IS YOUR WORKPLACE MENOPAUSE FRIENDLY?
Is your workplace menopause friendly?
Did you know that an estimated 10% of women experiencing menopause have left a job due to their symptoms? Most are aged 45-55, meaning that employers risk losing staff with a wealth of skills and experience.
Now, the BSI has introduced a free menopause standard to help companies ease working life for those experiencing symptoms such as insomnia, muscle stiffness and brain fog. Let’s take a look at the steps you can take to make your workplace menopause friendly.
What impact does the menopause have on workers?
Everyone experiences menopause differently. Some may breeze through it – while others have debilitating symptoms such as heavy periods, hot flushes, and depression that affect their ability to work.
For some, the experience is sudden or short-lived, but for others, perimenopause may begin a decade before they have their final period.
And younger women, transmen and non-binary people may also experience menopause.
The impact on workplace productivity is significant: one estimate puts global costs at $150 billion per year.
As well as the physical and emotional symptoms, those going through menopause may fear they’ll encounter stigma, sexism and ageism if they open up about their struggles to their line manager or colleagues.
It’s important to remember that employers have legal obligations to protect against such discrimination and to ensure staff health, safety and welfare.
Flexible workplaces: five steps
The BSI’s new standard (BS 30416), which also covers menstrual health, advocates taking a flexible approach. It offers employers examples of good practice on matters including policy guidance, work design, workplace culture and physical aspects.
The standard details five steps employers could take to build a menopause-friendly workplace:
1. Consider your workplace culture. Is there a general awareness of menopause? Are employers able to hold open conversations and ask for support?
2. Look at staff awareness. Are line managers and HR managers trained in understanding the issues around menopause? Do they have sufficient resources to manage them?
3. Review the physical environment of your workplace. Do you have good air conditioning, ventilation and temperature controls? Is there easy access to toilets, changing rooms, or quiet recovery spaces?
4. Check your policies. Is menopause considered in your policies on wellbeing, diversity and inclusion, performance management, sickness and absences, flexible working and other relevant documents?
5. Be flexible and take an individual approach. Can you allow each person flexibility over scheduling, timings of breaks, opportunities to stand and stretch, and access to individual cooling or heating?
These steps should provide the basis for building a healthy, inclusive workplace in which midlife women and others experiencing menopause feel respected and welcomed.
StaffSavvy: making flexible working easy
At StaffSavvy, we know how tricky it can be for managers to keep track of flexible and part-time working, and ensuring you’ve got enough people on the rota at all times.
Our workplace management platform automates many standard processes, helping you manage flexible and remote workers, and plan cover where needed.
Plus, you can enable your staff to self-manage in many areas, such as filling in sick leave forms, which can be completed and uploaded digitally. Making things easier for staff members and also lifting the burden off of managers.
Contact StaffSavvy to book your free demo today.