Tackling taboo subjects

ALMOST HALF (45%) OF WOMEN SAY THAT THEIR MENOPAUSE HAD A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON THEIR WORK

Secret Whispers

One local company has gone a step further to make certain one significant life event is listened to, heard about, and spoken of.

Julie Colan, creator of pelvic floor toner business Secret Whispers, generated a ‘menopause and menstruation’ policy for her employees.

Almost half (45%) of women say that their menopause had a negative impact on their work. This was reported in 2017 by the British Menopause Society, which also found that the menopause remained a ‘taboo’ subject.

“Many women feel unprepared for the onset of menopause symptoms and less equipped to manage the symptoms at work,” Julie told us. “They tend to feel uncomfortable talking about their symptoms to their line managers, especially if they are male or younger than them. Once women feel supported by having the menopause talked about openly in their workplace, have accurate knowledge and options, many women are able to get back on track in their working and personal lives.”

Heavy periods, hot flushes and brain fog can be physically and emotionally distressing as well as embarrassing in the workplace. Symptoms usually last between four and eight years, though sometimes longer. That’s a significant period in someone’s lifetime.

The aim of Secret Whispers’ corporate wellbeing programme is to highlight some of the challenges that women face during menopause and how others can support their employees by positioning their company as ‘menopause-friendly.’ It’s designed for both women and men and looks at taking positive steps to help manage challenges and provide practical solutions and techniques that can be applied in the workplace or at home.

Steph Macshannon, an employee at Secret Whispers said: “Julie encourages us to be open about our mental health wellbeing and we have a team check-in together twice a week which is amazing. Knowing that if I am having a particularly emotional time, I have the option to take a personal day is invaluable. I feel so supported. You always feel valued and the company’s mental health, menopausal and menstrual policies are such an amazing addition to the workplace. Being a woman feels so celebrated at Secret Whispers.”

The policy helps employees feel confident to ask for any adjustments they may need to help them manage their symptoms at work, and they can request flexi-leave if they feel they need a day off due to menopause or menstruation symptoms. Not only that, every employee also has an allocation of four paid mental health days per year that they can book off at the last minute to have a personal day with no questions asked.

Menopause is a natural chapter in a woman’s life. Being more open about it, as Julie and her team at Secret Whispers are, could be the answer to turning it from taboo to topic of interest in every workplace.

Unhappiness in the workplace often comes from feeling misunderstood or underappreciated. It’s corporate wellbeing programmes like these that raise awareness of individuals’ unique journeys and collective experiences. They help employees to bond, become more empathetic to one another’s circumstances and therefore have more understanding of how to best work as a team.

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