of hair and
3:24the weight problems you may sit here and
3:26think you know how does that impact
3:28someone at work it you know it does it
3:30can knock their confidence um you know
3:33their mental capacity and their mental
3:35well-being it can have an impact on and
3:37therefore it would also have an impact
3:39on their work um for example if you know
3:42they have to do a lot of Frontline
3:44delivery or if they have um to do a lot
3:47of talks in front of people or
3:49communicate a lot of their work around
3:51people and be kind of in the Forefront
3:53they may not feel comfortable they might
3:55lack a bit of confidence um if they feel
3:58that you know they have severe acne
4:01because of their PCOS or if they have
4:02oily skin or if they you know losing
4:04their hair they may not feel comfortable
4:06in their body um so it's just also being
4:08really mindful around those symptoms as
4:10well because you might think that it's
4:12not directly linked to the womb because
4:15you know I think people think about
4:16menal health conditions and it being
4:17kind of part of reproductive um system
4:20but you know there are other um there
4:23are other things that do amp amplify uh
4:26the conditions there are other symptoms
4:28as well that you must keep keep in mind
4:30as employers and I think that's really
4:31important to
4:33highlight uh the diagnosis of PCOS is
4:35done via a blood test um which can be
4:38arranged by your GP um and some
4:40individuals may also need follow-up
4:42appointments as well so be really
4:43mindful of allowing your staff um to go
4:46to these doctor's appointments and if
4:48you are here today as an employee don't
4:50be afraid to ask for your doctor's
4:52appointments um or just let your
4:54employers know that you know you're will
4:55needed to step away from the screen or
4:57you know this is something really
4:58important you're trying to be diagnosed
5:00condition and you must attend this
5:01doctor's appointment I will highlight
5:03the importance of appointments um and
5:07you know navigating your work around
5:09that um later on as well the treatment
5:12of PCOS um is tailored to each
5:14individual so as a symptoms May differ
5:17the the treatment will also
5:19differ um and they may include
5:21medication to regulate periods and
5:23improve
5:24ovulation um and I just want to
5:26highlight so some of the work that we do
5:28with or around PCOS we work very closely
5:30with a charity called Verity so if you
5:33are here today and you want further
5:35information on PCOS or you want um you
5:38know resources takeway if you go on to
5:40the Verity's website there are tons of
5:42information there's tons of resources
5:44that you can access and you can take
5:46away from that as well I will also again
5:48there's a slide at the end that covers
5:50all the resources so I will reiterate
5:52that again as
5:54well up next I'm going to talk a little
5:57bit about Prem menal dysphoric disorder
6:00also known as pmdd so premenstrual
6:03dysphoric disorder is a cyclical
6:05hormone-based mood disorder um symptoms
6:08arise during the premenstrual Lal phase
6:11of the menstrual cycle and last until
6:13around the time the period starts each
6:14month this will happen every menstrual
6:17cycle when ovulation occurs it is
6:19commonly still misdiagnosed as bipolar
6:22disorder or written off as just a bad
6:25PMS um
6:28so some of the kind of I guess symptoms
6:31someone with pmdd will experience are
6:33mood or emotional changes and this could
6:35be mood swings feeling suddenly sad or
6:37tearful or increased sensitivity to
6:40rejection um they may also experience
6:42irritability anger or increased
6:45interpersonal conflict um they will
6:47experience depressed moods feelings of
6:49hopelessness feeling worthless or guilty
6:52and they will also probably experience
6:53anxiety tension or feelings of being
6:55keyed up or an
6:56edge a diagnosis of pmdd it's a little
7:00bit trickier um but you must
7:04um it requires a presence of at least
7:07five of the symptoms I've just mentioned
7:11um because these are the core emotional
7:14symptoms associated with
7:16pmdd um the only way to currently be
7:19diagnosed with pmdd is tracking your
7:22symptoms on a daily basis for at least
7:24two menstrual cycles um and then from
7:27that once you tracked it make a note of
7:30them make a note of how you're feeling
7:32um when you're feeling it Etc um and you
7:35can do this through you know there's of
7:37apps scors of period apps that you can
7:38track or you know notepad and Pen as
7:41long as you're tracking it you can go to
7:42your GP you can showcase um you know the
7:46different symptoms that you've
7:47experienced in the last two period
7:49Cycles um and just want to also again
7:52here highlight that we do a lot of work
7:54with um the International Association
7:56for premal dysphoric disorder um and if
7:59you go on to their website again loads
8:00of resources but they also have a kind
8:03of um pmdd Checker so you can um answer
8:06a few questions um and at the end of it
8:09it can kind it won't obviously give you
8:11a diagnosis but it will start to give
8:13you um a kind of Pathway to a diagnosis
8:18so definitely check that out if you
8:19haven't done so and if you do think that
8:21you know you might you feel you're here
8:23today that you might have um symptoms of
8:27pmdd I would highly recommend tapping
8:30into the International Association for
8:32Prem menstral dysphoric disorders
8:35website again we'll link it in at the
8:37end
8:39um so going to move on from P pmdd
8:43to the next side which is adenomiosis
8:47now adenomiosis occurs when the tissue
8:50that normally lines the uterus grows
8:52into the muscular wall of the uterus now
8:55on the right hand side you can see three
8:57different images so you have focal you
8:59have adenomyoma and you have diffuse so
9:02all um all within the line of the uterus
9:06but in terms of the adenomiosis it's
9:09they're kind of different so the focal
9:10is quite again very um explanatory there
9:14it's focal um it's in one place you then
9:17have an adenoma it's a lot larger um it
9:21kind of obviously that can you see it's
9:23kind of coming out of the muscular wall
9:24as well and then on the last image you
9:26have diffuse so you have you have um
9:29adenomiosis in different sections and in
9:31different areas um but still within the
9:34muscular wall of the
9:36uterus um symptoms of
9:39adenomiosis um are painful menstrual
9:42cramps uh heavy menstrual bleeding
9:45abnormal
9:46menstruation pelvic pain painful
9:50intercourse an enlarged uterus bloating
9:54and pain related to bowel
9:56movement um I have read that list out
9:59and some of you might be here today
10:01thinking there's very um common uh
10:05symptoms in terms of it overlaps with
10:07stuff like endometriosis or fibroid
10:09unfortunately that is the case and that
10:11kind of does also lead to um the
10:13difficulty in diagnosis because there
10:14such an overlap um again as an employer
10:18to understand that it's quite difficult
10:21to be diagnosed because of the of all
10:22the overlaps it's you know being really
10:26mindful that an individual's journey of
10:27a diagnosis will take time time um just
10:30because of the way you know the tests
10:33and the diagnosis systems are set up um
10:36so if you do have a straff member or an
10:38individual who is going through a
10:39diagnosis be really mindful be kind
10:42being compassionate because they are
10:43going through something in their life
10:45where they just want an answer but it is
10:47taking a long time where they know they
10:49have something that isn't right you know
10:52their menstrual cycle isn't normal and
10:54it is impacting their day-to-day life so
10:56again just being really open-minded and
10:58being mindful of their Journey as well
11:00through the diagnosis it's not just
11:02they've got the condition and that's
11:03that there is a lot of pre-work to be
11:05done as well in terms of a diagnosis of
11:09adenomiosis um you can have a pelvic
11:12exam um so during a pelvic exam um your
11:15provider May notice that your uterus has
11:17gotten larger softer or is painful to
11:20touch uh you may be then offered an
11:22ultrasound and this is a transversional
11:25ultrasound which uses like a wave um
11:27sound waves to produce images of your
11:29pelvic organs um and these images can
11:32also show the thickening of your your
11:33uterine your uterine wall um and then
11:37also you might have um MRI scans and
11:40these can show the uterine enlarged and
11:43the thickening of areas in your uterus
11:45as
11:46well in terms of treating and managing
11:48um
11:49adenomiosis um the treatments can ease
11:52pain and help the bleeding the heavy
11:54menual bleeding um so in some of the
11:58ways we can combat this this is um
12:00through pain medication or hormonal
12:02medications so when I mean pain
12:04medications I mean anti-inflammatory
12:06drugs such as ibuprofen or nioxin and
12:09hormonal medications such as the
12:11contraceptive pill um and any other
12:14hormonal medications around that as well
12:16but this is a conversation that you
12:17should be having with your specialist
12:19nurse or your GP to better suit the need
12:22the treatment needs for um what you need
12:25treating and finally um you can have um
12:30non hormonal treatments as well um and
12:33that is stuff like transic acid which
12:36can reduce the amount of heavy menstrual
12:38bleeding the final treatment with
12:40adenomiosis um and again this is one
12:43that I would highlight you have a very
12:45indepth conversation with you know your
12:47loved ones with your family your
12:49partners um but also a very in-depth
12:52conversation with your your doctor and
12:54your uh specialist nurse um because
12:57there is a treatment um there a surgery
12:59that can remove obviously a uterus
13:02hysterctomy um which obviously will
13:06remove the adenomiosis because it's
13:07within and it's contained within the
13:09wall the muscular wall of the uterus but
13:12obviously this would mean you're not
13:14having a menstrual cycle and obviously
13:16meaning that you will not be able to get
13:17pregnant so it is a it is a treatment
13:20option but is a treatment option that
13:22you must um have an in-depth
13:24conversation about with everyone kind of
13:26around you and people within your
13:28support system
13:29um so just wanted to highlight
13:32that up next I want to talk a little bit
13:35about fibroids um so fibroids are the
13:38most common gynecological Condition it's
13:41closely followed by endometriosis in
13:43second place fibroids are non-cancerous
13:45growth and are found in or around the
13:48womb the exact cause of fibroids is not
13:51fully understood but we do know that
13:52there is a link to estrogen uh fibroids
13:55are more common from puberty up until
13:57menopause as this is when estrogen
13:59levels are high on the right hand side
14:01you can see four different types of
14:03fibroids so on the top right you have
14:05sub mucosal fibroids um underneath that
14:08you have an image showing pendulate
14:11fibroids um just kind of going clockwise
14:14anticlockwise you clockwise sorry uh you
14:16have subserosal fibroids and then
14:18finally you have intramural fibroids um
14:21the symptoms of fibroids are or can be
14:25heavy periods prolonged periods they're
14:27bleeding that last a long time time
14:30painful periods swelling in your tummy
14:33pain or pressure in your pelvis or lower
14:35back pain with sex um constipation
14:39needing to pee more often and also
14:42difficulty getting pregnant in terms of
14:44a diagnosis of fibroids um you would
14:47first go and speak to your GP your GP
14:50may suggest that you have some paric
14:51exams and depending on your results they
14:54may refer you to a
14:56gynecologist a gynecologist will then
14:58run some further the test and these may
15:00include um a blood test to check um if
15:03you if you have anemia you will then um
15:06also be offered a an ultrasound and you
15:08might have two ultrasounds you might
15:10have um the one that looks at your womb
15:12and your ovaries through your tummy
15:13using a probe and the other one would be
15:15a vaginal
15:16scan um you can also have a hysteroscopy
15:21so this a procedure that go looks inside
15:23your womb uh using a narrow tube like
15:26telescope with a camera um and during
15:28this if they do find small um fibroid
15:32they can also remove them and if they do
15:34have this if you do have this treatment
15:36they may also um take a bioy as well at
15:39the same time um and finally again you
15:42may be offered an MRI um scan as well in
15:45terms of treatment there are several
15:48treatments to fibroids um but again the
15:51treatment will depend on the individual
15:54um and the individual symptoms um
15:58because we are trying to impact
16:00obviously your daily life um so you want
16:02the best for an individual so they can
16:04continue to live a good quality of life
16:08um and also there will be an impact in
16:10regards to if there's conversation
16:11around having children as well so all
16:13these kind of factors will take into
16:15your treatment option um and there's two
16:17different types of treatment options so
16:19you can have medicine so painkillers you
16:21can reduce heavy menual bleeding you can
16:24also take medication that can shrink
16:25fibroids as well um but then also there
16:28is other treatment such as surgery so
16:30you can remove the
16:31fibroids um you can have a trans
16:34cervical reection an endometrioid
16:36endometrial um ablation and many more
16:39surgeries as well but again these are
16:41the conversations that you need to be
16:42having with your specialist nurse and
16:44you know put in a lot of research into
16:45into which kind of pathway you want to
16:47go
16:50to and up next I just want to touch Bas
16:52on heavy mental bleeding um heavy
16:55periods again are normal um and are
16:58common um and you may just be an
17:00individual that does experience heavy
17:01meal bleeding um but you may experience
17:05you know in terms of the condition you
17:06may have heavy periods if you need to
17:10change your pad or t point every 1 to
17:11two hours or empty your menstrual cup
17:13more than often then is recommended you
17:16might need to use two types of period
17:17product together such as a pad and a
17:19tampon um you may have periods that last
17:22more than 7even days uh you may pass
17:25blood clots larger than 2.5 cm and
17:28that's a size a Tempe coin um you might
17:31bleed through your clothes or your bed
17:32in um you may experience heavy tional
17:36bleeding where it's impacting again your
17:37day-to-day activities like exercise or
17:39you're having to take time off work
17:41because of your period and you may also
17:43feel tired or short of breath a lot and
17:46in terms of the causes of heavy menure
17:48bleeding um as I mentioned it is common
17:51but there can be some causes such as
17:52conditions affecting your womb your
17:54ovaries or hormones so all the
17:56conditions that I've just previously
17:57mentioned um you might be on some
17:59medication and treatments we have
18:01obviously found that um you know
18:03individuals who might be going through
18:05um treatments such as chemotherapy may
18:08experience heavy menual bleeding um
18:11stress and depression can also cause
18:13heavy menal bleeding so just you know
18:15kind of just reassessing um you know
18:17life situations Etc and just kind of
18:19reflecting on you know your stresses um
18:23but also very rarely is this the case um
18:25heavy periods can also be a sign of
18:27wound cancer so just make sure you're
18:29regularly going for checkups Etc um but
18:32that is quite rare in terms of treatment
18:35um they don't always need to be treated
18:38um but there are treatments that can
18:40help if you if it is impacting your
18:42day-to-day life um and this will be
18:44treatments that you can access through
18:46your GP so it can be types of
18:48contraception such as a combined
18:50contraceptive pill um medicine to help
18:53reduce the bleeding as I mentioned
18:54earlier tranexamic acid can reduce heavy
18:56menal bleeding
18:58you can also be given anti-inflammatory
19:00painkillers such as methanic acid or
19:03noroxin or
19:05ibuprofin um you should request a blood
19:08test as well just to check your iron
19:11deficiency um and if these treatments do
19:14not work um do go back to your GP um and
19:17they will refer you to do um more tests
19:20with a
19:22specialist um just before I move on
19:24because we are going to move on to a
19:25little bit more about you know more
19:27workplace scenarios situations I know
19:30obviously it was kind of a whirlwind um
19:32and if you do want to obviously have
19:33questions do pop them into the chat and
19:35I will get to them um I know it's quite
19:38that first couple of size were quite
19:40medically heavy in terms of explaining
19:42the condition Etc and the reason why I
19:44want to explain the condition along with
19:46the symptoms and the treatment options
19:47because if you are here today as an
19:49employer it's again being really mindful
19:52of you know all the different obstacles
19:53an individual has to go through to even
19:56get a diagnosis but when they do have a
19:57diagnosis to understand that treatment
20:00options are so different from you know
20:02each other for every individual some
20:04treatment options may not work for the
20:06individual so they might have to
20:07continue trying different treatment
20:09options um so again it's a whole you
20:12know Whirlwind of finding out the
20:15condition and then and then kind of
20:16treating the condition and managing your
20:18life um so you know as employees I can
20:21totally understand it be so difficult
20:24through your journey trying to figure
20:25this out but also manage you know your
20:27life your personal life life work
20:29commitments Etc um but as employers you
20:32know again be really mindful have a have
20:34a culture of openness and have a culture
20:37of um you know where Staff feel
20:39confident and comfortable coming to you
20:41to be able to ask questions or let you
20:43know what they're going through so
20:46that's going to segue quite nicely into
20:48the next bit uh which I'll talk a little
20:50bit about workplace um mental he in the
20:53workplace and supporting your colleagues
20:55so one thing I ask is I ask employees to
20:59consider consider a few following things
21:01and I also ask employers to consider a
21:03few things so I'll start with the
21:04employees so with the employees share
21:07information as I mentioned earlier share
21:09what you're going through share you know
21:11how it's impacting you share what your
21:14condition is what it means um how it
21:17impacts you how it affects you and
21:19continue discussing treatment options um
21:22and kind of you know if you are
21:23comfortable with an individual with your
21:24manager with your supervisor kind of
21:26where you are in your treatment option
21:28because again that would be quite um
21:31empowering for each for you both to
21:34understand but be able to at least map
21:36how your employer can support you um and
21:40just continue explaining what you're
21:41experiencing and how it affects you like
21:44I mentioned every condition will impact
21:46an individual differently so if you
21:48continue to explain how it's impacting
21:51you um that will really go a long way
21:54seek advice and support so you have you
21:56know you might have your HR team uh tap
21:59into the NHS website which has great
22:01resources um endometriosis UK we have an
22:04area on our website um that's called
22:06useful links um and we have a range of
22:09different um resources on there not just
22:12not just specifically on and Demetrios
22:14but other other areas of work as well
22:17and also create your own support network
22:19and this could either be in work or
22:21outside of work as
22:23well um be mindful of not assuming or
22:26expecting an employer to make reasonable
22:28adjustments automatically it might take
22:30a while so be open-minded about your
22:32working arrange Arrangements but if they
22:35stop working please do say so please let
22:38your employers know if you get to a
22:41point um in your reasonable you know
22:43you've made some reasonable adjustments
22:44but they're no longer working for you do
22:46speak up do let them know um just so you
22:49can work together and just create a
22:51better working environment for you know
22:52yourself but or overall organizationally
22:55as well and try to understand the
22:58challenge also from your employes
22:59perspective and I would like to
23:01highlight this because there are there
23:02are job roles that are front line you
23:04know front and center that can be quite
23:07difficult to step away from if you're
23:08here today you know perhaps you work in
23:10a hospital or you're a nurse um you know
23:12it's quite it's it is a lot harder to
23:15ask or seek reasonable adjustments
23:17because you're so front line so you know
23:20be mindful of the challenges but don't
23:22shy away from still having these open
23:23conversations with your employer because
23:25I think if your employer even
23:27understands what going through and
23:30understand your condition again that
23:32goes a long way they may be able to or
23:34they may not be able to say sorry um you
23:37can work from home today in some cases
23:39you can't do that because of your job
23:41sake but even for your employer or your
23:43manager to come to and be like I know
23:45you're struggling today just let me know
23:46what I can pick up on or if you need
23:48some time away from your desk or if you
23:50need some time off your feet just let me
23:52know I can rework the rotor or I can
23:55step in so having those conversations I
23:57think I really important um and to
23:59continue having
24:01them and on the right hand side what I
24:03ask employers to consider is continue
24:06learning knowledge is power so if your
24:08staff is coming to you and sharing
24:10information ensure that you're soaking
24:12that information in that you're going
24:14off you're doing kind of your own
24:15research and I'm not saying you spend
24:17you know hours and hours on it you know
24:19just tap into it or just read the NHS
24:21website um just you know do a bit of
24:23learning yourself because knowledge will
24:24go a very long
24:26way how can you think about how your
24:28organization implements best practice
24:30are there things already in place if
24:33there are things already in place do
24:34your staff know about them um I've
24:37spoken to many you know many employeers
24:39where they have great policies in place
24:41great processes in place but many of the
24:42staff just don't know about it um so
24:44just make sure that you know you're
24:46cascading that um learning and that best
24:49practice among all your staff members
24:51and and and everyone knows um and also
24:54start thinking about areas that you can
24:55improve and when you start thinking
24:57about areas of improve Improvement uh
24:59think about the challenges that go um
25:01hand in hand with that as
25:03well so up next I'm going to talk a
25:06little bit about best practice and and
25:08actually suggest best practice um
25:10examples I've split this up into three
25:12different sections so I have policies
25:14and support uh I then have awareness and
25:17I then have practical considerations as
25:19well so we're going to start with
25:20policies and support are your policies
25:23and procedures supportive of those in
25:25mental health conditions have you
25:27checked your existence
25:28uh existing policies do they ensure
25:31those with mental health conditions or
25:32potentially cyclical symptoms are not
25:35disadvantaged that's really important um
25:38that you know everyone feels that they
25:40are supported um through their policies
25:42and procedures that work and that's a
25:44really good starting point as employers
25:45to make staff members feel heard and
25:48feel seen um one other thing that I
25:51think is is not much of a policy but I
25:53guess you know it might come under your
25:54processes is if an individual if a staff
25:57member is logging in a sick day say
26:00they're experiencing a really bad flare
26:02art because they have
26:04endometriosis um and they cannot
26:06physically work on that you know they
26:07physically cannot get to their screen or
26:09they can't get into work and they need
26:10to they need a sick day what options
26:13have you got on your drop down when they
26:15log in their sick day because I've
26:17spoken to many employers and they don't
26:19have an option and it can be something
26:21as simple as menal health you don't have
26:24to be very you know explicit in regards
26:26to which condition it is you you can
26:28just have it as a Topline menstrual
26:30Health you're off sick because of a
26:31menstrual health condition it will it's
26:33so empowering for an individual to be
26:35able to kind of tap into the you know
26:37the open the drop down see that they
26:39there's an option for them rather than
26:41putting it down as a migraine or
26:43diarrhea or vomiting because that's not
26:45associated with what they're feeling and
26:47what they're what they're signing in
26:48with or you know signing their sick day
26:50with again just being really you know
26:52inclusive open-minded and making people
26:55feel heard and listen to as well
26:58uh facilitate conversations about
27:00individual needs and see what the
27:01flexibility can be applied to help them
27:03Thrive at work I think I've mentioned
27:05earlier having open conversations and
27:07continuing to have these conversations
27:09is key I encourage staff members to feel
27:12they have a space space safe space and
27:14colleagues who understand their
27:16experiences uh think about appropriate
27:18training for line managers uh who create
27:21the supportive working environment can
27:23they have training in effective training
27:26in mental health um but also think about
27:28you know away from mental health they
27:31need to be able to have confident
27:33conversations so can they be training
27:35around just you know boosting confidence
27:38um conversations um training around that
27:41or training around having difficult
27:43conversations with staff members um or
27:46maybe you know leadership training Etc I
27:49think all this will really really
27:51enhance managerial skills to be able to
27:54have conversations but also enable staff
27:57m MERS and enable line managers to allow
28:00staff members to feel really comfortable
28:02when they're having these conversations
28:04because as a staff member to come to a
28:06manager it can be quite vulnerable to
28:08explain what the condition is it's not
28:10the most easiest of um conditions if you
28:13have a mental health condition to
28:14explain what you're feeling what you're
28:15going through if you're still trying to
28:17get a diagnosis Etc it is quite you know
28:20quite draining to continue also speaking
28:23about it as well um and having to
28:25explain every so often what it you know
28:27how it's impacting you um but if you if
28:30a line manager makes you feel kind of
28:32comfortable and just going back to the
28:34safe space it will be a lot easier so
28:37just to make sure that there's effective
28:38training in place for managers as well
28:40um chronic pain conditions also coincide
28:43with managing symptoms so just be really
28:46mindful that a lot of these mental
28:47health conditions um do come with
28:49chronic pain come as a chronic pain
28:51condition um health and wellbeing
28:53initiatives what do you currently have
28:55in place for health and wellbeing
28:58Network and again is it supporting those
29:01with menstral health conditions if not
29:03that's a really great place to start
29:05looking into to allow um staff members
29:08feel like they are
29:09supported occupational therapist and HR
29:12gu guidance do you have that in place if
29:14not is that something you can and if you
29:16do have that in place do your staff know
29:17about it um acknowledge that some staff
29:20might be suffering without being
29:22diagnosed again be supportive um and
29:25just be kind and compassionate overall
29:29awareness um sorry move this out the way
29:33awareness uh so raising awareness around
29:36mental health at work to help Staff feel
29:39supported do all managers know the
29:41difference in conditions and how they're
29:43impacting their staff um it can be
29:45incredibly supportive and empowering and
29:47such a real relief for an employee to
29:49say to their line manager or supervisor
29:52I have peace your and for them to hear
29:54back I know what that is let's have a
29:57conversation around around how it
29:58impacts you and how we can support you
30:00that whole scenario and situation within
30:03itself again it can be so supportive for
30:06an individual to step into a room and
30:09just feel from the offset that they're
30:11they're heard they're understood um and
30:13that they're receiving the support that
30:15they they need or they you know that
30:16they should have in a
30:18workplace um make sure there's more
30:21mental health information within the
30:22organization I know you know loads of
30:24organizations have like e portals or e e
30:27um online kind of
30:28tools where they can post information or
30:31perhaps just go through the old school
30:33kind of way having leaflets around the
30:35office the toilets the bathrooms Etc
30:37just spreading that information more and
30:39more within the organization and we'll
30:41really start to navigate these
30:43conversations that should be happening
30:44in the workplace think about mental
30:47health groups so advocating for Women's
30:49Health could you start you know a little
30:51group um coming together it could be
30:54once a month just discussing you know
30:56how they're feeling things you know
30:58because a lot of learning will happen
30:59from each other as well but it can be
31:01really good to have a group that
31:03advocates for Women's Health at work and
31:04it can be very empowering and you can
31:06learn a lot from it collaborate with
31:09mental health experts and
31:11organizations um so you know lunch and
31:13learn talks um and Demetrios as UK do
31:16lots of lunch and learns we can either
31:17do it online or we can come into you
31:19face to face there are other
31:21organizations and experts out there that
31:22can also offer the same things um just
31:25star to think about collaborating with
31:26them and this can happen during like
31:28awareness months for example so
31:30endometriosis awareness month is in
31:32March could you possibly do something
31:34during March to highlight that so take
31:36action in the workplace take part in
31:38fundraising challenges join employer
31:41schemes to show commitment to creating
31:42supportive
31:44workplaces um Foster a workplace culture
31:46that values and supports mental health
31:49as well discourage stigma surrounding
31:51mental health conditions and encourage
31:53open conversations now the reason why
31:55I've highlighted mental health there is
31:57menal health and mental health do go
32:00hand inand um if I highlight pmdd it is
32:05a mood disorder so understanding first
32:08and foremost understanding pmdd but also
32:11understanding that an individual's
32:13mental well-being is also very important
32:16again we'll work very well hand inand
32:18and having those conversations openly
32:20will be very advantages of an employer
32:23but also employee as
32:25well again going back to taking time to
32:28learn about conditions and don't use
32:30language such as oh they're PMSing again
32:34that is not the language you know you
32:35should be using in a workplace even if
32:37it is a bit of a joke or banter it's not
32:40nice for someone who has a condition and
32:42they're just being put down as their
32:43PMSing again it's a little bit more than
32:45just PMSing um it's not you know it's
32:48not the correct language that you should
32:49be using in your workplace um nor should
32:52you kind of be associating with you know
32:55something happening in the workplace if
32:56someone's not feeling great or not
32:57looking great um just putting it down to
32:59they on their period it's a little bit
33:01more than that um and just taking that
33:03time to learn about a condition can go a
33:05long
33:09way up next practical adjustments um
33:12this might not be for all um it can be
33:16quite different for everyone in terms of
33:18the employer you're setting where you're
33:20based um but just start thinking about
33:22someone with mental health conditions
33:23and for example if your office Bas you
33:25know do you have easy access to toilet
33:28um access to private spaces if an
33:30individual is experiencing pain um if
33:33you're a Workforce that requires to wear
33:35uniform consider having different sizes
33:38um and different options so for example
33:40someone with endometriosis may
33:42experience bloa in um as I mentioned
33:45earlier PCOS if someone has PCOS they
33:47may fluctuate in weight so do you offer
33:49multiple sizes to ensure sta feel
33:52comfortable um also offer darker colors
33:54for those experiencing heavy menal
33:56bleeding um just just a few things just
33:58to highlight that if you have got a
34:00uniform in place the difference you know
34:02just there are small small changes but
34:04it can impact an individual tremendously
34:07to feel more comfortable at
34:09work consider flexibility around working
34:13hours um this will benefit those who mon
34:15through health conditions and enable
34:16them to thrive at work and as I
34:19mentioned earlier about doctor's
34:20appointments some appointments have to
34:22be taken first and foremost doctor
34:25doctor's appointments are very rare to
34:26come by so if someone does come up um or
34:29does get a doctor's appointment do allow
34:31them to take them um and some
34:34appointments are synced with menstrual
34:36cycles and some may even need to be
34:39conducted at certain times in the month
34:40and even within the day so be as
34:44open-minded as you possibly can can um
34:46and just be really compassionate to
34:48understand that unfortunately this is
34:50kind of what needs to happen um they
34:53need to attend that doctor's appointment
34:54especially if they're trying to get a
34:56diagnosis
34:57um it's you know I can't highlight more
35:00like how important it is to allow them
35:03to be able to just relieve get relieve
35:05from the desk for half an hour go to the
35:06doctor's appointment do the tests that
35:08they need to be done and just you know
35:10hop back on um and also reassign work or
35:14duties again I know not everyone can do
35:16this but if you do know or if you know
35:18of a staff member who might be flaring
35:21or if you know some people can know when
35:24they're going to be experiencing a flare
35:25up or not be feeling very well so just
35:28having open conversations with your
35:29supervisor or your manager just to
35:31highlight that you know I may not be
35:33able to get to x y and Zed um I can get
35:36to it next week but for a manager to be
35:38like do you know what I can take that
35:39off you I'll focus on that today you can
35:41focus on this so just a few you know a
35:43few changes in the and reassigning work
35:46or duties can go again a very long way
35:48to support those mental health
35:50conditions um so just wanted to show you
35:53um a balanced scales um so at the top
35:56you have an individual that might have
35:57repeated absences because there isn't
35:59you know the support that they need or
36:01the the processes in place for them to
36:04be able to uh take time of work or just
36:06take a sick day or just step away from
36:09the screen without having to log it as a
36:10sick day um might obviously trickle into
36:13poor sta retention performance levels
36:16might drop a little bit um they might
36:18start to feel isolated but at the bottom
36:21if you have an organization or if you
36:23have an employer who has a culture of
36:25openness they are open to making
36:27adjustments and adaptations you have
36:30supportive line managers in place and
36:32you are you know signposting your staff
36:35and you know showing resources it can
36:38balance out and it can balance out so
36:41great that the staff member feels
36:44exactly where they need to be they're
36:45thriving at work they feel supported um
36:48they feel heard but also from an
36:50organization organizational point of
36:52view and in you know in regards to
36:54business needs it is balanced out and it
36:56can work it can work very well together
36:59if you have the bottom if you have that
37:02bottom bit of the scale happening it
37:04will definitely um benefit your employer
37:08your employee and overall business um
37:11business needs as
37:13well um just a few quotes um that I've
37:16you know I'd like to share from some of
37:18the work that I've been doing with um
37:20mental health at work um so the first
37:23one we've started Women's Health
37:24Initiative at work I can let you know
37:26that that has been actually been going
37:28really great um for this organization um
37:31and they are being listened to more so
37:33that's fantastic um suffering from under
37:35metriosis and not really knowing what I
37:37can and can't do it's good to see I can
37:39ask for some flexibility I feel
37:42empowered to speak to my manager about
37:44flexibility around my working hours and
37:46days I have a woman in the team who has
37:48endometriosis so it's helped me better
37:50understand the condition and how to best
37:52support her discussing menal half in the
37:55workplace with the same attitude that
37:56one would discuss a broken ankle has
37:59really helped to normalize words spread
38:01awareness and made me feel so supported
38:04as a result I've had to ask for support
38:07from my employer in relation to
38:08fertility fertility treatments access to
38:11toilets and flexibility regarding
38:12medical appointments again I can
38:14highlight that for this employee it has
38:16she has come away from this being very
38:18supported from her employers just
38:21because she highlighted the support that
38:23she needs and finally they allow me to
38:26go back to my home town and work from
38:28there so I can be closer to F to my
38:30family when I'm not doing well with my
38:32mental health due to physical symptoms
38:34of adenomiosis and
38:38endometriosis um so people you need in
38:41your support team and this might be in
38:44work or outside of work but if you're
38:46here today as someone who is looking to
38:48support an individual who has a
38:51condition these are the kind of things
38:53that I would like you to kind of take
38:54away from today as well so some someone
38:57who celebrates your wins no matter how
39:00big or small but also shows up during
39:02the High Times someone who takes things
39:04off your plate to make those days uh
39:07hard days easier without being asked
39:10someone who makes you feel seen
39:12validated and normal someone who tries
39:14to learn and understand through asking
39:16and listening instead of making
39:18assumptions someone who can someone who
39:20asks how they can help I understand that
39:23individual individuals with mental
39:25health conditions have different
39:26experiences is someone who checks in
39:29from time to time people with mental
39:31health conditions often struggle
39:33maintaining the energy levels and
39:34attending social Gatherings so you know
39:37checking in from time to time will again
39:39feel um for the individual that they are
39:41very supported um and they're not kind
39:43of feeling isolated or left out and
39:46finally someone who does not judge you
39:48um mental health conditions overall are
39:50complex and it's challenging for
39:53individuals to predict when they
39:54experience a flare up or pain or energy
39:57flu situation so again don't judge be
40:00mindful be kind and be
40:03compassionate so I just want to
40:05highlight some of the resources that I
40:06spoke about earlier um so PCOS you have
40:09Verity um who do great work with
40:11supporting individuals with polycystic
40:13ovary syndrome um you have the
40:16International Association for Prem menal
40:18dispor disorder pmdd um again tons of
40:22stuff that they're doing um adenomiosis
40:25um currently there isn't a charity that
40:27focuses solely on osis um but there is a
40:31an individual that we work very closely
40:33with um the adino gang um she does Tanya
40:36does great work around supporting those
40:38of
40:39adenomiosis I can also just highlight
40:41that you know endometriosis will be
40:43looking into adenomiosis as well a
40:44little bit more deeper and we do have a
40:46few things already on our website so you
40:48can also tap into that as well um
40:50fibroids NHS have great um a great kind
40:54of resources pool on the NHS website as
40:56well as heavy menal bleeding to do have
40:58a look on that as well um and again I
41:01mentioned earlier around the other
41:03useful links are on our website so do
41:05have a look through that as well if you
41:07if you need support um and if you need
41:09further you know guidance or support or
41:12you just like to email a few other
41:13questions that might come up um do
41:16contact me I know I sent an email to you
41:18all today um but you can also email
41:21employees at endometriosis
41:25d.org um you can also email them as well
41:28and the correct staff will pick up the
41:31questions or the guidance that you may
41:33may need

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