Creative industries failing to accommodate menopause in workplace, warns law firm

The study of 81 HR decision makers working across the British creative sector found that only one in five (19%) employers consider menopausal symptoms during the performance reviews of female staff. This is despite it being widely accepted that the effects of menopause can be debilitating for a woman’s physical and psychological wellbeing.

• The Drum’s guide to creating a menopause policy at your own firm

What else did the survey find?

• 72% of businesses working in the sector do not have a menopause policy

• 77% do not train their line managers in relation to menopause

• 45% of those that say they do not train their staff about the menopause admit to not having thought about it, while 6% don’t consider it a priority and 6% claim that sensitivities and embarrassment about the issue hold them back

• Half of organizations in the sector (49%) say they are confident that women in their organization feel able to talk about the menopause

• Only 21% say they provide information about the menopause to their employees, with 14% offering internal support groups

• 67% say they do not consider menopause during performance reviews for female staff

What are the consequences?

According to Irwin Mitchell, not only is this lack of action compounding the current skills shortage by forcing women out of their careers, but will make it more difficult to attract new employees. It says it could also result in businesses facing costly discrimination claims in the future.

Jenny Arrowsmith, an employment law partner at Irwin Mitchell, says: “These are disappointing results and when you consider that menopause is an issue that affects the fastest-growing demographic in the UK – namely women aged 50-64 – it’s clear businesses must do more.

“It’s about time that menopause is openly discussed as a health and work issue, and for employers to demonstrate that they take it seriously. Establishing a menopause policy is a simple and valuable starting point.”

• Creative agency Dark Horses develops an open-source menopause policy

Arrowsmith continues: “Not only does a menopause policy help to promote positive change within an organization, it sets a framework for evidencing how the organization will approach conversations about the menopause, what support affected employees can expect to receive and where they can access additional help. In doing so, it reduces the risk of costly disputes.”

Arrowsmith also warns that there has been a significant rise in the number of employment tribunals over the last few years where menopause is mentioned and that, as awareness of the issue grows, she expects to see complaints increase further.

“Our survey demonstrates that there is a considerable amount of work still to do. This risk will increase if additional legal protection is given to those who have significant menopausal symptoms, which is something the Women and Equalities Committee are considering.

“Organizations that have woken up to the issue and are aware of the challenges that people face when going through menopause are in a much stronger place to attract and retain colleagues who are often at the peak of their experience and have many more productive years ahead of them.”