Well-being company director Ruth Tongue hopes her impact on attitudes towards female health in the workplace will serve generations of aspirational women to come as a result of her unique work within employment wellbeing.

The boss of Elevate hosted the Women’s Health Summit at Craven Cottage in partnership with Women in Football, a professional network representing 9,000 members working in and around the football industry, and Fulham FC.

Panels and speaker sessions throughout the day discussed all topics from mental and emotional health to dealing with hormonal changes to traditional well-being methods regarding nutrition and self-care.

Fulham FC have been in partnership with Elevate for 18 months as the inclusive Premier League club look to inspire more across the country to advocate for female workplace well-being.

Tongue said: “Having had discussions with Fulham and Women in Football, we felt this was a perfect way to bring together women working within football together.

“We wanted to engage, elevate, and give more knowledge around women’s health, the way it can affect things like hormones and how we feel in our job role.

“We’re trying to break down some of the aspirational things we see in many women, burning the candle at both ends, feeling like we have to be it all.

“Sometimes, through doing that we’re risking burnout to our mental and physical health, not just in the moment but 10 or 20 years down the line.”

Fulham have led ground-breaking initiatives tailored to women’s needs within the workforce, including hosting a female working group to provide a safe space for employees to discuss a range of issues and topics.

However, despite progress within the football and wider sports industry, Tongue insists the stats speak for themselves when it comes to female employees feeling uncomfortable to speak openly about their health and well-being.

She added: “We spend half of our lives in perimenopause and post menopause.

“Two out of three women don’t feel comfortable talking about their health in the workplace and half of women think if they did talk about their health, it would affect their career progression.

“We know that if women don’t feel comfortable having those conversations, it will be affecting their physical and mental health, but they’ll also be more likely to leave their job roles.

“Women are thinking about leaving their job roles due to things like menopausal symptoms.

“We know that if women can talk more openly about their health they will feel more able to stay in their current roles and progress.”