Starting a Conversation. Becoming a Menopause Aware and Supportive - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Starting a Conversation…. Becoming a Menopause Aware and Supportive Employer

Darparu ansawdd, gofal a rhagoriaeth Delivering quality, care & excellence

Introduction

Karen Wright Assistant Director of Workforce Velindre University NHS Trust About Velindre NHS Trust

Darparu ansawdd, gofal a rhagoriaeth Delivering quality, care & excellence

What Is the Trust Trying to Achieve? “Currently, beyond pregnancy, gender specific issues are rarely discussed in the workplace. This needs to change and education and awareness is the key”

Kate Pearlman-Shaw (People Management February 2018)

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My Experience

• Medical Menopause – Cancer 2014 - Age 46
• No opportunity for gradual adjustment to hormonal drop off –

Immediate and unexpected menopause

• ER positive – cancer cells grow in response to the hormone

estrogen / Hormone Therapy – block effects of estrogen

• Severe / debilitating – what was effects of chemo /

radiotherapy / tamoxifen –v- menopause?

• Off work for 19 months
• Return to a demanding Assistant Director of Workforce role
• Expectation fit and recovered and raring to go
• Didn’t discuss menopause symptoms and impact upon RTW

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My Symptoms

• Anxiety / panic
• Poor memory
• Hot flushes
• Nausea
• Trouble getting to sleep & disturbed sleep
• Tiredness and fatigue
• Poor concentration
• Low mood
• …. only the ones I am willing to commit to a slide!!!
• Loss of confidence and self belief in self

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What support was in place to support me?

• Not on the Agenda
• Female boss – I didn't feel it was appropriate or relevant

to discuss – Not on the Trust’s agenda

• Self navigated and negotiated my way through it

following my RTW (work clothes, fan, office move – desk next to window, flexible working).

• Explain to colleagues why I was flushed / distressed or

loss of concentration during meetings – Not able to speak to them by name

• My approach – “I am a woman of a certain age” humour

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What got me thinking about menopause as an employer’s issue?

• A meeting with the Trust’s Unison Full-time Officer and

Colleagues

• Opened up about my personal experience – first time I

had spoken to anyone about my experience, including my husband

• Decided to find out more about it to ensure that other

Trust employee’s had a more positive experience

• Reviewed our Workforce and EAP data
• Agreed to work in partnership with Unison to champion

and raise awareness of this issue across the Trust

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The evidence - why employers must make menopause in the workplace a serious issue

• 48% of the Welsh workforce are women
• More women are working than ever before - Over 70% aged 16-64

are in employment

• Employment rates for women over the age of 50 has increased

dramatically over the last three decades

• By 2020, 1 in 3 workers will be over the age of 50
• UK State pension age for women – age 66 in 2020 - expectation

women will remain in employment for longer

• 10% of women will leave work due to not being supported through

menopause transition in the workplace

• On average it costs £30k to recruit to a vacancy
• There are staff and skills shortages in the NHS – 77% of the

workforce are women cannot afford to lose valuable, knowledge, skills, expertise and experience (107,743 Vacancies NHS England)

• Estimated menopause related absences cost employers £7.3million
• n average per year

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The evidence – Why the Trust needs to act now!

• 75% of Trust’s staff are female
• 61% of the Trust’s female workforce is aged 40 –

60+ years (2:3 ratio 1,830 employees)

• There are shortage predominantly female

professions (Nurses) with vacancies difficult to fill when staff leave

• Needs to increase gender diversity in senior

roles across the organisation – address gender pay gap

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The evidence – Why the Trust needs to act now!

• EAP - Female staff age 41 – 60+ account for 60% –

70%* of usage

• EAP Review of most accessed services
• Face to Face Counselling and Clinical First Call Resolution

(emotional health, Workplace concerns, family relationships/concerns and adjustment / change)

• Personal Concerns – personal stress, anxiety/panic, low mood,

low self esteem and difficulty concentrating and hopelessness

• Work Related Concerns – Work related stress, work

performance issues, conflict at work, bully and harassment, termination of employment

• Sickness and ER Statistics

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What is the Trust doing?

• Developed a Trust wide “Starting a conversation…. The

transition through the Menopause Workshop” for employees to educate and raise awareness and build confidence

• Developed a Trust wide “Starting a conversation….

Becoming a menopause aware and supportive employer” training course for managers - raise awareness, promote the right attitude, ensure fair and consistent approach is applied on a case by case basis

• Deliver “Case to become a menopause aware and

supportive employer” to the EMB / Trust Board October / November 2018 – launch the Trust’s initiative

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What is the Trust doing?

• NWIS – Menopause Guide for Manager
• Developed a Trust Menopause Guide for Managers
• H&WB / Menopause Champions
• Promoting EAP Scheme to encourage more staff to

access and benefit from these support services

• Complementary Therapy Support Scheme
• Coaching and Mentoring Scheme
• Proactively contributing to the development of the

NHS Wales Menopause Policy and Toolkit

• Amending RTW and Self Certification Form to

identify menopause and risk assessment requirement – mirror stress process

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What is the Trust doing?

• When reviewing Workforce Policies, where relevant

make reference to Menopause Policy

• New Cancer Hospital – 2024/2025 – Workforce & OD

Function feeding in comments to Design and Build meetings to ensure that environmental factors which can improve the workplace for female staff going through menopause transition are considered / acted upon

• Provides & signpost to resources, guides, toolkits etc. via

Intranet, newsletters, posters etc.

• Gender Agenda Year – Menopause event part of

International Women’s Day 8 March 2019

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What more can the Trust do?

Learning from your learning

Activity 6 – What can the employer do?

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We are all in it together!

We all (employers, trade unions, employees) have an important role to play in shaping and informing

• ur organisation's culture, to encourage and

promote the right attitudes and values to create a menopause aware and supportive workplace

K Wright Assistant Director Velindre University NHS Trust (Sept 2018)

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We are all in it together!

BE ACCOUNTABLE BE BOLD BE CARING BE DYNAMIC

Help shape every female employees experience of menopause transition in the workplace, to make it a positive one!

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THANK YOU

QUESTIONS? COMMENTS IDEAS?

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Contact Details

Karen Wright Assistant Director of Workforce Velindre University NHS Trust Karen.wright2@wales.nhs.uk 02920 196161