By Sarah Davies, Managing Director, Balance@Work
When I first read the findings from our latest Balance@Work survey, one statistic immediately stood out.
Nearly eight in ten women (79%) told us that hormone-related symptoms had affected their work participation or career decisions.
It's a powerful statistic, but if I'm honest, it didn't surprise me.
For years, I've worked with organisations that genuinely want to create better workplaces. I've also spoken to countless women who have quietly adapted their working lives because they felt they had no other choice.
Others simply carried on, doing everything they could to hide what they were experiencing.
What our survey shows is that these experiences are not isolated. They form part of a much bigger conversation about hormone health at work.
Over the last few years, it's been encouraging to see menopause become part of the workplace conversation.
But menopause is only one chapter.
Women's hormone health begins long before menopause and continues long afterwards. It can include menstrual health, PMS, PMDD, endometriosis, PCOS/PMOS, fertility, pregnancy-related hormonal changes, as well as perimenopause and menopause itself.
Every one of these has the potential to affect confidence, concentration, energy, decision-making and performance at work.
If employers only focus on menopause, they risk missing much of the journey.
One of the findings that resonated most with me was that 76% of respondents said they continued working despite symptoms affecting their performance.
That tells us something important.
This isn't simply about sickness absence.
Many women are showing up every day, continuing to support their teams, deliver projects and lead organisations while quietly managing symptoms that affect their ability to perform at their best.
In many workplaces, that invisible impact never appears on a dashboard.
It isn't captured in absence figures.
It doesn't feature in management reports.
But it's there.
One of the strongest messages running throughout the survey wasn't a request for more policies.
It was a request for better understanding.
Respondents spoke about wanting knowledgeable managers, open conversations, practical flexibility and clearer routes to trusted healthcare information and treatment..
That mirrors what we hear every day from organisations we work alongside. The employers making the biggest difference aren't necessarily those with the longest policy documents.
They're the ones investing in education, giving managers confidence to have supportive conversations and creating cultures where people feel able to ask for help.
We've seen organisations begin that journey through employee education sessions, manager training and practical workplace guidance. Time and again, we hear that simply improving understanding creates more open conversations and greater confidence across teams.
The findings in this report shouldn't leave employers feeling overwhelmed.
Quite the opposite.
They represent an opportunity.
No organisation has all the answers.
Every organisation is at a different stage.
The important thing is being willing to start.
At Balance@Work, our ambition has always been simple.
To help organisations move beyond awareness and towards meaningful action.
This report is not the end of the conversation.
It's the beginning.
I hope the experiences shared by the 5,592 women who contributed encourage more organisations to ask better questions, listen more carefully and take practical steps that genuinely improve working lives.
Because when we understand hormone health better, we create better workplaces for everyone.
Ready to take the next step?
📖 Download the full Balance@Work Hormone Health Survey Report here
Or, if you'd like to understand where your organisation is today, take our Find Your Route assessment and discover practical, evidence-based steps to build a healthier, more inclusive workplace.
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More than a quarter of women have considered leaving the workforce because of hormone-related symptoms, according to new research from Balance@Work.
79% said hormone-related symptoms had affected their work participation or career decisions, while 24% had already left a role or organisation because of hormone health.
