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Hello PPMA members and friends

October was Menopause Awareness Month with World Menopause Day taking place on the 18th October. On the 27th Starfish Search and City CV ran a hugely popular webinar for us about Menopause in the Workplace. To support this webinar they have also written this blog post about the session. In case you missed it or just wanted to watch it again, we’ve added a link to the webinar at the end of the post.

The conversation around menopause is getting louder but it can still feel like an uncomfortable topic and there can be a lot of information to digest.  The 18th October was World Menopause Day, and this year we partnered with PPMA and City CV to deliver a webinar that was designed specifically for leaders and HR professionals. Its focus was to share the truths about the menopause and the impact it can have on employees as well as why the menopause is an issue that needs to be addressed in the workplace.

Menopause is a natural phase of life that many women go through, typically between the ages of 45 and 55. It brings with it a range of physical and emotional changes, some of which can be challenging to navigate. Everyone’s menopause journey is different and there is not a one size fits all approach available for women or employers. It has only been within the last few years that organisations are increasingly recognising the importance of providing training and support for their employees, including managers, to better understand and address the issues surrounding menopause.

Starfish Search was delighted to be part of the webinar last week and the discussions that took place were insightful. At Starfish we can assist you on your leadership journey, but we also want to support you and having an in depth understanding of some of the challenges that women face as they rise through their careers is very important to us. We heard more about the 34 symptoms linked to the menopause and the statistics shared on the negative impact these can have on employees, it was quite the eye opener. What was positive to hear was the initiatives that some organisations have already implemented and the impact that these were having. One Local Authority shared they recently held a menopause wellbeing event which had over 150 attendees (not just all women) while others shared information on their developed guidance for staff.  Not only have menopause toolkits and drop-in café sessions for staff been put in place but monthly ‘let us talk health’ menopause training and e-learning modules for managers have been rolled out in some organisations.

One local authority shared that they had recently been accredited as a Menopause Friendly Employer. They shared it is an excellent framework for helping organisations to improve in this area and encouraged others to look at their local NHS Integrated Care Board to see offerings they provide with menopause training. This engagement with menopause training supports positive outcomes. Employees feel more supported, leading to increased job satisfaction and retention rates.  By breaking down the stigma surrounding menopause, organisations are fostering a more inclusive and empathetic workplace culture.

You can catch-up with the webinar below:

If you would like to know more about how City CV and Starfish can help educate your people and kickstart conversations within your workplace, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me, [email protected]