Supporting our colleagues through perimenopause and menopause

The Council’s Menopause Policy was signed by Councillor Shane Moore, the Leader of the Council, Claire McLaren, the Council’s Assistant Director, Corporate Services, Edwin Jeffries, Secretary of Hartlepool Joint Trade Union Committee and Alison Leonard, Vice Chair of Hartlepool Joint Trade Union Committee.

Pictured above in attendance at the formal launch today are (left to right): Dawn Nicholson, UNISON Area Organiser; Claire McLaren, Hartlepool Borough Council Assistant Director (Corporate Services); Councillor Shane Moore, Leader of Hartlepool Borough Council; Lynsey Lunn, UNISON Assistant Branch Secretary and Women’s Officer, and Debbie Chapman, UNISON Assistant Branch Secretary.

The policy is aimed at ensuring that employees know and understand the help and support available to them if they are experiencing symptoms which they feel may be linked to the perimenopause or menopause.

This in turn helps employees to reduce or minimise sickness absence which may be directly or indirectly linked to symptoms of the perimenopause or menopause.

The policy sets out the commonly identified symptoms and lays out the many different things managers can do to ensure that members of staff experiencing those symptoms are treated fairly and with respect.

These include managers being well informed about the subject, whether male or female, and understanding the potential impact on employees, encouraging open and honest conversation without fear of embarrassment and monitoring sickness absence sensitively.

It also sets down responsibilities for employees who are or think they might be experiencing symptoms of the perimenopause or menopause, including the things they can do to manage this and to ensure they are receiving the right level of support at work.

In a further progressive step to break down the barriers surrounding discussion of the perimenopause and menopause, the Council has today also launched a Menopause Hub on its online employee platform.

The Hub is an evolving series of resources for any employee who wants to find out about the menopause and includes videos, toolkits and resources around the menopause in the workplace.

The plan is to expand the Hub to make it a supportive space for conversations around the menopause and the Council’s employees are being invited to share their experiences, ask questions and share tips on the Hub’s discussion forum and write regular blogs.

Claire McLaren, the Council’s Assistant Director (Corporate Services) and Menopause Policy Lead, said: “We are committed to ensuring that all our employees are treated fairly and with dignity in respect of their working environment.

“It’s extremely important that our employees who are experiencing the perimenopause or menopause are aware that we support them and are aware of the help which we can give them.

“It’s equally important that managers and all staff understand the perimenopause and menopause, so that they can be supportive and understanding of colleagues who are experiencing it. We are very proud to sign this Menopause Policy and launch our Menopause Hub today.”

Edwin Jeffries, Secretary of Hartlepool Joint Trade Union Committee, said; “We are delighted to have worked with the Council to develop a Menopause Policy.

“We very much welcome this positive approach to supporting employees on this issue and look forward to working with other employers, encouraging them to be proactive in discussing and agreeing positive health and wellbeing policies for their staff.”