[UK] Progress made on company menopause policies

Recently in the UK, the conversation around menopause in the workplace has been amplified by news reports stating that an increasing number of companies are taking steps to support employees who are going through menopause, Mondaq reports.

In March, high street retailer Boots announced that it would be paying for employees' HRT and a large media company is offering access to menopause resources and desk fans for women suffering from hot flushes.

These announcements also come in the wake of a discussion chaired by the Women and Equalities Committee earlier this year exploring whether menopause should become a legally protected characteristic. At present, women are forced to find legal workarounds using age, sex, or disability as their protected characteristic if they want to protect their rights via litigation.

Creating an environment supportive of women going through menopause is particularly important when it comes to retaining senior women in the workplace. Recent research by Dr Louise Newson revealed that almost a fifth of women with menopausal or peri-menopausal symptoms took more than eight weeks' leave and half of these women resigned or took early retirement.

A YouGov poll conducted in March 2022 reportedly revealed that 72 per cent of respondent companies do not currently have a menopause policy in place and only 16 per cent of businesses provide line managers with training on how to address menopause at work. These statistics are expected to change significantly this year as employers finally begin to prioritise supporting women going through menopause at work.

Source: Mondaq (via The Mayer Brown Practices)

(Link via original reporting)

Recently in the UK, the conversation around menopause in the workplace has been amplified by news reports stating that an increasing number of companies are taking steps to support employees who are going through menopause, Mondaq reports.

In March, high street retailer Boots announced that it would be paying for employees' HRT and a large media company is offering access to menopause resources and desk fans for women suffering from hot flushes.

These announcements also come in the wake of a discussion chaired by the Women and Equalities Committee earlier this year exploring whether menopause should become a legally protected characteristic. At present, women are forced to find legal workarounds using age, sex, or disability as their protected characteristic if they want to protect their rights via litigation.

Creating an environment supportive of women going through menopause is particularly important when it comes to retaining senior women in the workplace. Recent research by Dr Louise Newson revealed that almost a fifth of women with menopausal or peri-menopausal symptoms took more than eight weeks' leave and half of these women resigned or took early retirement.

A YouGov poll conducted in March 2022 reportedly revealed that 72 per cent of respondent companies do not currently have a menopause policy in place and only 16 per cent of businesses provide line managers with training on how to address menopause at work. These statistics are expected to change significantly this year as employers finally begin to prioritise supporting women going through menopause at work.

Source: Mondaq (via The Mayer Brown Practices)

(Link via original reporting)