Cumbria Chamber of Commerce has signed up to become the first endometriosis friendly employer in the county and is encouraging other businesses to sign up too.
Endometriosis is a disease that affects one in 10 women and those assigned female at birth and can often give sufferers extremely debilitating symptoms which can leave them bed-bound for days.
Alongside this significant impact on sufferers themselves, endometriosis costs employers £8.2 billion each year in treatment, loss of work and healthcare costs. The scheme is not only a lifeline for employees worrying about limited pay due to absence and the impact on their careers but also will save businesses who sign up to the scheme in the long run.
By signing up to the Endometriosis Friendly Employer scheme through Endometriosis UK, Cumbria Chamber of Commerce has made a commitment to develop a work environment and culture that enables employees with endometriosis to be able to work comfortably more of the time.
The scheme provides guidance to employers on how to support employees with the disease, with support in leadership and management, tackling stigma and changing culture and communicating with employees with the condition.
The chamber has also appointed its own Endometriosis Champion, Elaine Rémy who is a longstanding friend and member of the chamber and the Voluntary Endometriosis UK Cumbria Support Group Leader.
As a champion, Elaine is there for chamber staff to turn to for support and information relating to the disease and will also be supporting the chamber in encouraging other businesses to sign up. Elaine has been campaigning for support for sufferers for some time.
Elaine, who has severe endometriosis, said: “I’m delighted that Cumbria Chamber of Commerce has become the first Endometriosis Friendly Employer in the county. They have shown great empathy with the many employees in Cumbria who have the disease and are leading by example.
“I hope many more businesses in the area will follow suit and commit to supporting staff who have the condition by developing an environment that enables them to be heard and helped so they can thrive at work.”
Suzanne Caldwell, managing director of Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, said: “I count myself as very lucky not to have suffered from something which affects thousands of women and can be an extremely debilitating condition.
“Given our role as the chamber we see becoming an endometriosis friendly employer as very much about supporting and encouraging other employers in the county. Beyond the women themselves this will also benefit their employers in helping them to have more of their workforce contributing effectively more of the time, and even encouraging more people to see them as an employer they could and would like to work for.”
Elaine runs a support group for sufferers regularly, details can be found on our website, along with information and resources for employers here: https://cumbriagrowthhub.co.uk/business-support/improving-your-business/knowledge-centre-2/wellbeing-resources/endometriosis-uk
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