While workers across the board want more support from their employer to improve their health and wellbeing, a lack of understanding of gender drivers in the workplace is negatively affecting workplace absence.
This is according to a report from corporate health and wellbeing and specialist rehabilitation and case management provider HCML which surveyed 503 employees HR leaders at 200 UK employers.
The report found 52.29% of employees surveyed said they need more support from their employer to improve their health and wellbeing.
But a gender split emerged where participants were asked to define how they felt their employer could support their health and wellbeing.
The report found 29% of females cited wanted specific menopause support from their employers and 34.51% of females wanted help and support with weight issues.
This compared with just 25.88% of men, and 39.80% of men who wanted help to improve their productivity at work.
Financial consequences
The report also looked at how gender contributes to differing health and wellbeing needs in the workplace, and how employers that cater for these differences impact the likelihood of employees staying in their roles and company.
The report concludes this has financial consequences for businesses, as workplace absence costs an average of £568 per employee – a figure the reports writers say is likely to have increased as absence days have risen from 5.8 per employee, per year in 2019, to 7.8 in 2023.
Consideration for differing needs
Pamela Gellatly, strategic development director from HCML, said: “Recent data collected found that age drivers greatly impact workplace absence.
“Our report found that focusing solely on age factors without considering gender drivers within the workplace will not allow for a broad overview of the problems that businesses are facing.
“All employers must consider the differing needs of the whole workforce and our report has highlighted that gender drives the different types of support needed to mitigate workplace absence.
“For example, 43.91% of women say they are more likely to stay in a job that offers health and wellbeing benefits such as nutrition and managing the menopause. This signals that many women are thinking ahead when it comes to their health and wellbeing, and suggests that employers who offer this type of support may see better retention with female employees.”
But the report also found that over half of employees currently look after their health and wellbeing to help improve their mood and overall mental health, and this is more of a focus for women (56%) than men (49%).
Gellatly continued: “We know from recent research that 18-24 year olds experience more mental ill health than other age groups, and that young women are more likely to experience common mental health disorders than men.
“It’s encouraging to see from our research that young women are interested in proactively looking after their health and wellbeing, as mental health can be more effectively managed through activity and good nutrition.”
Lack of support for men as they age
And touching on the gender divide uncovered in the report, Gellatly added: “While workplace support has generally improved for female focused heath concerns such as the menopause, there is little support for the health conditions that men face with ageing.
“For example, falling testosterone levels as men age can lead to low mood, poor concentration and short-term memory among other symptoms, which can impact on absence and presenteeism.
“These symptoms can be alleviated through nutrition support and strength and conditioning, enabling men to take control of improving their health.”