Labour announces ground-breaking workplace support for women with menopause
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· Labour announces
requirement for large firms to set out Menopause Action Plans
detailing how they are supporting women with menopause at work
· Policy forms part
of Labour's offer to working women
· One in 10 women
aged 45-55 have left their jobs due to menopausal symptoms
Employers will be required to produce...Request free trial
· Labour announces requirement for large firms to set out Menopause Action Plans detailing how they are supporting women with menopause at work · Policy forms part of Labour's offer to working women · One in 10 women aged 45-55 have left their jobs due to menopausal symptoms
Employers will be required to produce action plans to support the wellbeing of staff going through the menopause under new plans announced by Labour today. [1]
Unveiled by Labour Deputy Leader Angela Rayner and Shadow Women and Equalities Secretary Anneliese Dodds, the Party has pledged to bring in a new requirement for large firms to publish and implement Menopause Action Plans.
The action plans will detail how the company will support women going through menopause, and could include policies such as paid time off, uniform alterations or temperature control.
The move comes as research shows that one in 10 women left their jobs due to menopausal symptoms in 2022 [2]. The latest ONS Labour Market Statistics show that almost a third (31.7%) of women aged 50-64 were economically inactive. [3]
Deputy Leader Angela Rayner said the policy was a "simple and effective way" to "improve productivity, keep more people in work and ultimately grow our economy for all". Anneliese Dodds hailed the move as "a vital step forward" in supporting women to stay in work or to return to the workforce.
Ahead of the Budget in March, Labour said the plans would help get more people into work that suited their skills and experience, tackling high levels of inactivity and boosting economic growth.
The policy will require employers with more than 250 employees to publish plans and communicate their menopause policies with their staff. The process will be simple and easy with employers required to submit their plans annually to the existing Government portal used already for gender pay gap reporting.
Many UK businesses are already taking steps in this space. For example, in 2022 Tesco introduced a menopause-friendly uniform and started offering their staff time off due to menopause. [4] In addition, Nationwide Building Society, Sainsbury's, PwC and Santander have all signed up to the Menopause Workplace Pledge. [5]
Ahead of International Women's Day, this latest policy builds on commitments from Labour to support women at work. Through its New Deal for Working Women, Labour has pledged to end the gender pay gap, change the culture around family-friendly working and tackle harassment at work. [6]
Angela Rayner MP, Labour's Deputy Leader and Shadow Secretary of State for the Future of Work, said:
"Everyone should be supported to thrive at work. But all too often women going through the menopause are being let down. Under the Conservatives, the number of women leaving the workforce is skyrocketing, and productivity is plummeting as those who continue in work aren't getting the support they need. This is bad for women, bad for business and bad for our economy.
"I know from working with many incredible women how hard it is to get on at work every day, whilst battling severe symptoms including depression, joint pain and extreme fatigue. It happens in every workplace, but too often women suffer in silence.
"Building on our New Deal for Working People, the next Labour Government will help employers to support the wellbeing of their female workers, and our proposals are a simple and effective way to do this. We want to work with businesses and trade unions to bring about practical solutions like this to improve productivity, keep more people in work and ultimately grow our economy for all."
Anneliese Dodds MP, Labour's Party Chair and Shadow Women and Equalities Secretary, said:
"Women in their 50s are the fastest growing group in the workforce but they face significant pressures, and many are managing their menopause symptoms while holding down a job, caring for elderly parents and supporting their own children.
"No one should face having to step down from their job because of the menopause. Today's announcement is a vital step forward in enabling those women to re-enter the workforce, progress their careers, or to keep working.
"From access to vital healthcare, to support at work, the Conservatives have vacated the field on supporting women. Labour will ensure that these women are heard and supported through what can be a challenging time in their lives."
Ends
Notes to editors
[1] As part of our commitment to support women experiencing the menopause, the next Labour government will help businesses to support their female employees going through the menopause at work. This also builds on our commitments in our New Deal for Working People to make Britain work for working women:
1/ We will
require all large employers with more than 250 employees to
submit menopause action plans (MAPs), and to communicate their
policies with their staff. 2/ These plans will set out how
employers are … This is a business-led, simple and effective way to help employers to support the wellbeing of their female workforce, helping to keep them in work, boosting productivity and contributing to economic growth.
Employers will be required to write action plans setting out how they are supporting their female employers going through the menopause, publish these plans and make their employees aware of them too.
Labour will publish guidance with information on how to write action plans. This will not dictate what should be included in action plans, but examples could include provisions for flexible working where possible, temperature control or uniform alterations.
In Government, we will publish guidance for large employers about how to write a menopause action plan, what they can do to support staff and how they can effectively communicate their policies with their employees.
[2] [3] [4] [5] https://www.wellbeingofwomen.org.uk/menopause-workplace-pledge/employee/ |