What’s a Menopause Champion and how can it help your business?
The menopause can be a challenging time for women, especially at work. Lauren Chiren, founder of Women of a Certain Stage explains how a Menopause Champion can help.
I firmly believe that every organisation will benefit from becoming more menopause savvy – but what does this mean? And how can your workplace become somewhere that menopause is no longer taboo?
Becoming menopause savvy simply means making sure that menopause is part of the conversation, part of policy, and yes, part of the organisational culture.
Seeing as the experience of menopause is often a significant and challenging transition for many women, transgender men, non-binary and gender questioning colleagues at work, supporting them to be able manage their symptoms, can improve their ability to continue to work at a high level.
A key part of making this transition easier, and becoming a menopause savvy employer, is having a dedicated Menopause Champion at work, probably on the HR team, to be able to support women during this time.
A Menopause Champion will also have the knowledge to be able to signpost those in need to further support or expertise as necessary.
Having spent the majority of my life in large offices, not once did I ever see support for menopausal women, young women with awful cycles, nor for the men who worked with them
What does a Menopause Champion do at work?
In essence, the Menopause Champion provides the support that has been sorely lacking for many years!
The Menopause Champion is responsible for providing support and guidance to employees who are experiencing menopause. They aren’t there to act as a menopause or health coach as those roles are much more in depth.
Instead, the Menopause Champion is trained to be able to listen and understand menopause, as well as raise awareness of the issues around menopause and normalise the conversation in the workplace. This is a key part in reducing the stigma that many feel around menopause.
How can a Menopause Champion help your business?
As you can imagine, there are many benefits to having a Menopause Champion at work, both for staff and the organisation as a whole.
First, having a menopause champion ensures that employees who are experiencing menopause feel fully supported. This leads to a reduction in absenteeism and presenteeism and results in an increase in productivity. It is quite remarkable how much stress is reduced when your team knows who to turn to!
Second, having a menopause champion will ensure that policies and procedures are in place to support employees who are experiencing menopause. This can include flexible working arrangements, access to relevant information and training, and support for managing symptoms.
The position of Menopause Champion means that those policies and procedures will be front of mind and followed throughout an organisation.
Thirdly, a Menopause Campion can help to promote a positive and inclusive workplace culture. This can lead to increased employee satisfaction and retention, as well as improved morale and motivation. It also raises the profile, reputation and brand image of an organisation, making it a more attractive prospective employer.
There are many other benefits of having a Menopause Champion in the workplace including:
- Improved communication between employees and HR
- Increased awareness of menopause among line managers
- Reduced risk of discrimination and harassment and therefore a reduced risk of legal action
- Improved health and wellbeing for employees
- Increased awareness of menopause among customers and stakeholders
- Improved employee engagement and loyalty
- Enhanced creativity and innovation
- Improved teamwork and collaboration
- Overall, increased profitability and growth as the organisation benefits from a happier, healthier workforce.
It isn’t hard to see why having a menopause champion as part of the HR team can bring many benefits to both staff and the organisation particularly in organisations where experienced staff are hard to come by.
Providing a Menopause Champion at work is a small investment that will have a significant impact on the wellbeing and productivity of employees, as well as the success of the organisation as a whole.
Author: Lauren Chiren is a menopause corporate trainer and founder of Women of a Certain Stage. Head here to find out more about their accredited CPD Menopause Champion training or get in touch for a bespoke training package for your organisation.
