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Glasgow Business School Blazes Trail for Menopause Support

Low-cost, high-impact changes to support menopausal women at work could have a transformational effect on talent retention, according to a world-renowned expert on ageing, gender, and menopause in the workplace.

The University of Glasgow’s Adam Smith Business School is stepping up efforts to support those navigating the challenges of managing their menopause at work and urging other workplaces to follow their lead.

The Business School has become the latest workplace to support the Menopause Awareness Ribbon Campaign, launched by Perth charity Menopause Café during the World Menopause Month of October. The campaign signals a willingness to talk about the life transition and reduce the stigma and shame often associated with it.

CIPD research (November 2023) found that, if unable to work, 49% of employees never tell their manager their symptoms are related to the menstrual cycle.  The same research found that two-thirds (67%) of employers said there is no support available.

Offering appropriate support in the workplace can make people feel included, offer dignity and reduce embarrassment. It can increase employee attendance and legitimise absence where this is needed. It can increase performance, engagement, retention and employer branding.

Since its formation in 2017, the Menopause Café charity has sparked a global movement of informal ‘cafes’ across the world, where people of all ages and genders get together either at work or in the community to discuss menopause.   Last year, with support from the charity, over 360 Menopause Cafes were held worldwide, from the UK and USA to Chile, Zambia, Bahrain and Portugal, empowering more than 3,600 participants to get talking.

By supporting the campaign and making ribbons available to their staff and students, the Business School hopes to encourage conversation and smash stigmas.

Professor Kathleen Riach, Professor of Organization Studies, commented, “At Adam Smith Business School, we have been supporting people going through menopause for several years while guiding those looking after their employees.

“While it’s important to have resources and best practice, it’s fundamentally about awareness-raising and starting the conversation in the first place. This new ribbon campaign is a fantastic way to get conversations going and a gentle and impersonal way to introduce menopause as a workplace topic.

“It’s never too late for employers to start supporting people with their menopause. Too many skilled and experienced employees who love their jobs are leaving the workplace because of their symptoms. Why would employers risk that happening when they can make some low-cost, high-impact changes? The women in your organisation are negotiating it every day, so that best practice is already sitting there in your workplace; they’re just doing it informally. It’s about enabling them to share what works for them and use that as a basis for organisational best practice. It’s all about talent retention – you know you have great, resilient workers who could work 10-15 years after their menopause – why would you lose them now if you can support and retain them through some simple steps?”

Rachel Weiss, Founder of the Menopause Café charity, added, “Because of debilitating symptoms like hot flushes and poor concentration, many women go part-time, avoid promotions or leave their jobs. When they downgrade or even abandon their careers, the gender pay and pension gaps widen.

“Through the Menopause Awareness Ribbon Campaign, we want to normalise conversations about menopause, which affects half of the world’s population and impacts the other half.  It’s also about creating a more inclusive and diverse workforce.  Employees going through menopause have amassed significant life and work experience. We need to celebrate the skills and attributes that people of all ages bring to the workforce.”

Along with making the ribbons available for sale to businesses and retail spaces, the charity has launched a social media campaign featuring videos from high-profile supporters nationwide, calling for audiences to ‘support the cause: Menopause’. Order a box of Menopause Awareness ribbons or  single ribbons from www.menopausecafe.org

ENDS