Supermarket chain Tesco has created a guide to help more of its female employees access menopause support in the workplace.
Created in partnership with trade union Usdaw, the guide aims to provide information to help increase awareness and understanding of menopause, symptoms that may be experienced, and the impact these can have in the workplace. It also signposts staff to support and links to other external resources, and includes a support section for managers to help have conversations with any employee that needs support.
According to the supermarket, its goal is to increase confidence among all of its employees by having more conversations around the condition.
Tesco worker and Usdaw activist Helen King said: “I’m really pleased that by working together we have been able to develop a positive guide that will help support members who may be dealing with the menopause at work. This is a significant issue in retail where women are doing difficult and demanding jobs with little control over their working environment or hours of work. This will be an invaluable resource for reps, managers and colleagues alike.”
Usdaw national officer Daniel Adams said: “We welcome that this has been recognised by Tesco. Working in customer facing roles, working nights, fluctuating shift patterns and a lack of awareness can aggravate menopause symptoms and make it more difficult for staff to raise the issue and ask for workplace adjustments.
“The menopause is a workplace issue and we will continue to work with employers on how we can support members through often simple adjustments to the working environment or working practices.”
Emma Taylor, Tesco’s chief people officer, added: “In the UK alone, Tesco employs around 300,000 colleagues, more than half of which are female. We encourage open, honest and positive conversations across our business, helping colleagues to feel confident in talking about their own health and wellbeing, and helping us to assist with any support they may need.”