The menopause affects every woman differently, both physically and emotionally. It’s proven the impact on an individual’s health can affect absence and productivity, how they work and their relationships with colleagues.
With the incidents that have passed across my desk during 2021 it seems obvious that discrimination cases will rise.
What is concerning is how many people aren’t aware of their rights and who are either not aware how to seek support or concerned what will happen to them if they do.
Having supported people with claims for both direct and indirect workplace discrimination it seems the SMEs are developing policy to support their teams whilst the corporate beasts are lagging behind.
There’s plenty of information and advice out there to support people in the workplace. Here’s a small list of resources I’ve come across recently:
Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development | @CIPD
British Menopause Society | @BrMenopauseSoc
Unison | @UnisonTheUnion
TUC | @The_TUC
Sexual Health Company | @FPAResources
Who’s doing what? The HR community is helping drive and shape what’s needed to tackle this taboo yet as it’s unlikely to receive significant government attention its important organisations are challenged by their own employees on current and future provisions and adjustments.
Culture is key Surely we can all see this, no?
Discrimination Organisations risk facing claims for sex discrimination under the Equality Act 2010 if they fail to properly support their female employees and this in turn can and should have an adverse effect on a business’s reputation.
What next? Check existing company policies, portals and handbooks. If there’s nothing specific, organise something. Poor management responses? Record it, timeline it, evidence it and contact HR.