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Arianna Chatzidakis
The House of Commons signed a Menopause Workplace Pledge to ensure a menopause-friendly environment for staff – read more here.
Since joining forces with leading women’s health charity Wellbeing of Women to launch the Menopause Workplace Pledge in October 2021, HELLO! is proud to announce that together we have rallied over 1,000 organisations including the civil service, Clarins, BMW Group, Royal Mail and BBC to sign the pledge.
In doing so, these companies have committed to recognise the impact of menopause and actively support women affected.
MORE: 36 symptoms of menopause and how to treat them – expert advice
On Monday night, HELLO! joined Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle in the House of Commons for a very special signing of the pledge, to ensure that the House of Commons is menopause-friendly for staff.
Addressing the room, which was full of menopause campaigns and celebrities including Lisa Snowdon and Penny Lancaster, Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said: “[The menopause] is an experience that more than half the population will go through. No one should be embarrassed about it.
“I hope that by signing the menopause workplace pledge, we’ll make the [House of Commons] an even better place for women to work […] By making simple adjustments, training for our managers, providing support groups for our community, we can make life so much easier [for menopausal women].”
Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle was joined by Penny Lancaster, Lisa Snowdon and Mariella Frostup to celebrate the Menopause Workplace Pledge signing. Photo credit: ©UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor
Journalist and author of Cracking The Menopause, Mariella Frostup, also spoke at the event, revealing that within the workplace, “sharing without shame is one of the most effective things that you can do to deplete the sense with menopause.”
She continued: “Is it asking too much of your employee that perhaps you go in a little later if you’re suffering from hot flushes during the day? It’s hardly unreasonable to have a lighter uniform or access to drinking water [if you are going through the menopause].
“It seems completely extraordinary that we’ve been allowing something experienced by half the population, and which affects the entire population, to have been so side-lined.”
MORE: The 5 best books about the menopause
In signing the Menopause Workplace Pledge, HELLO! and Wellbeing of Women are asking employers to commit to, recognising that the menopause can be an issue in the workplace and women need support; talking openly, positively, and respectfully about the menopause, and actively supporting and informing your employees affected by the menopause.
Visit our menopause hub, and sign the Menopause Workplace Pledge here.
Photo credits: ©UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor
