“Who wants to talk about periods?” was a question one WISE staff member asked me before the pandemic was in full swing. It seemed like a reasonable statement in 2020, but times have changed.
Many employers with an interest in changing workplace culture have realised the importance of women’s health over the last 12 to 18 months and it has been one of the most discussed issues among WISE members during this time. Although we may naturally shy away from taboo subjects such as menopause, miscarriage and endometriosis, the best way to deal with them (and break the taboo) is to talk, share experiences and offer support.
A recent WISE KSE on Women’s Health, held at the R2 factory in London, looked at how best to extend the conversation. The highlights were as follows:
Chloe Hughes, Global Wellbeing Business Partner at Rolls Royce and an expert in menstruation and the menopause in the workplace, opened the event. She explained that the organisation has around 2,200 employees of menopausal age (women over 45) meaning there are 550 employees (a quarter of the total) will be experiencing severe or disruptive symptoms that might include hot flushes, night sweats, depression and anxiety.
What can organisations do to support those who need it?
The organisation has worked hard to offer support to women in peri-menopause. This work includes establishing a microsite and guidance documents on how to talk to managers, employees and doctors around the subject. It also runs a monthly menopause café, a social media Yammer Page, and has signed up to the menopause pledge.
The WISE KSE also looked at family support required by carers, this presentation was let by Charlotte Baker from Colas. With its target of 20% of women on the workforce, a high target for the construction industry, Colas needs to tailor processes and policies to support female members of staff.
Work done includes employing a community insight tool run by a housing association called Charitable Trust. This collates approximately 1,200 databases from open data sources to assess the number of one-parent families in a region, whether there is a high population of people with a disability or a high number of children receiving free school meals. This information is used to adapt resourcing and advertising techniques, it also looks at policies and processes in light of the contracts within particular regions.
To conclude, open conversations that aim to look at and support the personal experiences of people in the workforce will lead to a happier more productive team! For more information or help around the issues mentioned please contact your WISE relationship manager.
Women’s health: Conversation breaks taboos and leads to a happier workforce
“Who wants to talk about periods?” was a question one WISE staff member asked me before the pandemic was in full swing. It seemed like a reasonable statement in 2020, but times have changed.
Many employers with an interest in changing workplace culture have realised the importance of women’s health over the last 12 to 18 months and it has been one of the most discussed issues among WISE members during this time. Although we may naturally shy away from taboo subjects such as menopause, miscarriage and endometriosis, the best way to deal with them (and break the taboo) is to talk, share experiences and offer support.
A recent WISE KSE on Women’s Health, held at the R2 factory in London, looked at how best to extend the conversation. The highlights were as follows:
Chloe Hughes, Global Wellbeing Business Partner at Rolls Royce and an expert in menstruation and the menopause in the workplace, opened the event. She explained that the organisation has around 2,200 employees of menopausal age (women over 45) meaning there are 550 employees (a quarter of the total) will be experiencing severe or disruptive symptoms that might include hot flushes, night sweats, depression and anxiety.
What can organisations do to support those who need it?
The organisation has worked hard to offer support to women in peri-menopause. This work includes establishing a microsite and guidance documents on how to talk to managers, employees and doctors around the subject. It also runs a monthly menopause café, a social media Yammer Page, and has signed up to the menopause pledge.
The WISE KSE also looked at family support required by carers, this presentation was let by Charlotte Baker from Colas. With its target of 20% of women on the workforce, a high target for the construction industry, Colas needs to tailor processes and policies to support female members of staff.
Work done includes employing a community insight tool run by a housing association called Charitable Trust. This collates approximately 1,200 databases from open data sources to assess the number of one-parent families in a region, whether there is a high population of people with a disability or a high number of children receiving free school meals. This information is used to adapt resourcing and advertising techniques, it also looks at policies and processes in light of the contracts within particular regions.
To conclude, open conversations that aim to look at and support the personal experiences of people in the workforce will lead to a happier more productive team! For more information or help around the issues mentioned please contact your WISE relationship manager.