Half of employers still failing to support menopause

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More than half of UK businesses (54%) do not currently have any dedicated menopause support in place within their organisation, such as practical or emotional support for employees to help them manage their symptoms and quality of life, research has suggested.
The poll by digital health and wellness platform Peppy came ahead of World Menopause Day next week (18 October), with a range of other organisations also warning that much more needs to be done to support women in the workplace who are going through menopause.
More positively, the Peppy poll of more than 500 HR professionals found that a fifth of employers (21%) were planning to introduce support within the next 12 months, which would mean two-thirds of businesses (67%) were at least offering some sort of support.
The range of support varied widely, however, with nearly half (46%) offering counselling and support with sleep and anxiety via a general benefits platform, such as an employee assistance programme. Nearly four out of 10 (39%) offered general menopause support from health and wellbeing benefits such as PMI and a third (32%) ran education and/or events specifically around menopause.
Nearly three out of 10 (29%) offered dedicated menopause support from a menopause specialist healthcare professional, and 26% offered line manager training specifically around menopause.
Mridula Pore, Peppy chief executive, said: “The workforce is evolving and becoming more multi-generational. The rate at which employers are taking up menopause support is positive, as these figures suggest. Although 24% of employers are not currently planning to support menopause in the workplace, they will need to adapt in order to compete in terms of recruitment and retention.”
Personnel Today and Peppy hosted a webinar that discussed how employers can build a culture of inclusivity for employees experiencing the menopause.