Bloom announces Mpower Accreditation Awards for outstanding menopause support at work
On January 31 the UK government delivered depressing news for working women with its decision to reject the cross-party Women & Equalities Committee recommendations for menopause support at work including model menopause policies; a pilot of menopause leave in England and making menopause a “protected characteristic” under the Equalities Act.
Their response is due to fears that such support would discriminate against men suffering long term illness and it raises a serious question mark over the government’s commitment to supporting women experiencing the menopause.
Menopause affects 51% of the population & happens to all women* at different ages, bringing physical and mental symptoms that are experienced at varying intensities, from manageable to debilitating, with 1 in 10 having suicidal thoughts. Having menopause recognised as a protected characteristic was a vital step in ending the discrimination that women experience in the workplace as they move through this life-stage: 1 in 4 will consider leaving their jobs and 1 in 10 will eventually quit due to a lack of support for and understanding of their symptoms at work (Forth of Life Survey 2019)
*and anyone who experiences symptoms as a result of hormonal changes
Last year Bloom UK conducted first-of-its-kind research amongst our members and allies to understand the experience of and attitudes towards menopause in the comms industry. Only 18% of those experiencing the menopause felt they understood what was happening to them. Only 24% felt comfortable talking to their boss about what was happening. Our research also revealed that under 20% of businesses represented by Bloom members have a menopause policy in place.
There is clearly a lot more work to be done to remove this particular barrier for women at work and the government’s response to this evidence-based report can be seen at best as complacent and at worst downright misogynistic. The irony of the Treasury’s calls for ‘back to work’ policies for those in mid-life cannot be underestimated in this context. A myopic focus on getting numbers up rather than introducing initiatives to retain and nurture existing talent is destined to fail in the longer term.
At Bloom we’re committed to providing tangible tools for organisations to use that will help remove the barriers to women’s progress at work. This is why in July 2022 our inclusion group Bloom Mpower published the Bloom Menofesto in partnership with Major Players - a free-to-download resource and blueprint policy framework for any organisation looking to create an environment of compassion and flexibility for women at work in the lead up, during and after their menopause.
In creating our policy blueprint, we worked with pioneering companies such as Channel 4, Ogilvy and Dark Horses who have led the charge in this arena. To further encourage other organisations to follow suit we also launched Bloom Mpower Accreditation - an employee-nominated award to recognise the businesses that demonstrate the very best support for perimenopausal and menopausal women at work.
And today we are delighted to announce our first Mpower Accreditation Awards to Medialab & the7stars agency in recognition of their commitment to this issue.
We were delighted to hear that the Medialab policy, introduced in 2021, had latterly been refined with take outs from the Bloom Menofesto and overall felt the policy and how it has been introduced and developed is inclusive to all, encourages de-stigmatising conversation and company-wide understanding whilst also providing the practical support & counselling that many might need during this time.
We also loved the inclusive nature of the7stars policy that is made accessible to everyone to better understand the symptoms and the support on offer coupled with the recognition that there is a need to encourage more conversation to make this 'more normalised, honest and informed’. We particularly loved the idea of a ‘calm room’ onsite – and were struck by the offer of personalised menopause support through the7stars approach to flexible working recognising that menopause is a very individual experience affecting people in varying ways.
Finally in both cases we were very encouraged to hear that these policies and approaches are continually being developed and updated with more information to embed this into the culture of the organisations.
Although we feel let down by those with the power to shape a better, fairer society for women in the workplace we call business leaders throughout our industry to do far better by the women in their organisations and put support in place as they move through this life stage.
The Bloom Menofesto is completely free to download, is full of helpful advice and has a policy framework to easily adapt as your own.
If you would like to nominate your own company for a Bloom Mpower Accreditation simply fill out the form and enter here
A lack of support from our government does not need to mean a lack of support in our industry.
#TogetherWeAreBloom
Written by : Bloom Mpower
Jo Rigby Co-lead
Samantha Frankel Founder & Co-lead