Endo@Work
What is
Endo@Work?
Endo@Work is a doctoral research project focused on creating supportive, inclusive workplaces for people living with endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain.
Here’s the project phases:
Phase 1
Looking at what already exists
We started by reviewing policies, guidelines and legislation from around the world that relate to menstruation, menstrual disorders, and menopause at work. We wanted to see what’s already out there and what we can learn from it. We found that: many policies are inconsistent in their approach, lack strong evidence in their design, and haven’t been properly tested to see if they work.
You can read our scoping review here.
Phase 2
Co-designing workplace guidelines with lived experience at the centre
We believe that good policies need to be shaped by the people they’re meant to support. So we ran a national online survey to learn about how people manage endometriosis at work and what’s missing in current workplace support. Held focus groups with people in Australia living and working with endometriosis to hear about their real experiences.
Based on this, we drafted a set of workplace guidelines to help employers better support their staff. These guidelines are built around three key pillars:
Policy
Clear and supportive policy recommendations
Processes
Practical ways to apply & embed the policy
Education
Creating documents for awareness and educating others
Phase 3
Working with employers to make the guidelines practical
Next, we invited Australian employers, like managers, HR professionals, and team leaders, to take part in focus groups. They helped us refine the guidelines, so they’re not just supportive, but realistic and useful in everyday workplace settings.
The updated guidelines now include policy recommendations, practical processes, and education resources that workplaces can use.
You can read our employer paper here.
Phase 4
Testing the guidelines in the real world
Right now, we’re trialling the Endo@Work guidelines in a real Australian workplace. We're evaluating and learning how they work in practice, what needs improvement, and how they impact both employers and employees. We’re excited to share our findings soon!
The Endo@Work team:
Endo@Work is a PhD research project led by Danielle Howe at NICM Health Research Institute at Western Sydney University. The wider project team includes the lead supervisor: Associate Professor Mike Armour, and co-supervisors: Dr Michelle O’Shea and Dr Sarah Duffy.
This page will grow over time.