In this video i'm going to be talking about a menopause policy what is one how essential
are they and what can you include in your menopause policy if you want to create one
what is a menopause policy it's a document that can be used in the workplace
to outline how you will help and support those experiencing menopause and you can also link it
back to other policies that you may have so you could include menopause as an example within your
diversity and inclusion policy your well-being policy and your absence and sickness policy okay
the most common question then do you actually need to have a menopause policy the answer is no
your organization may prefer to issue guidelines instead but whether it's a policy or
a set of guidelines that you produce what's really important is that whatever you create is
not left sitting gathering dust it's acted on and is implemented as a live living breathing
document if you decide that a menopause policy is for you what can you include in it well again
it's up to you but some topics you might want to consider are a menopause policy statement
the aims and objectives of your policy legislative compliance the key principles menopause definition
who is affected and workplace factors access to workplace adjustments and support
key actions and adjustments self help measures sign posting and support
so let's break down each of those in turn and look at what kind of information that you could include
in each of these sections so your menopause policy statement this could be an outline of what your
organization will commit to when it comes to supporting those during menopause outline your
aims and objectives of your policy so these could be around how you're going to raise awareness and
provide training for managers how are you going to raise wider awareness awareness among employees
what support and reasonable adjustments will be available how are you going to
create a menopause friendly environment that makes conversations around menopause
easier what adjustments that you could implement to make sure that the workplace doesn't cause
menopausal symptoms to get worse you can outline the relevant laws that protect employees and
employers relating to menopause in the workplace in your legislative compliance section
this section of your policy could include how you recognize menopause is an individual experience
and how you'll aim to provide different levels and the necessary types of support and adjustments
so it could be that you include what information will be available
to all workers it could be information around a menopause support group that you may have
you could talk about risk assessments and how they will be carried out
you want to mention adjustments to working conditions that could be put in place
you could mention how training and awareness sessions will be provided for everyone across
the organization and if you have a named person who will be a confidential contact
for those who wish to speak about or to request support around their menopause symptoms
then you could include this in this part of the policy as well
include an easy to understand definition of perimenopause and menopause
you could include some of the most common symptoms
and how they can impact on employees and colleagues within the workplace
in this section your policy could include those that you recognize being affected by menopause
the workplace factors that could aggravate menopause symptoms and what your commitment
is to eliminating the factors that could cause symptoms to be made worse in the workplace
this section could include your commitment to ensuring managers
are aware of adjustments and support that's suitable for your colleagues or employees
and how they can access workplace adjustments and support this section could outline how
risk assessments will be undertaken and what documentation will be used to complete these
now you can also link this section to other related policies that you may have
include current and relevant health advice to women that will help them before during and after
menopause you could include internal and external resources for additional signposting and support
so what you include in your menopause policy or guidelines is up to you but whatever you do create
be sure it's an active document within your organization let me help you have comfortable
conversations about menopause without the worry of saying or doing the wrong thing remember
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