The menopause – the last workplace taboo?

The menopause – the last workplace taboo?

Approximately half of the UK workforce (47%) is made up of women aged 50 years or older. With around two-thirds of women aged 50 to 59 in employment, these women will be experiencing the menopause or have been through it. The menopause is part of the aging process. It is not a medical disease and it can have a significant impact on psychological well-being, physical health, cognition and social implications on the working lives of women.

Many managers are unaware of the many physical symptoms of the menopause which might affect a woman’s well-being at work. Menopausal symptoms most likely to affect women include hot flushes (70% of women suffer from them for one year, 30% for five years and 5% – 10% for 10 to 15 years), palpitations, night sweats and sleep disturbance, fatigue, poor concentration, irritability and mood disturbance. These working women may also have to care for frail and aging parents, look after their own family, experience changes in health and changes in their relationships.

The Working through the Change study conducted by the TUC (2003) surveyed 500 safety representatives on menopausal issues. Symptoms attributed to the menopause made worse by work were hot flushes, headaches and tiredness. Workplace temperature and poor ventilation also made symptoms worse. Employers should have a duty of care to reduce the stigma and embarrassment when women are in the company of work colleagues. By supporting working women experiencing the menopause employers can reduce absenteeism, maximise productivity and make the workplace environment as comfortable as possible.

Women are now working longer and we are in a new world of work incorporating the fourth generation. Up until recently the menopause has been regarded as a private matter and women have felt unable to discuss menopausal issues. Research suggests that many women in the workplace find it extremely difficult to discuss menopausal issues with their line manager or supervisor. Menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes, tiredness and anxiety may have a significant impact on occupational health for some employees.

Top ten tips for employers to enhance organisational culture within the work place

To help develop a rich and diverse working culture within the workplace here are ten top tips to help employers cultivate good working practice:

1.    Raising awareness of the menopause in an occupational setting through health promotion programmes and awareness training for managers.

2.    Organising social support within the work place. This could include information packs, mentoring schemes and lunch time support.

3.    Offer flexible working hours, job sharing, and opportunities to work from home. Many women experience tiredness.

4.    The temperature of the work environment can be an issue, especially in refined spaces. Fans and temperature controls could be implemented.

5.    A rest room where women can relax, just to have some space.

6.    Cold drinking water – many organisations do not provide this.

7.    Prioritise work life balance and maintain firm boundaries in working life and non-working life. Adopt buffer zones so that women feel in control more effectively. Many menopausal women experience feelings of ‘not coping’. If work becomes an issue encourage a specific time each day so that worries can be written down and then discarded.

8.    Remain hopeful and optimistic – women experiencing the menopause often go through different types of emotions such as anxiety and depression. Remember these feelings do subside. Encourage women to discuss how they feel as these feelings are very normal.

9.    Become a supportive manager, women are more likely to discuss menopausal issues with somebody they feel able to talk to. This also encourages organisational loyalty and less absenteeism which can only be a good thing for all companies.

These tips are based on research undertaken by Amanda Griffiths of Nottingham University: Women’s Experience of Working through the Menopause [PDF].

Posted on April 22, 2013 on LinedIn by Angela Thorogood

(insight and tips from Age Immaterial)

 

 

Access to Work

Access to Work offers a range of services & financial grants devoted to retaining people with mental or physical illnesses within their workplace. The full service extends to all health conditions & disabilities for youth in work experience and persons in paid employment, including Mental Health Support services.

Provided by Remploy for the DWP, they deliver a 6 month advice & support service for employees suffering from either the full effects or symptoms of mental health worries. Each case is managed on an individual basis and the scheme can be applied for either by the individual themselves or a 3^rd party. It is important to note that the support is only available to those already in employment. Once in contact with Remploy, the process will begin by creating a tailor-made approach to coping with the stresses and strains that can make a place of employment a daily struggle. This really highlights the personal level of support offered. Remploy’s website contains a number of case studies to emphasise the personalised element to their services: each one is different & each one showcases a difficult barrier to overcome.

Both the application and the whole 6 month service is entirely free of charge which largely resolves any previous barriers encountered by employees looking for help.

Remploy are aware that many mental illnesses are a by-product of a physical health problem. Despite their remit lying strictly within the mental health realms, if an employee’s physical health problems are still causing an issue with their daily work load then Remploy will put them in contact with the correct health facilities. There really are many ways Access to Work can help and with the service being free, it is worth finding out how Remploy and the DWP can assist your organisations.

There is a wealth of online information about Access to Work on the Remploy Mental Health Support Service and the DWP websites. As mentioned previously, every case is assessed on an individual basis so if you want to know whether Remploy can help employee(s) you may have in mind, just contact them for a more specific proposal.

This relatively unknown scheme really can change someone’s working life and make the difference between them staying in employment or falling onto incapacity benefit

 

Managing diversity and prevent hate crimes and racism

The social fallout from the ongoing global economic crisis must not become an excuse to allow racism and prejudice to go unchecked.

Racism and discrimination have continued and in some places even increased, despite laws prohibiting them. It is a sad truth that violence, discrimination and hate crimes directed against ethnic minorities and migrants remain a daily reality throughout the UK. But people from diverse backgrounds, cultures and religions/beliefs bring a diversity to our societies that we know to be a driver not only for social change, but also for economic growth. This is an abundance of untapped potential that we would be ill-advised to ignore.”

The skills and talents of members of diverse groups in our societies – whether they are citizens of the countries in which they live or more recent migrants – need to be acknowledged, and furthermore to be better utilised.

A proactive approach that appreciates diversity while furthering inclusion would help to reduce racial discrimination and increase security, as well as helping to boost growth.

Periods of severe economic downturn can result in greater social exclusion, which often leads to a search for scapegoats – and it is then groups and individuals from diverse backgrounds are often the first to suffer.

In the countries most affected by the consequences of the economic crisis, there has been an increase in the appeal of extremist parties that are rooted in a profound hostility to ethnic, religious and cultural diversity.

We all need to think about how we manage diversity and challenge inequalities within our society.

Managing diverse teams

It is fun and exciting to work in a diverse working environment. There is so much to learn, understand and grasp. A whole new world of possibilities, different points of view, wisdom and experience is open to each one of us who are willing to receive it with an open mind.

 

Go into the work environment with a focus on behaving, interacting and working in a professional manner, while respecting people in the way they want to be respected.

 

People come into professional work environments with three to seven different language backgrounds, with English as the common language. Chances are that miscommunication, the inability to translate words correctly into English, and the wrong context of tone and language can cause unnecessary barriers and tensions.

 

In these situations where there are diverse issues, never take sides based on your own personal understanding. Always clarify what was meant, expected or discussed. In many cases, it is very easy to misunderstand, blow a simple matter out of proportion and make it an inequality issue. 

 

What are the problems that you are likely to face in a diverse environment?

 

The challenges you are likely to face will be human interaction issues. Some of these include fear, personal feelings, beliefs and emotions related to past programming, anger and misconceptions based on our political and personal histories and experiences. 

 

People are bound to be in conflict regardless of what their personal characteristic/ background is because each person has a different personality, experiences, expectations, leadership style, communication style and values:

 

1. People of different diverse cultures, religions/beliefs and  backgrounds also greet each other at various times of the day. This allows them acknowledge each other’s presence and humanness. If you do not greet people in the way they wished to be greeted, then they feel hurt and withdrawn. 

 

2.  One of the common challenges facing employers is that people are not catered for at work functions in terms of what they can, can’t and sometimes eat according to their dietary, religious or personal beliefs. This makes them feel left out and not valued.  

Remember that we are working with human beings with feelings. Learning how to adjust our behaviour to be more inclusive also improves professional interactions tremendously. 

 

 

New and different ways to solve challenges in diverse working environments

 

1. Create an environment that allows you to listen thoughtfully and resolve potential issues amicably without it becoming a personal issue
2. Learn communication skills that will assist you to adjust your personality type, learning style, body language, eye-contact and tone of voice to suit the person you are interacting with to achieve better results.  
3. Greet people in their own languages as appropriate. It’s fun and incredible how you warm their hearts and improve your working relationships. 
4. When you have work functions, be aware of religious or traditional backgrounds and adjust the dates and catering accordingly. Otherwise, people feel isolated and rejected. 
5. Don’t judge entire groups of people based on your limited knowledge of other peoples’ experiences. Research, question, experiment, visit and find out as much as you can about diversity and difference in groups and individuals so that you can connect at a deeper level. 
6. Steer clear of stereotyping. Rather speak to a person directly and ask the relevant/appropriate question with the intention of really learning. 
7. Interact on a social basis. This breaks a lot of fear, builds relationships, removes gossiping and allows you to connect with the person as a human being who is valued for their personal qualities, skills and intelligence. 
8. Above all, respect the person in front of you and treat them as a person, not a colour, nationality, age or religion.

Equality and Diversity in the work place: We all recognise the importance, but do we really need training in Equality and Diversity?

Equality and Diversity in the work place: We all recognise the importance, but do we really need training in Equality and Diversity?

The answer from me is yes, we do need training. The reason is that we all come from different backgrounds, have different sets of values and many of us only mix with people who are like us. The employer has a responsibility for staff and customers and therefore needs to ensure that staff have up to date training and skills. Skills are not just linked to the job in hand but include people skills, diversity management, managing own behaviour and prejudices.

In my work, I often come across people in organisations who are aware of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) but do not have an understanding or any experience. Sometime people witness inequalities but don't recognise them as such; they are unable to identify discriminatory behaviour or language that is unacceptable, sometime telling me that this is just banter – it is what is used in their circles and has been for years!

Would we expect people who join our workforce to be skilled in their area of work? If the answer is yes, then we should also expect that they have not just awareness, but an understanding of the impact of good equality practice on business. They should also be aware of the significant cost to businesses of poor equality practice. Training should not be about the “do’s” and “don’ts”; it should be about the business, moral and legal case (notice legal came last!) for promoting, fostering and advancing equality and diversity.

Demographics play a significant part in all of this. In the next 5-10 years we will see a significant shift in demographics in the UK population (we are already seeing this) where women and black and minority ethnic people will be the majority workforce. Older people will also have a stake in the workforce.  Training our staff about EDI is crucial. Training them simply about legislation and laws won’t do. We need to ensure that everyone understands the business benefits, the moral responsibilities and the legal responsibilities employers hold for ensuring that staff and customers are safeguarded from discrimination based on any of the protected characteristics (as well as know their rights).

If we have to ask this question it may be that we need to personally reflect on where we stand on this issue and consider how we can embrace EDI agendas because we know it makes good business sense.

Relecting on 9/11

As the  the 10th anniversary of 9/11 approaches, I am reminded of the day I last celebrated my birthday on 9/11. The events of that day were rolled out on TV and in the media in such a way that I no longer celebrate my birthday on 9/11. What is there to celebrate? I now celebrate it on my mother's birthday which is 9/15 
I have snapshots in my mind of a day to look forward to, racing home from work to celebrate my birthday with the family and friend only to learn of the horror of 9/11  listening to the radio and then witnessing the fallout on national TV.
This was a day where I felt terror and dispair and my heart and blessings went out to the families who had lost their loved ones. These past and present snapshots remind me it is essential that  educators in school and colleges take into account that while our mental snapshots of 9/11 are our own, for some of our students these snapshots have been handed down to them in an album created by others.
Yet despite the fact that these snapshots were not taken by our students, we must realise they are affecting the conclusions students draw about 9/11. We must encourage our students to develop multiple perspectives about 9/11 and draw their own conclusions.

Threats to the Equality Act 2010

In April 2011 the Government launched the Red Tape Challenge, a website which invites members of the public to comment on statutory rules and regulations. In the first two months the Government asked simply whether the Equality Act 2010 (primary legislation of 239 pages) should be scrapped or retained. Of the nearly 6000 responses 96% said do not scrap the Act.

Then the Secretary of State for Equalities announced that the Government did not intend to repeal the Act. This approach, especially when taken with the proposed changes to the role of the EHRC (consultation on the reform of the EHRC closed on 15/6/11) suggests that the Government are considering a significant watering down of both the Equality Act 2006 (which sets out the EHRC’s duties, powers and remit) and the Equality Act 2010. Should this happen, rights to race equality will be significantly reduced.

The Runnymede Trust is concerned about the increasingly frequent classification of discrimination protection as unimportant and a ‘burden on business’, rather than as a basic right. If the Government believes that the obligation to treat people in a non-discriminatory way can be trumped by the demands of business to maximize profits, then it undermines the foundation of our democracy and risks its legitimacy to govern.

The Runnymede Trust Recommendations:

·         The Government should ensure that any person who considers they have suffered discrimination, harassment, victimization or other conduct prohibited under the Equality Act 2010 is able to receive free and `timely skilled advice on their rights and assistance in seeking legal redress.

·         The Government should adopt appropriate provisions to prohibit multiple discrimination and retain the important protection of employees against harassment by a third party.

·         The Government should provide more effective leadership on equality in the private sector, by at minimum not referring to rights to equality and non-discrimination as ‘burdens on business’ and ‘unnecessary red tape’.