For World Menopause Day on 18 October, WACL (Women in Advertising and Communications, Leadership) launched a menopause policy for the industry to adopt and or adapt.
Based on Dark Horses’ landmark open-source menopause policy, WACL’s policy aims to better support women progress in their careers and supports WACL’s ambition of creating a world where women hold 50% of CEO positions.
Read also: Breaking the taboo: a mission to normalise menopause
It is the first in a series of tools WACL is developing as part of a new initiative called Be a Women’s Health Hero to address the four main life-changing challenges for women: periods, fertility, maternity and menopause.
The idea is to provide companies with a menopause policy to adopt or use as a practical reference tool to ensure whatever they do is fit for purpose.
A staggering 25% of perimenopausal or menopausal women are considering leaving their careers, while one in 10 women who have worked while going through menopause have already left a job due to their symptoms.
Yet despite this, the CIPD found just 24% of those surveyed said their organisations have a stated menopause policy or other support in place; 43% said their organisations didn’t, and a third said they don’t know.
Although there are pockets of progressive cultures trying to support women through these life-changing health challenges, progress just isn’t quick or robust enough. We believe in tangible change, which is why we are providing tangible solutions, such as this new Menopause Policy, to help the industry address the challenges women face and accelerate having 50% of CEO roles filled by women in the industry.
Nishma Patel Robb, President of WACL and Senior Director, Brand & Reputation Marketing at Google
Over the next 12 to 18 months, Be a Women’s Health Hero will help companies work with women to identify the specific health challenges they face in the workplace.
The initiative will provide tangible support and action plans for companies — from access to policies, guidance around communications, support on de-stigmatising, and implementing behaviour change.
Featured image: cottonbro studios / Pexels
