The civil service has become the largest organisation to sign up to a pledge to actively support employees affected by the menopause and recognise the issue in the workplace.
Senior officials yesterday signed the Menopause Workplace Pledge, organised by the Wellbeing of Women charity, which also calls on employers to create an environment where people can talk openly, positively and respectfully about the menopause.
Some 900,000 women in the UK have quit their jobs due to the menopause, according to a 2019 survey cited by the charity.
More than 1,000 employers have signed up to the pledge so far, including the BBC, AstraZeneca, Royal Mail, Co-op, Tesco, John Lewis and a number of public sector organisations such as universities, hospitals and schools – representing more than 11 million workers.
After ministers and senior officials endorsed the commitment at an event yesterday, Ministry of Justice permanent secretary and civil service gender champion Antonia Romeo said it would “help everyone better understand how to support colleagues going through the menopause so that they can continue to fulfil their potential”.
“The civil service is at its best when we attract and retain top talent from wherever it comes,” she said.
“The menopause is a fact of life that can have a real impact on the day to day life, and participation in the workplace, of half of the population.”
More than half of the UK’s 475,000 civil servants are women – the group most commonly affected by menopause – and the median age of civil servants is 45 years, which is often when perimenopause or menopause starts.
Health secretary Sajid Javid said the pledge will “ensure women working across the civil service feel supported”, noting that for many, “the symptoms of the menopause can be extremely debilitating and it’s absolutely crucial they feel confident asking for support at work”.
In December, the civil service published its Menopause in the Workplace Policy, which provides guidance for managers on their duty of care to support staff, and advice on the use of workplace adjustments.
Earlier this year, HMRC second perm sec Angela MacDonald, who sponsors the Cross Government Menopause Network, told CSW she was working to open up conversations because society was “not well educated” on menopause symptoms, the experiences of people going through it or its impact on careers.
“It’s only since I’ve started going through it myself that I’ve really understood the issues and consequences… And if I think about my menopause, my husband is experiencing it with me – my health, my mental health, the consequences for me don’t just impact me, they impact my family, too,” she said.
“But for whatever historic reasons, it is not something we talk about, supposedly, in polite society, which is really short sighted. And I think it’s fantastic that we’re finally bringing these conversations out.”
Dame Lesley Regan, chair of Wellbeing of Women, which supports research, education and advocacy to improve women’s health, said the civil service’s endorsement sends a “powerful message – that women both need and deserve our support in the workplace”.
“Women are often at their most productive and successful at this stage in their lives. Many are the breadwinners for their family and make essential contributions. It makes complete sense to provide simple, practical support to help keep them in the workplace,” she said.