Breaking ‘female health’ taboos in IP
The menopause has long been a taboo subject—an issue that until recently was rarely openly discussed.
Thankfully, that shroud of silence is now being lifted and the potential impact it can have on people’s personal and professional lives is being addressed.
A loss of talent
It is estimated that one in four of those going through the menopause experience severe symptoms and consider leaving their jobs as a result, and one in ten actually end up stopping work. That has led to around 900,000 women quitting their jobs in the UK alone, according to the charity Wellbeing of Women.
Alongside providing a greater understanding of the personal toll of the menopause, these numbers outline the potential scale and severity of its business impact, with talented employees leaving the workforce at an alarming rate.
Women’s health is essential to an inclusive, positive and dynamic work culture, and at Mewburn Ellis we work with a number of leading FemTech companies driving much-needed innovation in this space.
As a law firm, we’re determined do everything we can to ensure that colleagues going through the menopause feel empowered, listened to and cared for at what can be an extremely challenging time.
A new policy
The wellbeing of our team is paramount—and that’s why after much research and internal deliberation we have launched our new menopause policy, thought to be the first of its kind in the European IP sector.
This comprehensive set of measures is designed to encourage discussion and educate people, and to provide targeted support for women dealing with the physical and emotional stresses and the strains triggered by the menopause.
People are often deterred from speaking up about the struggles they are facing either due to embarrassment, concerns about the consequences or simply because they don’t know who to talk to.
So we’ve set up a ‘Menopause Champions’ group, comprising people who are passionate about the subject and about helping others, or those who may have received training around these issues and may have experiences to share.
The idea is that these colleagues will be accessible to anyone who needs help—as an alternative to their line manager or HR—and be able to provide or direct them to the right advice and support as necessary.
A safe space
Having a safe space for discussion and a platform for information sharing on internal digital channels is also incredibly beneficial, and there is now a private group on our social intranet where women can chat, post resources and share stories.
Awareness- raising more widely is vital too, so that everyone—whether they are personally affected by the menopause or not—has an understanding of what colleagues may be going through and promote firmwide engagement with the initiatives being rolled out.
As a first step to help familiarise people with the basics of what the menopause can entail, we held a training session with a specialist external speaker which was open to all staff so they could discover more about what the effects the menopause could have on a woman’s professional life and in the workplace.
It was great to see how well attended this event was by both women and men and how well its content was received, and it has paved the way for wider discussion and further education modules going forward.
To back up this learning and dialogue, it is important to have physical resources on hand in the workplace as well. For us, this has taken the form of establishing a menopause book club where books on the topic are made available for people to borrow.
In addition, each office will be equipped with a menopause toolkit comprising free sanitary products and other helpful items for anyone who needs them. And if women feel they are not getting the help they need from their GP (something that is anecdotally reported to be all too common), we will offer an employer-funded access to a private consultation with a specialist.
A clarion call
With all this in train, our goal is to become an accredited ‘menopause friendly employer’, which is an independent assessment that demonstrates our commitment to inclusivity and positive long-term organisational change. And we have signed up to the ‘menopause workplace pledge’ as a clarion call to show how seriously we take this issue.
It is time to tackle any stigma that persists around the menopause and break down the barriers that prevent people from asking for help or that perpetuate a lack of understanding among colleagues about this health issue.
Proactively supporting those experiencing the menopause should create a happier and healthier workforce, promote inclusivity as well as preventing a damaging brain drain of top female expertise and experience. That’s something that everyone— regardless of age or gender, employers and employees alike—should be able to rally behind.
Maria Hall is chief marketing and business development officer at Mewburn Ellis and member of the firm’s menopause champions group.
She can be contacted at: maria.hall@mewburn.com
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