Employee Benefits poll: One-third (33%) of organisations are considering introducing menopause or pregnancy loss policies for their employees.
According to Employee Benefits’ latest research, 29% of employers confirmed that they have recently launched initiatives relating to these issues, while 38% said they have not done this.
The poll follows many UK businesses introducing menopause policies and support framework for staff to mark World Menopause Day, which took place on 18 October.
Claims management and outsourcing solutions provider Crawford and Company signed the Workplace Menopause Pledge and committed to raising awareness and providing support for its UK employees affected by the condition. It has also amended its sickness absence policy to include optional menopause additional leave of up to 10 days for women experiencing symptoms.
London-based law firm Kingsley Napley also signed the Menopause Workplace Pledge, which is run by the charity Wellbeing of Women, and is currently the only London law firm on the charity’s employer list. It has committed to: recognising that the menopause is an issue in the workplace and women need help; to talk openly, positively and respectfully about the menopause; and actively support and inform employees and partners affected by the condition.
Furthermore, RSA Insurance, owner of the More Than brand, will become an accredited ‘menopause friendly’ employer, which means it will work visibly to support menopause in the workplace and to create an environment where it can be talked about easily. It has also pledged to put support in place for employees going through menopause.
In addition, digital health and wellness platform Peppy conducted research on the topic and found that 32% of organisations think absence and sickness is the workplace menopause issue that has affected their business the most, and 26% of employers believe their organisation is either not affected by any employee having menopause-related health conditions or does not have any staff of menopausal age.