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Deutsche Bank to provide menopause pods in London office | Consensus HR | Herts, Beds, UK

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Deutsche Bank to provide menopause pods in London office | Consensus HR | Herts, Beds, UK

Deutsche Bank is set to introduce “reset and recovery pods” in its new London office to support menopausal women. The private booths will feature reclinable chairs and temperature controls to help alleviate symptoms such as hot flushes and migraines. The pods are part of Deutsche Bank’s new wellness suite, which will also include physiotherapy facilities, GP clinics, a mindfulness space, and a multifaith prayer room. The move comes after London headquartered law firm Shoosmiths announced plans to introduce similar “wellness rooms” for menopausal women in its offices. The rooms, which were first introduced in Shoosmiths’ Birmingham office, feature temperature controls, light boxes, and beds for employees to lie down. The introduction of these spaces follows new guidance from the UK’s Equality and Human Rights Commission, which states that menopause symptoms can be considered a disability in the workplace. Employers could face legal action if they do not make reasonable adjustments to support menopausal women.

Daily Telegraph

World Menopause Day

Our HR comment:

Deutsche Bank to provide menopause pods in London office | Consensus HR | Herts, Beds, UK

Matthew Chilcott, FCIPD, ACEL, Owner of Consensus HR comments: “This is a subject we have written many blogs on in the past and is interesting to see how this employer is supporting wellness for its team in the workplace.  Some of our previous blogs can be seen here:”

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World Menopause Day

Menopause symptoms can be considered a disability

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Menopause symptoms can be considered a disability and employers face being sued if they do not make "reasonable adjustments", a watchdog has said. |Consensus HR – Herts, Beds

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) issued the guidance to clarify the legal obligations to workers going through the menopause.

Symptoms can include hot flushes, brain fog and difficulty sleeping.

The EHRC said bosses should offer changes such as providing rest areas or flexible hours to help.

Relaxing uniform policies to allow women to wear cooler clothes could also help.

Menopause marks the end of a woman’s menstrual cycle, and usually happens in her 40s or 50s.

Failing to make “reasonable adjustments” amounts to disability discrimination under the Equality Act 2010 if the symptoms have a “long-term and substantial impact” on a woman’s ability to carry out their usual day-to-day activities, the EHRC said.

A video explaining the guidance says: “The costs of failing to make workplace adjustments for staff can run into hundreds of thousands of pounds when taking into account the loss of talent and costs of defending a claim.”

The EHRC cited research showing that one in 10 women surveyed who worked during their menopause were forced to leave their job due to the symptoms.

Two-thirds of women between the ages of 40 and 60 experienced menopausal symptoms at work, which largely had a negative impact. Very few asked for adjustments during this time because they were concerned about the potential reaction, it added.

The EHRC adds that taking disciplinary action against women for a menopause related absence could amount to discrimination, and that language that ridicules someone’s symptoms could constitute harassment.

EHRC chairwoman Baroness Kishwer Falkner said the watchdog was “concerned both by how many women report being forced out of a role due to their menopause-related symptoms, and how many don’t feel safe enough to request the workplace adjustments”.

She added that employers “may not fully understand their responsibility to protect their staff going through the menopause”, and that the new guidance had been issued to provide advice on how they can support their staff.

By Ali Abbas Ahmadi – BBC News

Our HR Comment: – Menopause symptoms can be considered a disability and employers face being sued if they do not make “reasonable adjustments”, a watchdog has said. |Consensus HR – Herts, Beds

Matthew Chilcott, FCIPD, ACEL, Owner of Consensus HR comments: “This is another very interesting article on the Menopause and what many women suffer during their life’s and is a subject that until recently has never really been discussed generally in business.  However, as this article from the BBC demonstrates, in extreme circumstances where is has not been managed correctly and best action taken such as thorough investigations into why a member of the team may not be performing it can result in some very severe financial and reputable consequences for the business.  In this situation and as explained by the BBC, it would be covered by the Equality Act 2010 and full information on this act can be found in the Equality Act 2010 guidance and Definition of Disability under the Equality Act 2010

You’re disabled under the Equality Act 2010 if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities.

What ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ mean

  • ‘substantial’ is more than minor or trivial, e.g. it takes much longer than it usually would to complete a daily task like getting dressed.
  • ‘long-term’ means 12 months or more, e.g. a breathing condition that develops as a result of a lung infection.

Organisations need to remember that employees are entitled to make a Disability claim from day one of employment and awards are unlimited.”

Menopause symptoms can be considered a disability and employers face being sued if they do not make "reasonable adjustments", a watchdog has said. |Consensus HR – Herts, Beds

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If you employ a team and run a successful business and would like to have support with ensuring that you are working to best practice and Employment Law, give us a call or email us now for a non-obligatory chat. Consensus HR | Your outsourced Human Resources Department. | “Helping companies take the pain out of managing people whilst Preventing People Problems” 01438 576750
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NHS Menopause

Acas says companies should provide menopause awareness training for managers. | Consensus HR – Herts, Beds

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Acas says companies should provide menopause awareness training for managers. | Consensus HR – Herts, Beds

The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) says companies should provide awareness training for managers about the menopause. Advice for companies includes making practical changes at work to help staff manage their symptoms, such as the availability of cold drinking water and temperature control, and how to handle the issue “with sensitivity.” Susan Clews, chief executive of Acas, said: “British businesses overwhelmingly feel that it is important to support women experiencing menopause at work. Staff can experience menopause in different ways and some symptoms can be severe both physically and mentally. Acas has a range of advice for employers on how best to support women impacted by the menopause: to stay at work , keep within the law and avoid any potential conflicts before they arise. We are encouraging businesses to take advantage of Acas’s expertise to develop a menopause policy, provide training and start conversations with staff to help normalise menopause, and provide a safe space for staff at work and to help women to stay at work. ” 

 

Daily Telegraph

Our HR comment: – Acas says companies should provide awareness training for managers about the menopause | Consensus HR – Herts, Beds

Matthew P Chilcott, FCIPD, ACEL, Owner of Consensus HR comments: “This is a very interesting article from the Daily Telegraph in relation to ACAS and what they are now advising businesses in relation to the Menopause.  ACAS is an independent organisation that provides support to businesses and some great information, and the ACAS Code of Practice is the main practice that must be followed at all times when dealing with any area of HR such as disciplinaries and grievances.  At Consensus HR, we ensure our clients are always kept up to date with best practice and the law and is why all our retained clients who have our employee handbook have this, Policy.  A very recent case at an Employment Tribunal in Leicester in February 2022 involving Ms Rooney involved the first Employment Appeal Tribunal decision that menopause symptoms can amount to a disability for the purposes of the Equality Act, setting a legal precedent.  Business owners / Managers should ensure that they always keep up with legislation, best practice and any precedents that have been set by recent cases.  Full details in relation to the case can be found by clicking here”

Acas says companies should provide menopause awareness training for managers. | Consensus HR – Herts, Beds

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Acas says companies should provide menopause awareness training for managers. | Consensus HR – Herts, Beds

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NHS Menopause

Government appoints first menopause tsar.

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Government appoints first menopause tsar.

Matthew Pinto-Chilcott, Owner of Consensus HR comments: “Following recent news and the decision made that Menopause would not be classed as one of the protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, the Government has now appointed a voluntary menopause tsar.  At Consensus HR and as part of our monthly retained package, all our customers who have purchased an Employee Handbook as part of their package, get all updates provided as part of the package as and when they occur.  As such all our clients have recently had their yearly handbook update completed which now contains a Menopause Policy.   This helps to ensure that our retained clients are always working to best practice and the law.”

NEWS ARTICLE: Government appoints first menopause tsar.

The UK government has hired a recruitment expert to improve support at work for women going through the menopause. Helen Tomlinson, head of talent at HR giant Adecco, was announced yesterday as the first Menopause Employment Champion. Her voluntary role will involve encouraging bosses to help female staff going through the menopause and so stop them leaving the workforce early. “Less than a quarter of UK businesses have a menopause policy, but as I take on this role, I am determined that my generation of women in work will break the menopause taboo and have confidence that their health is valued,” Tomlinson said. Department for Work and Pensions Minister, Mims Davies said: “Menopause is a major driver of too many women leaving the workforce early, often when they are at the peak of their skills and experience with so much more still to contribute. We are committed to ensuring any stigma is addressed associated with menopause and its symptoms which can vary . . . Working positively with employers is vital to ensure they can recruit and retain women experiencing menopause and stop women perhaps considering giving up their employment due to the impact.”

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Daily Mail

Human-Times

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Government appoints first menopause tsar.

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NHS Menopause

Menopausal women and flexible working patterns

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Consensus HR

Menopausal women and flexible working patterns

Helen Watson, HR Advisor at Consensus HR writes; “Adding to our previous blog on the menopause, the NHS have announced a new guidance for employees and managers.  This is a great step in reducing the stigma in talking about the symptoms of the menopause, as well as putting in place practical steps to support those affected by the menopause.”

The NHS outlines why this matters in their guidance:

The NHS employs over 1.3 million people and around 1 million of these people are women.  This is over 75% of the entire workforce. Women between the ages of 45 and 54 alone make up a fifth of all NHS employees, and so up to a fifth of our workforce could be experiencing menopausal symptoms.

Six out of every 10 women experiencing menopausal symptoms say it has a negative impact on their work. With the right support, women do not need to press pause, struggle through, or leave their careers during this natural transition. Many women will continue to suffer in silence unless we break the taboo and start talking openly about the menopause at work.

NEWS ARTICAL

Menopausal women and flexible working patterns

Women working in the NHS will be able to work from home if they are suffering symptoms of menopause, the head of the health service has said. Writing for the Telegraph, Amanda Pritchard says female health workers who were “silently suffering” should not be expected to just “grin and bear it.” The guidance instructs NHS employers to consider “any reasonable adjustments to their working pattern” – including shorter hours, flexible breaks and remote working. “Women approaching or going through menopause should not have to put up with feeling uncomfortable at work, or feel any shame in talking about a transition which is simply a part of life,” Pritchard writes.

 

NHS Menopause

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World Menopause Day

World Menopause Day

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World Menopause Day is on Tuesday 18 October 2022.

You may have experienced it, be experiencing it now or yet to experience it in the future. You will have family, friends and colleagues who have or will experience it.

Does your business have a Menopause Policy, how do you support your employees through the Menopause and Perimenopause?

If your business needs assistance in putting these in place, get in touch, we can help.

The British Menopause Society has some great resources to support ‘Continuing the Conversation’ for World Menopause Day. The menopause has gone mainstream and after the deafening silence surrounding it for so long, that change is very welcome. The recent influx of information and misinformation can however be overwhelming and confusing and there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution.

The Menopause Charity are also a great source of information, with Facts, Advice and Support available; their aims include to provide inclusive fact-based information, advice and support and to bust myths, overcome ignorance and make menopause symptoms history.

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