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Severn Trent HQ in Coventry was the latest venue for the conversation on menopause in the workplace. Severn Trent is the UK’s second biggest water company. It serves 4.5m homes and business customers in England and Wales.
More than 90 guests, which included Severn Trent staff alongside representatives from water companies across the country, attended the session which gave an insight into the impact menopause can have on everyone in the workplace and what support is available.
A series of experts from Henpicked presented at the session including Deborah Garlick, Director at Henpicked, menopause expert Diane Danzebrink and Sue Fish, a former Chief Constable with Nottinghamshire Police.
Deborah Garlick said: “Businesses and organisations must take menopause seriously, it’s essential we break this taboo once and for all. There are 3.5m women of menopausal age, 75-80% of them are in work. Research last year told us that 1 in 4 women considered leaving work because they couldn’t cope with their symptoms. Menopause awareness and education is the right thing to do to create a supportive work environment. And there are very compelling financial reasons including the cost of absence, recruitment to replace staff lost and the risk of tribunals, which can be on age, sex or disability discrimination.’
Evelyn Dickey, from Severn Trent, said: “We’re really focused on making Severn Trent an awesome place to work for all our employees. In the past the menopause might have been seen as a ‘taboo’ subject but we’re committed to changing that and making everyone aware of the support on offer. “The changing age of our workforce means that more and more women are experiencing symptoms in the workplace, but we know that lots of people don’t feel comfortable talking about it with their line managers. We’re really passionate about changing that and this event was just the start. Our key message is that menopause is not a women’s issue, everyone needs to know about it. Juliet Saimbi, who was instrumental in organising the landmark event for Severn Trent, also spoke at the session, she added: “I really want to get the conversation started about menopause, which is why I thought it was so important to share my own story. The impact it can have on women in the workplace can be huge, but by making sure they have the right support and giving our line managers the confidence to help, we can really make a difference.”
The Henpicked experts are helping organisations UK-wide, making it easy for them to introduce the right policies, practices and training.
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