Today, there is still little infrastructure in most workplaces to support peri-menopausal and menopausal women despite them making up the fastest growing demographic in the UK labour force. As a company that prioritises employee wellbeing, this was not something we could ignore. As such, we are pleased to announce that we are joining the MenoHealth programme.
MenoHealth offers a unique programme of online workshops and easy exercise sessions to help businesses support colleagues through and beyond menopause, with 30-minute sessions that fit conveniently into the working day.
At Fresenius Medical Care UK & Ireland, we will be rolling out these 30 educational and awareness raising sessions across the business. These are purposely designed to be bitesize as to integrate easily into the clinical day. Topics cover a variety of symptom management – from is it safe to take HRT?, sleep care, skin care, why do I feel so anxious?, hot flushes, brain fog and more.
Menopause, whilst a common experience, can manifest differently for individuals, which is why we wanted to ensure there is variety in the types of workshops on offer. We also wanted to create a safe space and a sense of community amongst those who are experiencing symptoms, which is why we were sure to incorporate a Q&A community chat into the initiative.
Moreover, these educational awareness raising workshops are also for individual’s wanting to learn more about the menopause. This will be made accessible across all aspects of the business, including to male employees. It is critical to us that men are made aware of the challenges that women will face at this time of their life, so that they can better support them as colleagues and team members. Without normalising symptoms and symptom-management, across the board women will be left to suffer in silence.
To better ensure the success of the initiative, we will also be providing line manager specific webinars. These are bespoke sessions designed to help our managers support their colleagues through menopause.
It is no secret that menopause can have an adverse effect on mood and mental health, and so as part of this process we have reviewed our existing wellbeing support mechanisms and initiatives. This was to ensure we had sufficient support in place, but also to help remind employees of what is already available to them and bring a renewed focus to early intervention.
Currently, employees have access to our wellbeing service, BHSF Rise. At Fresenius Medical Care UK & Ireland, we’re committed to delivering the best possible quality of care to all employees, including those going through menopause. This service gives employees access to specialists including GPs, experienced counsellors, and legal professionals for practical guidance on personal issues.
Dates of the sessions will be confirmed in the coming weeks, providing vital information, support, and practical help to ensure that our staff feel more prepared to tackle their peri-menopausal and menopausal years.
This World Menopause Day we are demanding more for our peri-menopausal and menopausal employees, so we are absolutely thrilled to announce the launch of our partnership with MenoHealth!