New Menstruation, Menstrual Health and Menopause standards launched for Workplaces.
A new workplace standard has been published by The British Standards Institute (BSI) for businesses, to support their employees who are experiencing menopause or menstruation. The guidance aims to help organisations to attract and retain experienced and talented staff.
The creation of the Menstruation, Menstrual Health and Menopause in the Workplace standard (BS 30416) followed on from the Fawcett Society research. The research found about 10% of employees experiencing menopause have left the workplace due to symptoms such as insomnia, hot flushes, dizziness, muscle and joint stiffness.
10% of employees experiencing menopause have left the workplace
The Fawcett Society research builds on the existing pool of evidence that have highlighted the negative financial impact created by the lack of awareness and support given to employees with menstrual health conditions and some symptoms of the peri/menopause i.e. retention of staff, presenteeism, days of productivity lost, recruiting and retaining new staff.
For example:
In 2019 study from Radboud University in the Netherlands found that 9 days of productivity lost per person, per year due to disabling premenstrual symptoms
A survey conducted by BUPA and the CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) estimated that 900,000 women leave their jobs each year due to peri (menopausal) symptoms
A survey of members of the latte lounge found that 42% of women considered leaving their job because of (peri) menopausal symptoms.
In a parliamentary report (2020) found that 28% of women with endometriosis had to change or leave their job
Fertility Matters At Work cited that 1 in 4 with fertility issues suffer negative experiences with an employer
Eight out of ten women say..
..their employer hasn’t shared information, trained staff, or put in place a menopause absence policy.
(Fawcett Society, Menopause and the Workplace)
The creation of the BSI guidelines emphasises that negative consequences can be avoided through organisations recognising the importance of menopause and menstrual health in the workplace. Adopting guidelines and making necessary investments, plus helping nurture a positive workplace culture by creating general awareness and opportunities for open conversations and discussions, will result in a win-win situation for employers and employees.
BiOrigins range of corporate workshops, talks, and consultations will provide your organisation with the suitable training, advice, and information needed to build an inclusive environment to support your people. Importantly our wholistic approach focuses on identify the root causes of health issues not just addressing symptoms. Knowing and understanding the root cause means that your employees can obtain the tools that will empower them to achieve sustainable health. Thereby helping businesses and employees to thrive.
Get in touch with us today to find out more and take a key step to support gender equality in the workplace.