Will the PR industry adopt new menopause guidance?

The news that the British Standards Institute (BSI) has unveiled new workplace guidance for businesses to support employees experiencing menstruation or menopause is a welcome step in pushing the agenda forward when it comes to conversations around menopause support in the workplace.

The Menstruation, Menstrual Health and Menopause in the Workplace standard (BS 30416) sets out recommendations for workplace adjustments and strategies that can help employers support those experiencing menopause or menstruation, of particular importance to help retain the significant number of menopausal women quitting work in the UK every year because of lack of menopause support. Suitable training for line managers and HR managers and options for flexible working are also among the guidance.

The new BSI guidance comes after research last year from the Fawcett Society which found 10% of those experiencing menopause have left the workplace due to symptoms such as hot flushes, dizziness, insomnia, and muscle and joint stiffness. [Mapped on to the UK population that would represent an estimated 333,000 women leaving their jobs due to the menopause.]

The study also found that eight out of 10 women said their employer hadn’t shared information, trained staff, or put in place a menopause absence policy.

This is of course, of particular relevance to the PR and communications industry, where 64% of its employees are women, yet more than half of women under 50 don’t see a future in the part of the industry they work in. Unsurprising, when more than 34% of women working in comms say they have experienced ageism in the workplace and 42% see limited career opportunities to progress because of lack of visibility of women aged over 50 in senior leadership roles. All of this is, of course, exacerbating the gender pay gap in the industry, which currently stands at 20.9%.

It’s backed up by the IPA's 2017 census, which showed that only 7.7% of creative and non-media agency staff are aged over 50, and just 0.8% are over 60. Yet menopausal women are the fastest-growing work age demographic in the UK.

However, the BSI is not a government body and these standards are not the law. There’s nothing to force any PR company to adopt the guidance, never mind provide real, tangible, proactive menopause support to staff rather than simply brandishing a shiny new standard. 

It’s clear that to retain and attract these often hugely skilled, experienced women in the middle of a talent shortage, leaders in the industry must urgently introduce robust, proactive and ongoing menopause support policies of their own in the workplace - and go above and beyond any BSI standards bolted onto the company masthead.

After all, as well as addressing the gender pay gap in the industry and retaining experienced, talented women to rise up through the ranks from their 40s and beyond, there are huge economic benefits in providing proper menopause support, not least when the estimated cost of replacing a woman who stops work because of menopause symptoms is more than £30,000 [based on earnings of £25,000], and the boosts to the bottom line that come from demonstrating a truly inclusive and diverse, female-friendly company culture. 

So it’s a no-brainer that all workplaces should introduce their own menopause policies that are properly effective. They should outline and provide easily accessible support and healthcare that caters to the needs of menopausal women and the myriad symptoms associated with menopause such as mood swings, anxiety, hot flushes, sleep loss and night sweats, so these women, often at the peak of their careers, don’t suffer in silence, reduce their hours, or quit altogether.

It should also be made a priority to educate and train all staff on menopause awareness, the range of ways to manage symptoms and agree on reasonable workplace adjustments. Menopause training for HR, occupational health, line managers and senior staff needs to be continuous and embedded rather than a one-off event, with external expert menopause support, such as that provided by Henpicked, to become a Menopause Friendly Accredited business, and medical care plans made part of the overall wellbeing offering.

Importantly, the tone must also be set from the top with leadership at all levels helping normalise and amplify the conversation around menopause and provide clarity on what the outcomes of good menopause support looks like with continued reappraisal of metrics to improve those outcomes.

But on a very basic level, it’s clear that the PR industry needs to bite the bullet and start providing real menopause support in the workplace. Because while I welcome the BSI news, it won’t be enough for the industry to simply adopt the new guidance ­­– it’s down to leaders to implement their own gold standards when it comes to offering truly effective, proactive menopause support.

Helen Normoyle is the co-founder of My Menopause Centre.