Lianne de Vera is Communications and Marketing Lead - and an Endometriosis Champion - at the charity Somers Town Community Association, which became an Endometriosis Friendly Employer in September 2024.
“We decided to become an Endometriosis Friendly Employer after a series of workshops we ran with our community. We’re a charity serving a diverse and deprived local community in Camden, North London.
Those workshops helped us see just how many women in the community and in our staff were living with symptoms of menstrual ill health - real, significant pain - without realising that they weren't alone. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to talk about it, it was just that nobody had opened the door. That was also true for me, in that I have endometriosis, and in previous jobs there was simply no space to talk about it, it never came up; and I just had to try to get on with things.
When our directors heard all of this, they were immediately on board. They wanted to know how they could support colleagues like me. We knew we also had to take it seriously as a community organisation with projects spanning health and wellbeing, women’s programmes, employment support, and more.
Our staff team is largely made up of women, so the internal changes have been meaningful. As Endometriosis Champions, my colleague and I have dedicated time in monthly team meetings to talking through what endometriosis is and what it means to be an Endometriosis Friendly Employer. We've built a shared resources folder for the whole team, and updated our employee handbook to make it explicit: if you're managing symptoms, need time for an appointment, or need to work from home on a difficult day, you can ask, and you'll be supported. Having it written down makes the conversation easier before it even starts.
Being an Endometriosis Friendly Employer is also benefitting our community, just as we hoped it would. Recently a woman who had come into one of our community buildings was speaking to our front-of-house team about her health and symptoms. She'd been experiencing symptoms for years and dismissing them. We encouraged her to see her GP and gave her some information about endometriosis.
Everything we do is about breaking down barriers. Being an Endometriosis Friendly Employer supports us to do that - and it's given our team the knowledge and confidence to carry that into their work with our community.”
Thank you, Lianne, for sharing your story and to the Somers Town Community Association for their commitment to creating a supportive and open working environment.
To find out more about the Endometriosis Friendly Employer scheme and how your workplace can get involved, please click here.
Endometriosis at Work: Have your say!
The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Endometriosis is calling for written evidence to investigate how those with endometriosis need to be better supported at work.
This inquiry is a chance to have your say and to make sure Parliament hears the full picture, including from the employers and organisations who shape workplace culture every day.
Every response strengthens the case for change. If you are an employee with lived experience of endometriosis and feel comfortable to do so, please add your voice here.
If you are responding on behalf of a company or organisation, please share your insights and experiences via the survey here.
