This week the House of Commons Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, signed a pledge vowing to make the House of Commons “menopause friendly” for staff. The Commons Speaker said it should not be a “taboo subject” that was “swept under the carpet”.

The Menopause Workplace Pledge has been signed by more than 600 organisations including the civil service, Tesco’s and John Lewis, and obligates employers to recognise that women going through the menopause may need support in the workplace – the menopause can lead to symptoms such as hot flushes, sleeplessness, changes to mood as well as conditions like osteoporosis.

Health, safety and wellbeing

For employers, the menopause is a health and safety and wellbeing concern for staff and needs to be handled sensitively. Supporting and creating a positive and open environment between an employer and someone affected by the menopause can help prevent the person from:

• losing confidence in their skills and abilities
• feeling like they need to take time off work and hide the reasons for it
• having increased mental health conditions such as stress, anxiety and depression
• leaving their job

Who is affected?

The menopause usually happens between 45 and 55 years of age but it can also happen earlier or later in someone’s life. For many people symptoms last about 4 years, but in some cases symptoms can last a lot longer and can vary from very mild to severe.

Although the menopause will only be experienced by women and other people who have a menstrual cycle, men should also be included in conversations and training. This is because they might be supporting others going through it.

Supporting staff through the menopause

It’s important for employers to support staff through every stage of the menopause. Having early and regular follow-up conversations with staff to understand their needs can help make sure support and procedures are in place so they can continue to do their job effectively.

1. Developing a menopause policy

To help staff feel supported it’s a good idea to have a policy specifically for the menopause. This should be shared across the whole organisation, be regularly reviewed and be the basis for any training the organisation gives to managers. A policy can help everyone in the organisation understand:

• what the menopause is and how it can affect people
• how it affects everyone differently
• what support is available to staff affected by it

The menopause policy could also:

• explain what training is provided to managers and team leaders
• explain who the organisation’s point of contact is for queries related to the menopause
• show how the organisation is open and trained to talk and listen sensitively about the effects of the menopause
• include the employer’s commitment to support its diverse workforce and to prevent discrimination.

2. Consider job flexibility

Employers should consider how the person’s job role and responsibilities could make their menopause symptoms harder to deal with, for example if:

• they work long shifts
• they cannot take regular toilet breaks
• their job requires a uniform which may cause discomfort
• their job does not have much flexibility

There are several steps employers can take to make sure they have early conversations with staff and find solutions before problems arise.

3. Training managers

It can give staff more confidence to talk to their managers about the effects of the menopause on their work if they know the managers are trained to:

• talk and listen sensitively
• find ways to give support
• have knowledge of the menopause and its effects
• know what support and guidance the organisation can offer

Employers should train all managers and team leaders to make sure they understand:

• how the law relates to the menopause
• how to talk with and encourage staff to raise any menopause concerns
• how different stages and types of menopause can affect staff
• what support and workplace changes are available to staff
• how to deal with menopause issues sensitively and fairly
• how gender identity links to the menopause and why it’s important.

4. Carrying out health and safety checks

By law, employers are responsible for the health and safety of all staff, including those working from home. Employers must conduct a risk assessment of their staff’s workplace, including any working from home. This includes:

• generally assessing health and safety risks at work
• minimising, reducing and where possible removing health and safety risks for staff

For staff affected by the menopause this includes:

• ensuring menopause symptoms are not made worse by the workplace or its work practices
• making changes to help staff manage their symptoms when doing their job

For the menopause, a risk assessment could include:

• the temperature and ventilation of the workplace
• the material and the fit of the organisation’s uniform, if there is one, and whether it might make staff going through the menopause feel too hot or cause discomfort
• whether there’s somewhere suitable for staff to rest if needed, for example a quiet room
• whether toilet facilities are easily accessible
• whether cold drinking water is available
• whether managers and supervisors have been trained on health and safety issues relating to the menopause

Employers should also make sure that staff know they can approach their managers to raise any health and safety issues and will not be put at a disadvantage or treated less favourably if they do.

5. Managing sickness absence and job performance

Because the menopause can be long term and affects everyone differently, managing absence from work should be handled sensitively. Employers should keep talking with their staff and be prepared to:

• make changes to help staff continue to work
• take into consideration any performance issues which might be because of menopause symptoms

It’s a good idea for employers to talk to staff about any changes that could help them do their job. Staff should also be given a reasonable amount of time to adjust to any changes made.

When someone is off sick because of the menopause, the employer should record these absences separately from other absences. This is because there may be times when it could be unfair or discriminatory to measure menopause-related absence as part of the person’s overall attendance record.

In a nutshell….

The aim should be to normalise discussion about the menopause at work, raise awareness and understanding, build a psychologically safe environment and provide guidance, practical support and training for those managers to ensure they are best placed to support their staff.

If you would like any advice or a menopause policy for your handbook email nicola.goodridge@goodhr.co.uk or call +44 7917 878384

It’s estimated that 1 in 7 people are neurodivergent in the UK – that’s around 15% of the population.

What is neurodiversity?

Neurodiversity is the umbrella term that covers all neurocognitive differences, from autism and ADHD to dyslexia and dyscalculia.

Neurodiversity refers to the many different ways brains can process information, think about things, learn and generally understand the world around us. Our brains being different is one of the reasons why some people are better at certain things than others.

People that are neurodivergent process information differently than neurotypical people might. They may also learn differently too, as their brain functions in a different way.

As humans are individuals, so are our brains – everyone’s works a little differently.

Why does neurodiversity matter?

Neurodiversity matters because the world would be dull if all humans thought the same way. Understanding neurodiversity promotes inclusiveness and fosters better working relationships. Being aware of differences in how people communicate, for example, can improve the capacity of what teams can achieve if everyone understands other people’s abilities.

A neurodiverse person might communicate differently than a neurotypical person. There are benefits for everyone in recognising different styles of communication, especially at work.

Neurodivergent people have a lot to contribute and shouldn’t be dismissed or not recognised in their careers because of the way their brain might work. Neurodiverse people have been known to display skills more advanced than others in certain areas, such as problem solving or may be particularly good at maths or logical tasks.

Understanding where any employee’s strengths lie is a great way to advance the progress and capabilities of your team.

Why neurodiversity awareness is important in the workplace

With neurodiversity related discrimination claims up by a third, raising awareness and increasing understanding of neurodivergent conditions and how many conditions fall under this umbrella is crucial for inclusive workplaces.

And awareness starts from the top. Being open and talking about neurodivergent conditions benefits everybody. If more leaders self-identified as neurodivergent, it will only encourage more people to talk about their own neurodivergences too – increasing understanding and fully appreciating people’s differences, as well as their potential.

A better knowledge of the potential of neurodivergent employees could also ease the current recruitment crisis, bridging the gaps between job vacancies and skills gaps.

Creating workplaces that support neurodiversity

There are many ways in which organisations can support neurodivergent employees by creating an inclusive working environment:

• always include agendas for meetings so everyone can prepare and knows what’s coming up, thereby reducing anxiety – this likely also benefits most neurotypical employees, too;
• offer additional support for events or larger company meetings. New situations, or those out of a usual routine can cause stress. Offering the support of a colleague to act as a ‘buddy’ during events can work well to provide familiarity and consistency;
• flexible or hybrid working policies can be a great support to neurodiverse employees. Working from home allows quiet focus time amongst an individual’s own surroundings, without extra stimuli – such as a noisy office environment;
• if there are any neurodiverse employees that struggle with hot-desking (and the constant change and lack of routine that brings) ask them if they would like a designated area or space that they know they can always work in;
• provide stress balls in the office – these can be useful to neurodiverse people who fidget or may want something to focus their energy on when anxious or feeling overwhelmed. They can also come in handy for neurotypical employees as well.

It’s always best to check with your neurodiverse employees on an individual basis as to what they might need from their working environment as everyone is different – just because something works for someone with a neurodiverse condition doesn’t mean this will be the case for everyone. They may not want to be singled out and be the only person who doesn’t hot-desk, for example.

For further support email mailto:nicola.goodridge@goodhr.co.uk or call +44 7917 878384