Posted on: 30 June 2023
We are pleased to announce CNWL is now a Menopause Friendly employer.
The Menopause Friendly Accreditation established by Henpicked: Menopause in the Workplace recognises high standards and proven practices that embrace menopause in the workplace.
In order to achieve accreditation, employers are assessed by an independent panel and must demonstrate evidence of their effectiveness in six areas: culture, policies and practices, training, engagement, facilities and evaluation.
This reflects how much we value our staff, and our ongoing commitment to be among the leading employers that recognises the benefits of bringing recognition to menopause experiences and real change in the lives of CNWL staff.
Laura Knight and Rebecca Dunkerley, Co-Chairs of CNWL’s Women’s Staff Network said:
“We’re really proud of this work, initially given a voice through the Women’s Network and 50plus groups. It’s often hard to talk about health and wellbeing issues at work, and we’ve heard in our forums the relief of having spaces to recognise this issue.
“It’s so important to not just talk, but to have permission, structures and education to move forward – and this accreditation give us as at CNWL. Making it clear that we value all our staff throughout their careers at CNWL.”
Nick Green, Chief People Officer at CNWL said:
“We want our staff to be able to bring their whole self to work but realised that speaking openly about perimenopause and menopause had been far too infrequent.
“National workplace statistics show that many women were struggling on their own and were leaving jobs, reducing their hours or forgoing opportunities for promotion. If this is happening nationally it is likely to be happening at CNWL and we wanted to support our staff and be truly inclusive.”
Since the official launch of this initiative in July 2022, we have listened and collaborated with staff and teams across the Trust to ensure that our offerings reflect the CNWL workforce needs.
There are three key areas that have generated the most impact in terms of both support and engagement, namely:
- Introducing an internal menopause resource page for staff and managers
- Implementing a Peer Support Group for staff
- Occupational Health monitoring of menopause related referrals
Nick continues:
“We found that our staff were keen to speak up, share their lived experiences, engage fully and express what improvements and support they would like to see in their workplace. In addition, our menopause staff survey highlighted areas of strength and weakness, allowing us to bring about positive improvements across all levels of our organisation.”
Deborah Garlick, CEO of Henpicked: Menopause in the Workplace said:
“I’m greatly encouraged to hear CNWL talk about the importance of having a culture where employees can speak openly and share their experiences as this is a vitally important aspect of being menopause friendly. It is patently clear that the staff at CNWL feel supported, cared for and valued, knowing their concerns will be listened to, understood and acted upon.