Workshop to help employers support women going through menopause
Leading Wellbeing Consultant, Karina Todd, has warned employers need to do more to support women going through the menopause as she prepares to host a virtual workshop on World Menopause Day (October 18) for senior managers and human resources teams.
With 62% of menopausal women reporting they felt they did not receive enough support, the free Menopause Matters at Work one-hour lunch and learn session will cover everything from the basics through to gold standard practice.
Karina, who runs a coaching and consultancy business, warned that there is a very real impact to organisations who do not support women going through the menopause.
“By refusing to tackle this issue, the employer is risking losing very experienced staff as women continue to leave their jobs as they do not feel valued, listened to or engaged,” she explained. “And, for those women who do stay with the employer, absenteeism and presenteeism may present a problem due to increased sick leave levels and a drop in productivity.”
The evidence that many employers are not doing enough is mounting.
“We recently conducted some initial research involving 200 menopausal women in the workplace in Northern Ireland,” Karina said. “A staggering 86% responded that they feel their employer could do more to support employees going through menopause.”
“Furthermore, 62% of the women surveyed said that they do not feel supported by their employer as they go through menopause.”
Karina warns that this can mean organisations are failing their staff with the additional risk of potential harm to the organisation on many levels.
“An employer has a duty of care to its employees and ignoring the effects of menopause in the workplace puts the employer at risk of potential breaches which could result in legal claims made by employees as has been reported recently in the press.”
Her Menopause Matters at Work workshop aims to help equip management with the tools to understand what needs to be done, and how to do it.
“Effective management of menopause in the workplace can be achieved by taking some time to assess the current position, training staff, offering reasonable adjustments and opening clear lines of communication within the organisation.”
“It is time for Northern Ireland employers to lift their heads out of the sand and, by committing to make some changes, all staff, managers and even the bottom line will benefit.”
Karina believes that organisations must now seize the opportunity to step up to the challenge.
“Many businesses across Northern Ireland are doing nothing to address this very important topic which affects 51% of the population,” she said. “Many of those organisations who have started to address this issue simply view it as a ‘tick box’ exercise and believe that by simply having a Menopause Policy, they are doing enough.”
“I am on a mission to change this by making businesses across Northern Ireland ‘menopause-friendly’ and by ensuring that women going through the menopause while working feel heard, valued and respected.”
“In today’s competitive market, businesses must become equipped with tools and techniques to ensure they attract, support, engage and retain female staff – it’s not just the bottom line that will benefit.”
To register for the free workshop go to Eventbrite and to contribute to the Menopause at Work survey, go to https://bit.ly/46Kk1jP.
To discuss how Karina can support your organisation, get in touch at [email protected]
