Employee Benefits poll: More than three-quarters (77%) of Employee Benefits readers do not have a strategy in place at their organisations to address the menopause, or to support female staff who may be experiencing menopausal symptoms.
A straw poll of www.employeebenefits.co.uk readers, which received 33 responses, also found that 15% have implemented flexible working in order to help staff who are experiencing the menopause, while 9% have introduced workplace adjustments, such as access to cool air.
No respondents have considered line manager training on menopausal symptoms and workplace adjustments, or thought about implementing leave policies that extend beyond traditional sick leave.
During the 2019 Labour Party Conference, which took place from Saturday 21 to Wednesday 25 September, shadow women and equalities secretary Dawn Butler MP stated that the next Labour government would require employers with more than 250 employees to implement various procedures to improve the working lives of women, specifically those experiencing the menopause.
Suggested procedures include training for line managers on how the menopause can affect working women and what adjustments might be necessary, flexible working, absence policies that treat the menopause as a long-term fluctuating health condition rather than an illness, and risk assessments to consider the specific needs of menopausal women in the workplace.
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