Give staff ‘menopause awareness training’... including all the men!
Call for new Bill of Rights for middle-aged women workers
WORKERS across Scotland should be offered menopause awareness training to help colleagues who are experiencing mood swings, according to guidelines being drawn up to support older working women.
Landmark guidance says women should be offered flexible working to help offset menopausal insomnia. There should also be quiet areas, plus fans to cool hot flushes.
Bosses should also make allowances for ‘brain fog’ when considering women for promotion and reviewing performance.
The policies are contained in a menopause Bill of Rights being drawn up by the influential Scottish Trades Union Council (STUC).
The STUC says they are vital to providing more support for the growing number of working older women who may struggle in hot offices or lengthy meetings.
Already down south, as revealed in last week’s Mail on Sunday, Nottinghamshire Police are providing ‘crying rooms’ for female officers coping with the effects of the menopause.
The STUC document reflects a growing shift in expectations that menopause should be openly discussed and better understood, and was produced in response to a wide-ranging survey.
A spokesman said: ‘We were pretty overwhelmed by the responses. It’s a big issue for people and the atmosphere is that we are not going to hide these issues any more.
‘Menopause is like any condition or health problem that requires the employer to make some adjustment to allow that worker to still continue in their work.
‘Women for a long time have hidden this and struggled on. Women are being let down because the support they need isn’t there.’
Scottish Government figures show the number of working women aged 50 to 64 increased by 5.5 per cent in the past decade.
The STUC women’s committee report, seen by The Scottish Mail on Sunday, calls for urgent action to address menopause-related ‘health and safety implications’.
More than half the 3,649 respondents were experiencing the menopause, with 32 per cent reporting it was treated ‘negatively’ in the workplace and almost two-thirds saying it was treated ‘as a joke’.
One lecturer who started the menopause after breast cancer treatment was forced to go part-time when her memory deteriorated.
Another woman said: ‘The menopause generates all the stereotypical jokes in the workplace, which is sad in this day and age.’
The report says: ‘Mood swings can impact on productivity both for the individual and people around them’. It warns ‘brain fog’ can affect performance, ‘but no account is taken of this in performance reviews or assessment centres for promotion’ and calls for ‘reasonable adjustments’ to policies.
The STUC women’s committee will now develop a ‘best practice’ model for union representatives’ guidance and employer negotiations.
Tracy Black, Confederation for British Industry Scotland director, said: ‘Businesses recognise the importance of looking after their employees’ wellbeing as a means of maintaining a happy, healthy and therefore productive workforce. Companies should take a commonsense approach.’