Chief People and Culture Officer Geraldine Butler-Wright explains how Healthily supports colleagues when they’re going through the menopause.
All too often, the menopause is talked about in hushed tones. At Healthily, we recognise the importance of being open and supporting our people, especially when they need it most.
We support Healthilies when they become a parent, when they become sick and when they need compassionate leave, so why wouldn’t we support them when they’re experiencing a health and life milestone such as the menopause?
For us, having a menopause policy and initiatives is obvious, and a natural progression for a Health Tech company that cares not only about its users' conditions, but those of its employees (Healthilies), too. We pride ourselves on being one company, inside and out.
The aim of our menopause policy is to ensure an open, understanding and inclusive working environment. We’ve set out the rights of Healthilies experiencing the menopause and explained the support available to them. Here are a few highlights:
I sincerely hope that other companies, especially in health, will consider initiating a policy such as ours. Here’s why:
Some startups/scale-ups may dismiss menopause initiatives as something that’s only for large corporations, on-trend for the moment, or not appropriate for their ‘younger’ work environment. Do so at your peril. Beyond diminishing the diversity of your organisation (age being a less-talked about discriminator), you’re missing out on an incredibly valuable group of experienced contributors who have much to offer. In the super-charged, candidate-driven market we’re currently experiencing, you can’t be flippant when it comes to a menopause policy or initiatives. They’re a compelling employer value proposition, to not only attract and retain exceptional talent, but also holds the potential to boost your brand in the eyes of consumers and investors.
Estimates from healthcare company Bupa suggest 900,000 women in the UK have quit their jobs due to the menopause. This is a shameful brain drain from the workplace and I strongly believe we must do better as a society. Creating a menopause policy and having similar initiatives to support people at such a critical time in their lives is a much-needed step in the right direction.
I’m very hopeful that our efforts at Healthily will help pave a path in the workplace to where talking about the menopause is normalised. Supporting people during this time will help attract and retain exceptional talent, who have given much and will continue to do so in a modern working world.
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