Three quarters of UK women want their employer to take action and retain older workers, report finds

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Data indicates female employees have put the onus on businesses – rather than politicians – to make radical changes in the workplace

by Elizabeth Howlett 6 July 2023

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Three quarters (75 per cent) of female employees in the UK want employers to “take action” to retain older women in the workforce – while only 71 per cent would like politicians to drive this change, according to a new report.

The British Standards Institution (BSI) report, Lifting the second glass ceiling , which explored why some women leave the workforce early other than through personal choice, found just under a third (29 per cent) of UK women expected to leave work before retirement.

Two fifths (42 per cent) felt their departure would be down to health or wellbeing issues, with 20 per cent predicting that menopause would push them out of work. Anne Hayes, director of sectors at the BSI, asked employers to view this not as a “challenge” but an “opportunity” to make progress.

“Rather than see the considerations facing older women as a challenge, we can gain by seeing this as an opportunity for investment in current and future generations and an opportunity to boost growth and innovation and accelerate progress towards a sustainable world,” said Hayes.

The survey of 5,074 people who self-identify as women in the UK, US, Australia, China and Japan also found more than half (54 per cent) felt it would be ‘difficult’ to raise issues such as menopause with their employers.

Meanwhile, three fifths (60 per cent) said they would feel uncomfortable discussing health and wellbeing issues with a male manager.

Rebecca Francis-Davies, founder of Swansea Bay HR, said it was “up to men” to change this situation and that all line managers needed to make themselves “approachable and competent” enough to discuss any wellbeing issue. “That said, they don’t need to be medical experts and most GPs haven’t got to grips with menopause,” she added.

“HR must ensure that managers have access to a decent occupational health service that can provide up-to-date and expert advice on the impact of menopause on performance.”

Francis-Davies said that if men and women did not feel comfortable discussing issues affecting them, employers should “provide the opportunity for them to speak to someone else, much like some people would prefer to receive personal care from someone of the same sex”. Two thirds (67 per cent) of UK women said experienced female mentors could benefit the development of younger women, according to the report, which also found that a third (33 per cent) felt it was ‘uncommon’ to see women in leadership roles.

The report also revealed that 72 per cent of women were comfortable raising menopause with a female employer, and suggested promoting more female leaders could overcome a “key barrier” to women remaining in work.

The report follows the BSI’s new Menstruation, menstrual health and menopause in the workplace standard – BS 30416 – which comes with suggestions for workplace adjustments, and puts HR professionals at the forefront of culture changes around attitudes to menstruation and menopause. The BSI report found women believe employers have a key part to play, as 74 per cent of UK women said employers have a role in offering women support around issues such as menopause.

Laura Rennie, managing director and founder of Arena HR, said HR professionals and employers needed to create an “open and trusting environment for women, or those with female organs”.

“We need to foster a culture of openness and acceptance and train all people, including women, on what it is like to face the menopause and the different elements that can come along with it,” said Rennie.

“Running awareness sessions for all staff… having prompts to show those who have not yet faced the menopause or those who won't face it can really open the discussions up.”

She added the topic was still “taboo” and people were “genuinely scared of saying the wrong thing for fear of upset”, which often means nothing is said. She urged employers to “keep discussions going” as menopause was “not something to be fearful of”.

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Data indicates female employees have put the onus on businesses – rather than politicians – to make radical changes in the workplace. by Elizabeth Howlett 6 July 2023. Share article on Twitter. Share article on Facebook. Share article on LinkedIn. Three quarters (75 per cent) of female employees in the UK want employers to “take action” to retain older women in the workforce – while only 71 per cent would like politicians to drive this change, according to a new report. The British Standards Institution (BSI) report, Lifting the second glass ceiling , which explored why some women leave the workforce early other than through personal choice, found just under a third (29 per cent) of UK women expected to leave work before retirement. Two fifths (42 per cent) felt their departure would be down to health or wellbeing issues, with 20 per cent predicting that menopause would push them out of work. Anne Hayes, director of sectors at the BSI, asked employers to view this not as a “challenge” but an “opportunity” to make progress. “Rather than see the considerations facing older women as a challenge, we can gain by seeing this as an opportunity for investment in current and future generations and an opportunity to boost growth and innovation and accelerate progress towards a sustainable world,” said Hayes. The survey of 5,074 people who self-identify as women in the UK, US, Australia, China and Japan also found more than half (54 per cent) felt it would be ‘difficult’ to raise issues such as menopause with their employers. Meanwhile, three fifths (60 per cent) said they would feel uncomfortable discussing health and wellbeing issues with a male manager. Rebecca Francis-Davies, founder of Swansea Bay HR, said it was “up to men” to change this situation and that all line managers needed to make themselves “approachable and competent” enough to discuss any wellbeing issue. “That said, they don’t need to be medical experts and most GPs haven’t got to grips with menopause,” she added. “HR must ensure that managers have access to a decent occupational health service that can provide up-to-date and expert advice on the impact of menopause on performance.” Francis-Davies said that if men and women did not feel comfortable discussing issues affecting them, employers should “provide the opportunity for them to speak to someone else, much like some people would prefer to receive personal care from someone of the same sex”. Two thirds (67 per cent) of UK women said experienced female mentors could benefit the development of younger women, according to the report, which also found that a third (33 per cent) felt it was ‘uncommon’ to see women in leadership roles. The report also revealed that 72 per cent of women were comfortable raising menopause with a female employer, and suggested promoting more female leaders could overcome a “key barrier” to women remaining in work. The report follows the BSI’s new Menstruation, menstrual health and menopause in the workplace standard – BS 30416 – which comes with suggestions for workplace adjustments, and puts HR professionals at the forefront of culture changes around attitudes to menstruation and menopause. The BSI report found women believe employers have a key part to play, as 74 per cent of UK women said employers have a role in offering women support around issues such as menopause. Laura Rennie, managing director and founder of Arena HR, said HR professionals and employers needed to create an “open and trusting environment for women, or those with female organs”. “We need to foster a culture of openness and acceptance and train all people, including women, on what it is like to face the menopause and the different elements that can come along with it,” said Rennie. “Running awareness sessions for all staff… having prompts to show those who have not yet faced the menopause or those who won't face it can really open the discussions up.” She added the topic was still “taboo” and people were “genuinely scared of saying the wrong thing for fear of upset”, which often means nothing is said. She urged employers to “keep discussions going” as menopause was “not something to be fearful of”. More on this Topic. Should positive discrimination be legal in the UK? Four-day week: exploring the conundrums and change-reticence. Two fifths of HR leaders do not believe their business partner colleagues are ready for future requirements of the role, survey reveals. Positive discrimination: how to stay within the law. Half of employees would consider asking for flexibility from day one, survey finds.