Special interest and content platform business Immediate Media Co has launched menopause app Balance+ this month for its more than 1,000 members of staff, based in London, Manchester and Bristol.
The app provides access to specialist medically approved content and live sessions to help with mental health, nutrition, sleep, physical and sexual health, and skin and hair.
Balance+ was designed to provide women with evidence-based medical knowledge about the perimenopause and menopause, and to help with diagnosis and access to treatment, as well as supporting their families and friends. It also aims to remove barriers to menopause support in the workplace.
This adds to Immediate Media Co's existing package of benefits, which includes life assurance, access to the Headspace mental health app, childcare vouchers, an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), and enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption policies.
It also has a wide mental health first aider network group with more 60 first aiders trained, offers webinars and talks around wellbeing on a monthly basis with different partners, access to a GP service and Able futures, workplace massages and reflexology, and classes for mediation, gong sound bath, desk yoga, stretch and relax.
In its commitment to fostering engagement and inclusion, the business also provides five internal employee networks, including for parents and carers, LGBTQ employees and IM Woman, which focuses on creating a female friendly workplace and promoting women's issues.
Jo Brandl, chief people officer at Immediate Media Co, said: “We’re delighted to partner with Balance+ as part of our strategy to build awareness and support to help women at Immediate who are experiencing challenges around the menopause and perimenopause to continue to live and work healthily. Going through this comes with a variety of symptoms, some well-known and some less so.
“We want to raise awareness of what going through menopause involves and support those experiencing it. By offering Balance+, we're committed to looking after our people, driving the diversity agenda, and ultimately empowering our people with evidence-based knowledge and tools, to help them thrive.”
