Tag Archive for: Women's health

Mental Health Awareness Week – how to prioritise mental health at work for employees

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Mental Health Awareness Week, which runs from 13-19 May, is an ideal time to think about mental health, tackle stigma, and find out how we can create a workplace that prevents mental health problems from developing and protects our employees’ mental well-being.

As businesses increasingly recognise the impact of mental health on productivity, engagement, and overall organisational success, HR professionals play a pivotal role in fostering a supportive and inclusive work environment. In this article, we consider the significance of Mental Health Awareness Week from an HR perspective and explore strategies to promote mental well-being in the workplace.

Understanding the Impact

Stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout are common challenges that employees may face, often exacerbated by work-related pressures, organisational culture, and personal circumstances. Recognising these challenges is the first step toward creating a workplace culture that prioritises mental health.

The CIPD’s Health & Wellbeing Survey 2022, showed the most common causes of stress at work. The top 4 factors were:

  • Workloads/volume of work
  • Non work factors – relationships/family
  • Management style
  • Non-work factors – personal illness/health issue

It states that half of organisations (51%) take a strategic approach to employee wellbeing, while 36% are ‘much more reactive than proactive’. As in previous years, mental health is the most common focus of wellbeing activity. Access to counselling services and employee assistance programmes remain the most common wellbeing benefits provided. Financial wellbeing remains the most neglected area.

HR’s Role in Fostering a Supportive Culture

HR professionals are instrumental in driving initiatives that promote mental wellbeing within the workplace. They serve as advocates for employees, ensuring that policies and practices are in place to support their mental health needs. Here are some key ways HR can contribute:

  • Policy Development: HR should collaborate with leadership to develop comprehensive mental health policies that address issues such as flexible work arrangements, carers’ leave, and access to resources like counselling services. HR can also support in ensuring that relevant policies are up to date with the latest UK Employment Legislation.
  • Training and Education: Organising workshops and training sessions to raise awareness about mental health and equip managers with the skills to support struggling employees effectively. Mental health Champions are an effective way to promote and encourage support at work. The charity Mind have created a Mental Health Champions Toolkit to support organisations to develop such a scheme.
  • Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs): Implementing and promoting EAPs that provide confidential counselling and support services to employees facing mental health challenges.
  • Promoting Work-Life Balance: Encouraging a healthy work-life balance by emphasising the importance of taking breaks, utilising holidays and avoiding overwork.
  • Creating a Supportive Environment: Cultivating a culture of openness and support where employees feel comfortable discussing mental health issues without fear of judgment or repercussions.

Initiatives to Promote Mental Health Awareness Week

The week itself is an opportunity for some specific initiatives to demonstrate your organisation’s commitment to supporting mental health. Here are some ideas:

  • Virtual Workshops and Webinars: Organise virtual workshops and webinars focused on topics such as stress management, resilience-building, and self-care strategies.
  • Guest Speakers and Panel Discussions: Invite mental health professionals, advocates, or individuals with lived experiences to share their insights and stories, fostering empathy and understanding among employees.
  • Wellness Challenges: Launch wellness challenges focused on physical activity, mindfulness, or nutrition to promote holistic wellbeing.
  • Peer Support Networks: Facilitate the formation of peer support groups or buddy systems where employees can connect, share experiences, and provide mutual support.
  • Communication Campaigns: Launch internal communication campaigns using emails, newsletters, and social media to share resources, tips, and personal stories related to mental health.

Measuring Impact and Continuous Improvement:

It is also important to evaluate the effectiveness of mental health initiatives and gather feedback from employees. Regular surveys, focus groups, and one-on-one discussions can provide valuable insights into what’s working well and where improvements are needed. This feedback loop enables HR to refine future offerings or benefits and develop new initiatives, tailored to the evolving needs of employees.

For specialist HR support with any of these issues, please contact Helen Couchman in our team on 07799 901 669.

Should Menopause be a ‘protected characteristic’ under The Equality Act 2010?

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You may have seen some debate in the news about whether Menopause should be considered a disability. In this article, we provide a summary of the guidance that started the recent debate, consider the pros and cons of this approach and look at the practical impact for employers.

EHRC Guidance

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) produced new guidance in February 2024 and states that menopause could be classed as a disability under the Equality Act 2010 if the symptoms have a ‘long term and substantial impact on a woman’s day to day activities.’ The guidance confirms that a failure to make reasonable adjustments could leave employers open to challenges and claims. The guidance also reminds employers that women experiencing the menopause could be protected from discrimination on the grounds of age and/or sex.

The EHRC guidance refers to research carried out by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) which found that 67% of women in work between the ages of 40 and 60 who are experiencing menopausal symptoms found that they impacted negatively on their work, including:-

  • Experiencing higher levels of stress (68%)
  • Being less patient with their colleagues (49%)
  • Being less able to concentrate (79%)
  • Being less physically able to carry out work tasks (46%)

There are helpful videos within the EHRC guidance, setting out the obligations for employers and looking at how employers can make adjustments in the workplace.

It’s widely known that in extreme cases, some women may feel that they have no option but to leave employment when they are experiencing symptoms such as those set out above and research has found that employers may be losing 1 in 6 of the women due to their menopausal symptoms. In its submission to the Women and Equalities Select Committee, the CIPD suggests that women in the age range going through the menopause (usually between 45 and 55) are often at the height of their careers. If a proportion of those women feel that they have no option but to leave the workforce, the UK economy is potentially losing skilled and experienced women from the workforce, which in turn may impact the gender and pension pay gaps, and reduce the number of women in senior leadership positions.

So what’s changed?

In some ways the EHRC guidance is nothing new.  It is already possible for the symptoms of the menopause to be considered as a disability via the disability discrimination definition within the Equality Act 2010. However, commentary around the idea that the Menopause could or should be treated as a disability is divided.  

Some commentators welcome guidance for employers confirming their obligations around treating menopause symptoms as a possible disability.  Others, however, argue that the menopause is a natural period of transition for women and shouldn’t therefore be regarded as a disability. The menopause has not, so far at least, been classified as a protected characteristic under the Equality Act in its own right, in the way that pregnancy and maternity has, meaning that women have to rely on the legislation on the protected characteristics of disability, sex or age as the route for challenging any potentially discriminatory behaviour. A report by the Women and Equalities Committee, in July 2022, argued that the menopause should be designated as a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010 in its own right, but this change has yet to take place. Some commentators have suggested that using the disability route to challenge any discrimination may be limiting progress in this area and is based on a model which suggests that women’s bodies are in some way abnormal.

What does this mean for employers?

We will need to watch this space to see if any formal legislative changes are made to the Equality Act in this area. We anticipate that any such changes are likely to be a long way off. However, there is no question that the subject of the Menopause has become much less of a workplace ‘taboo’ over recent years and for employers this debate serves as a useful reminder to take the following steps:-

  • Policy – put in place or review policies around the menopause in the workplace to ensure that they are up to date and serve as living, breathing documents that employees know about and can easily locate
  • Training – train line managers on managers on the menopause so that they are better equipped to support colleagues experiencing difficult symptoms
  • Communications – be transparent with employees about the work being done within your organisation on the menopause; share resources, provide spaces for discussion and encourage open conversations to reduce stigma

For more information about how NQHR can help support your organisation to effectively manage the menopause in the workplace, please contact Caitlin Anniss in our team on 07909 683 938.

The Menopause at work – World Menopause Day 2023

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World Menopause Day is observed annually on October 18th. For HR professionals, it’s an opportunity to reflect on the work being done within their own organisations on this issue and a chance to foster inclusive workplaces by addressing the unique issues that menopausal employees encounter.

The menopause, a natural phase in a woman’s life typically occurring between the ages of 45 and 55, brings about physical and emotional changes. In the workplace, these changes can manifest in various ways, including hot flashes, sleep disturbances, mood swings, and cognitive changes. These symptoms can significantly impact an employee’s performance and well-being.

So, how can we best create a supportive workplace?

  • Awareness: The first step for HR professionals is to raise awareness among employees and managers about menopause. Offering workshops or information sessions can help eliminate misconceptions and reduce stigma.
  • Flexible working: Consider implementing flexible working arrangements, allowing employees to adapt their schedules to better manage their symptoms. Remote work options, adjusted hours, or reduced workload during difficult periods can make a significant difference.
  • Review your policies: Ensure that your organisation’s policies, including sickness absence and performance management, are menopause-friendly. Adapt them if needed and consider introducing a menopause policy.
  • Training for managers: Provide training to managers on how to support employees going through the menopause. Encourage open and empathetic conversations, making it easier for employees to discuss their needs.

There are many benefits of a menopause friendly workplace. Providing a supportive work environment is of course best practice. It also has benefits for your organisation, including improving retention rates, reducing absence rates, and improving the engagement of your employees.

World Menopause Day 2023 is a timely reminder for HR professionals to prioritise the well-being the issue of the menopause in the workplace. By taking proactive steps to raise awareness, adapt policies, and provide support, you can create a workplace that empowers women to navigate this natural life transition with confidence and dignity.

For further advice or guidance, or for training for line managers around the menopause and the workplace, please contact Caitlin Anniss in our team on 07909 683 938.

World Menopause Day – Improve Employee Awareness, Wellbeing and Support

Home | Women's health

18 October is World Menopause Day, a day focusing on menopause, aiming to raise awareness about menopause and improve health and wellbeing for women around the world.

We look at how it might be impacting your workplace and what you can do to support your employees.

What Is Menopause?

The menopause is when a woman stops having periods, as a natural part of ageing, and it usually happens between 45-55 years of age. What is less known and understood is the stage leading up to menopause, known as the perimenopause.

The perimenopause refers to the time during which the female body makes the natural transition to menopause. Many women start to experience symptoms to greater or lesser degrees. Similarly this stage itself can vary in length – it can often last for four to five years, although for some women it may continue for many more years or for others last just a few months.

How Does Menopause Affect Women in the Workplace?

In 2021, there were 15.5 million women in the UK workplace. Of those, around a fifth were over 50. In the UK, the average age for a woman to go through menopause is 51, however around one in a 100 women experience menopause before age 40. This is a normal process for a large section of your workplace.

The variety of symptoms experienced range from hot flushes, night sweats, low mood, poor memory, insomnia, anxiety/panic attacks, headaches, fatigue to joint pains and palpitations. These can be debilitating in any context, but their impact can be amplified for an employee at work.

According to recent CIPD research, 59% working women with menopause symptoms have said that it has a negative impact on them at work. 30% said they had been unable to go into work because of their symptoms, but only a quarter of them felt able to tell their manager the real reason for their absence.

How Can You Support Your Employees at Work?

The varying durations and symptoms of both perimenopause and menopause can make identifying appropriate support strategies difficult for employers. Some women also may not identify the symptoms they are experiencing as being linked to the menopause so may not ask for support.

It is certainly true that menopause has become a more widely discussed topic in recent years – thanks to greater media interest, government focus and shared celebrity experiences. However it remains for many people a subject they may find difficult to talk about.

As an employer you can support by:

  • Increasing awareness amongst all staff. Create an open, encouraging environment where people feel comfortable discussing their concerns and supported by line managers and colleagues alike. Consider running awareness campaigns.
  • Treating menopause in same way as you would any absence with appropriate sickness absence management procedures.
  • Discussing possible adjustments for employees experiencing menopause related to their specific symptoms such as flexible start/finish times, adjustable temperature control, quieter workspaces etc.
  • Developing a menopause policy to outline what support is available to staff.
  • Training your line managers specifically on dealing with menopause issues, so they are able to handle any discussions sensitively and professionally.

As the workforce demographic continues to change, this issue will become more and more important to businesses. Employers who act now to raise awareness across all staff and to implement appropriate support mechanisms for employees experiencing the menopause, will be well placed to deal with any future challenges.

Narrow Quay HR can help you in identifying what support would be useful for your business – whether it’s creating a menopause policy, running awareness campaigns or training sessions for line managers.

For specialist HR support with any of these issues, please contact Sue Meehan Boyes in our team on 07384 468797.