Did you know that creating an informed, open and supportive culture can really help your school and business become an employer of choice?  

Becoming an employer of choice depends on several factors, but let’s start with making your team feel supported, performing well and a culture they genuinely enjoy working for.  

Raising awareness about how you can support individuals and the wider team with menopause, special leave, domestic abuse and counselling can help. That’s why we have  issued some news to our clients on raising awareness on these matters.  Let’s focus on menopause and domestic violence in the workplace.

Menopause  

The taboo around menopause is still prevalent. It is essential that employers engage with their employees to ensure they are sensitively supported. Menopause generally affects those aged between 45 and 55 and studies show that the 50-60 age employment bracket of those in employment is the fastest-growing age group. Research has shown that nine in ten women feel menopause affects in their work, such as loss of confidence, problems with memory/concentration, difficulty sleeping, hot flushes, mood swings, anxiety and depression. This can negatively effect on an individual’s work performance, decision making, relationships and attendance, with many feeling pressure not to talk about it. 

Davina McCall reveals she was warned against talking about going through the menopause public because ‘ageing’ is a ‘bit unsavoury’ and would damage her career. 

So, what can you do? Be proactive, have appropriate support networks for your team, wellbeing initiatives, awareness training, engagement with your employees, review existing policies and show an understanding of the impact of the menopause, so that individuals feel able to speak up. 

Domestic Abuse – Toolkit and 16 days of Action 

There is no ‘typical’ victim of domestic abuse; it is often not easily recognisable and special consideration must, therefore, be given to look out for the common signs that domestic abuse may be occurring in an employee or colleague’s relationship. In many instances, work can be seen as a safe place for individuals suffering domestic abuse, and to this extent, employers must urgently consider how additional support can be provided to an individual.

To put domestic violence into context, there are 2.3million victims of domestic abuse a year, aged 16 to 74 (two thirds are women) and more than 1 in 10 of all offences recorded by the police are domestic abuse related. More than one fifth of women (21%) who were employed and who have suffered domestic violence in a year prior to interview took time off work as a result, men also took time off, but at a lower rate (6%).  It is expected that most of the provisions in the new Domestic Abuse Act will come into force during 2021/2022. Birch-HR want employers to be prepared and supportive.  

There are some helpful and informative free toolkits and resources available including the Employer’s Initiative on Domestic Abuse template and resources, available here.  

A toolkit has been commissioned by PHE and developed by Corporate Alliance Against Domestic Violence (CAADV). The toolkit is a brief for companies to tackle domestic violence in 16 days. Click here: 16 Days of Action Against Domestic Violence.