Menopause Policy
| Title | Menopause Policy |
|---|---|
| Council Resource | Finance and Corporate |
| Service Area | Council Wide |
| Aims and Objectives | South Lanarkshire Council is committed to improving the well-being of its people by ensuring that all individuals are treated fairly and with dignity and respect in their working environment. As an employer the Council has a duty to manage related issues effectively. In this regard, the Council will provide appropriate support to women who are experiencing symptoms associated with the menopause, whilst supporting line managers by providing guidance. The menopause is a natural part of ageing that usually occurs between 45 and 55 years of age, as a woman's oestrogen levels decline. In the UK, the average age for a woman to reach the menopause is 51. However, around 1 in 100 women experience the menopause before 40 years of age. It is important that the Council understands the difficulties and anxieties of female employees going through this change and that we manage this issue by raising awareness, and providing training and development for all line management and colleagues. This will help line managers to understand how the menopause can affect their employees at work, enabling them to provide guidance and support to those affected and ensure adjustments that may be necessary to support those women who are experiencing the menopause are provided. All women in the workplace will be given information on how they can get support for any issues that arise as a result of the menopause, creating a confidence in the employee to raise issues about their symptoms and ask for the adjustments they require. The policy will also promote guidance for those affected indirectly, for example colleagues and partners. It is hoped that by creating a supportive environment absenteeism due to menopausal symptoms will be reduced. |
| Conclusion | "The policy is about developing a positive impact for women by encouraging a positive attitude to the menopause and highlighting that it is not something women should feel embarrassed about discussing. As an employer the Council has a duty to manage issues effectively and to ensure that all individuals are treated fairly and with dignity and respect in their working environment. Therefore the policy will help by raising awareness for all line managers and provide appropriate training and development opportunities to help improve in the well-being of its employees. The policy will also support line managers when considering reasonable adjustments where necessary and allow employees to remain at work where previously they may have reported absent. Personnel services will monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of this policy in respect of related absence levels and performance and reported using the current reporting methods." |
| Completion date | 2018 - 2019 |
| Contact Email address | equalities@southlanarkshire.gov.uk |
| Area | Council Wide |