POLICIES & PROCEDURES:
MENOPAUSE POLICY
Introduction
The changing age of the UK’s workforce means that nearly 80% of menopausal women are in work. (Faculty of Occupational Medicine cited in ACAS ‘Menopause at Work)
Crosby Training is committed to providing an inclusive and supportive working environment for everyone who works for the company and for those using our services. This menopause policy seeks to benefit the welfare of individual members of staff, to retain valued employees, improve their morale and performance and to enhance the reputation of Crosby Training as an employer of choice.
This policy sets out the guidelines on providing the right support to manage menopausal symptoms at work and recognises that women may need additional consideration, support and adjustments before (perimenopause), during and after the menopause. It is not contractual, and does not form part of the terms and conditions of employment.
Scope
The menopause policy and guidance docs apply to all Crosby Training staff and managers and also determines the support we give to our customers affected by the menopause.
We recognise that individuals may experience the menopause differently, including those who identify as non-binary, transgender and enter-sex who may experience menopausal symptoms.
Experiences and perceptions of the menopause may also differ in relation to disability, age, race, religion, sexual orientation or marital/civil partnership status.
The menopause can also affect partners and families too.
Legislative compliance
This policy and guidance is part of Crosby Trainings commitment to equality and diversity and is compliant with:
- Health and Safety at Work Act, 1974
- The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992
- The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, GB Regulations 4
- Equality Act 2010
Exclusionary or discriminatory practices will not be tolerated.
Aims
- To raise a wider awareness and understanding of menopause among the workforce
- To educate and inform about the potential symptoms of the menopause, and how women in the workplace can be supported and are clear on Crosby Training’s policy and practices
- To outline support and reasonable adjustments that are available
- To create an environment where women feel confident enough to raise issues about their symptoms and ask for reasonable adjustments and additional support at work;
- To reduce absenteeism due to menopausal symptoms.
Standard Requirements of Employees
- It is recognised that employees have a basic responsibility for their health, safety and welfare but that workplace demands can complicate this. Employees can expect the standard requirements, such as:
- Access to toilets
- Access to drinking water
- Access to natural light
- Risk assessments, carried out by a ‘competent’ person
- Regulated temperatures.
Additional Workplace Support and Reasonable Adjustments
- Menopause is a very personal experience and different adjustments and levels of support may be needed for different individuals. For some people, this may be a difficult time in a woman’s life and so it is imperative that workers who require additional support during this time are treated with understanding, dignity and respect.
- We have a well-established safeguarding team and a designated well-being officer to provide practical and emotional support for staff. Since the pandemic we have provided additional support for all staff with morale boosting activities and addition half days off for mental recuperation.
- The safeguarding team will interview staff who identify that they have additional requirements because of menopausal symptoms and will help with the planning of specific adjustments during the meeting. The adjustments will be shared with the employee during the meeting.
Additional information can be obtained from:
Appendix 1: 1. Definitions:
Perimenopause
The perimenopause is the period in a woman’s life when she starts to experience hormonal fluctuations and changes to her periods. The average time for a woman to be peri-menopausal is between four to five years. During this time, periods may become increasingly heavy and irregular, meaning it is important for a woman experiencing symptoms to be close to toilets and shower facilities. For some women, the symptoms during this time can be worse than the actual menopause.
Menopause
Women are described as being menopausal when they have gone 12 months without a period and when ovaries are no longer responsive. The average age for a woman to reach the menopause in the UK is 51. American evidence suggests that this is different for Asian and black women. An Asian woman may start her menopause later and a black woman slightly earlier. To date, there is no UK evidence on this issue.
Post-menopausal
This is the time after menopause has occurred, starting when a woman has not had a period for 12 consecutive months. The average time for women experiencing symptoms of the menopause is five years, but many women experience symptoms for up to ten years and 3% of women will experience symptoms for the rest of their lives.
Post-menopausal women have an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes and osteoporosis and managers should be aware of this.
2. Symptoms of the menopause may include:
Vasomotor Symptoms
• Hot flushes and night sweats
Psychological effects of hormone changes
- • Low mood/mood swings
- • Poor memory and concentration
- • Insomnia
- • Loss of libido
- • Anxiety/panic attacks
Physical Symptoms
- • Headaches
- • Fatigue
- • Joint aches and pains
- • Palpitations
- • Formication (creeping skin)
- • Insomnia
Sexual Symptoms
• Reduced sex drive
• Painful sex/vaginal dryness/vaginal irritation.
Consequences of oestrogen deficiency
• Obesity, diabetes. Heart disease. Osteoporosis/chronic arthritis.
Dementia and cognitive decline. Cancer.
N.B. This is not an exhaustive list.
3.Symptoms Support
Symptoms can manifest both physically and psychologically, including, but not exhaustively or exclusively those listed below; support for women should be considered as detailed below:
Hot Flushes
- • Request temperature control for their work area, such as a fan on their desk (where possible a USB connected desk fan to ensure environmentally friendly) or moving near a window, or away from a heat source
- • Easy access to drinking water
- • Be allowed to adapt prescribed uniform
- • Have access to a rest room for breaks if their work involves long periods of standing or sitting, or a quiet area if they need to manage a severe hot flush.
Heavy/light Periods
- • Have permanent access to washroom facilities
- • Ensure storage space is available for a change of clothing.
Headaches
- • Have ease of access to fresh drinking water
- • Offer a quiet space to work
- • Offer noise-reducing headphones to wear in open offices
- • Have time out to take medication if needed.
Difficulty Sleeping
- Ask to be considered for flexible working, particularly if suffering from a lack of sleep.
Low Mood
- • Agree time out from others, when required, without needing to ask for permission
- • Identify a ‘buddy’ for the colleague to talk to – outside of the work area
- • Identify a ‘time out space’ to be able to go to ‘clear their head’.
Loss of Confidence
- Ensure there are regular Personal Development Discussions
- Have regular protected time with their line manager to discuss any issues
- Have agreed protected time to catch up with work.
Poor Concentration
- • Discuss if there are times of the day when concentration is better or worse, and adjust working pattern/practice accordingly
- • Review task allocation and workload
- • Provide books for lists, action boards, or other memory-assisting equipment
- • Offer quiet space to work
- • Offer noise-reducing headphones to wear in open offices
- • Reduce interruptions
- • Have agreements in place in an open office that an individual is having ‘protected time’, so that they are not disturbed;
- • Have agreed protected time to catch up with work.
Anxiety
- Promote counselling services provided by AUKCAP’s Employee Assistance provider on 0800 030 5182 or online here.
- Identify a ‘buddy’ for the colleague to talk to – outside of their work area
- Be able to have time away from their work to undertake relaxation techniques;
Panic Attacks
- • Agree time out from others, when required, without needing to ask for permission
- • Identify a ‘buddy’ outside of work area
- • Be able to have time away from their work to undertake relaxation techniques
- • Undertake mindfulness activities such as breathing exercises, or going for a walk.
Appendix 2- Guidance for colleague discussions
Workplace support:
Safeguarding/wellbeing managers’ responsibilities
Taking into account the concerns listed in appendix 1, consideration of these issues will guide the adjustments needed to support a staff member recognising that every woman is different, and it is, therefore, not feasible to set out a structured set of specific guidelines.
The Safeguarding/Wellbeing manager will provide appropriate support and adjustments when needed to help women deal with issues arising from the menopause.
The interview will be guided by doc ‘Management advice’, provided in the Menopause Guidance docs. This will help with the planning of specific adjustments during the meeting. The adjustments should be recorded on the ‘Confidential Discussion Record’ and shared with the employee at the end the meeting.
If an employee wishes to speak about their symptoms, or just to talk about how they are feeling (they may not recognise themselves that they are symptomatic), or if a male employee wishes to speak about a family member, please ensure that you:
- • Allow adequate time to have the conversation
- • Find an appropriate room to preserve confidentiality
- • Encourage them to speak openly and honestly
- • Suggest ways in which they can be supported (see below)
- • Agree actions, and how to implement them
- • The ‘Confidential Discussion Record’ should be used to record the meeting, so that all parties agree what has been discussed, and the next steps, before the meeting ends.
- • Ensure that this record is treated as confidential, and is stored securely
- • Agree if other members of the team should be informed, and by whom
- • Ensure that designated time is allowed for a follow up meeting.
Discuss whether the member of staff has visited their GP. Depending on the discussion, this may be the next step suggested, particularly if the areas of difficulty are sleeping, panic attacks or anxiety.
Menopause Policy and Guidance doc v 2023 MP. Review date March 2026
