Over the last few years, we’ve challenged ourselves to understand more about what needs to be done to support our colleagues going through the menopause.
Since support started in March 2021, OSB Group has offered a range of support to colleagues which includes a Menopause Champion within our HR function and ‘we’ve got you’ sanitary supplies in toilets throughout our offices. Support also includes dedicated webinars such as Managing Menopause in the workplace which is tailored to all colleagues with line management duties and Talking about Menopause which is a more general look at Menopause and how colleagues can support each other.
The People Development team at OSB Group have received really positive feedback since we started the conversation, Customer Service Assistant, Nicky Ridge told us: It was a real eye opener attending the Menopause workshop with People Development as I had no idea what I was experiencing was "normal". It gave me a better understanding that then prompted me to speak to my GP - it also gave awareness to the younger people in the company who would probably have never understood the full symptoms and the impact it can have on your abilities to carry out your job on a daily basis as no 2 days are ever the same.
“Already this year we’ve ran and continue to run a series of webinars around Menopause which has been attended by a wide range of colleagues. These sessions help to educate and raise awareness around the many side effects that can be experienced with Menopause such as ‘brain fog’, mood changes, irritability, anxiety, just to name a few. This not only helps people experiencing these to know that these symptoms are normal for Menopause and Perimenopause but also helps other colleagues to identify and understand these effects and how they can impact on people experiencing these.”