It goes without saying: no one should have to choose between their job and their wellbeing. Yet a quarter of women working in UK offices say they have been shamed or pressured to return to work early when taking time off for health issues, new research by the women’s health startup frendo has found.

Despite the government urging employers to do more to keep workers healthy and the growing prevalence of workplace conversations about staff health, stigma around female health conditions remains,

As a result, over a quarter (28%) of women say their company culture is not open when it comes to discussing health conditions and 27% say their employer is not very willing to make allowances for wellbeing issues.

And the impact isn’t just physical. One in seven women (14%) say they have experienced discrimination in the workplace due to their health, such as being overlooked for promotions or excluded from team activities. Two in five of those who had been discriminated against (42%) did not vocalise their concerns to the staff who were placing them at a disadvantage, and the same proportion did not tell their HR department. 

It’s no surprise, then, that Headspace’s sixth annual Workforce State of Mind report also revealed this week that 77% of workers in the UK say stress has poorly impacted their physical health. Once again, the effects extend far beyond physical health, as 71% claim that work stress caused a personal relationship to end, with Gen X employees more likely (79%) than any other generation to report that work stress has led to a breakup or divorce. This strain is filtering its way into family dynamics too, with over a third of workers (40%) stating that work stress has impacted their children’s mental health or their ability to care for their family.

These figures are just the latest in a slew of concerning research into how our jobs are really impacting our wellbeing. Only last month, a worrying report suggested that over a third of young people experience mental illness, adding that 5% are currently signed off work for mental health reasons. Clearly, even with many companies moving towards more flexible working arrangements, still more needs to be done to allow women to prioritise their health – something that should be a given, not an exception. 

Images: Getty