The menopause can affect any of your workforce at any stage, whether they are directly experiencing the symptoms themselves or supporting someone else going through it.
It concerns both individual and organisational wellbeing. The confidence to bring our ‘authentic selves’ to work can improve performance, productivity and retention.
Establishing a safe environment to talk
Acas’s survey finds that over a third (37%) of employers are either ‘not very confident’ or ‘not at all confident’ that managers have the necessary skills to support staff experiencing menopause symptoms, with a further 17% answering ‘don’t know’.
Disclosure of the menopause can be incredibly complex, often requiring the sharing of other personal information, for example, prior health or fertility issues or existing health conditions which the menopause has worsened. Discussions should be guided by the individual and respectful of their needs, with focus china phone number library on the support available.
Creating proactive and accessible guidelines
Having a written, regularly-reviewed framework helps establish clear guidelines in a single space.
This should include the organisation’s commitment to support its diverse workforce and prevent atb directory discrimination, expectations for both employers and employees, information around training, and signposts to reliable and accurate resources.
Progressing the dialogue
While we are beginning to see the menopause and the role of the workplace seep into our regular conversations, notable gaps in knowledge and practice continue to stand in the way of progress.
A responsible business is one which advances fairness and inclusion, and dedicates time and space to how to fix the error “shutil educate itself and its workforce about the menopause. More broadly speaking, raising awareness of all aspects of health and wellbeing is a big part of the journey. Let’s make sure we don’t lose the momentum.
Menopause education is the missing puzzle piece
18 October 2022
Simone Cheng , Acas Senior Policy Adviser
Simone Cheng is a Senior Policy Adviser at Acas. She is part of a team responsible for informing the future strategic direction of Acas and influencing the wider debate on the value of employment relations.
