Royal Mail ‘committed’ to support menopause in workplace

Employees at Royal Mail have been given extra support for their health and wellbeing as the postal service is launching its new menopause campaign.

Dubbed ‘Let’s Talk Menopause’, the firm shared on LinkedIn that it’s “committed to supporting” its staff “at all stages of their life”.

Reflecting on the campaign, Royal Mail shared that it hoped the campaign would raise awareness and make a difference to employees affected by the menopause.

“Through the campaign we want to encourage shared experiences, normalise menopause conversations, and provide greater education and support,” the business added.

As part of its ambitions to support more female employees, the organisation has also signed the Wellbeing of Women Menopause Workplace Pledge, a national pledge supported by Royal Patron HRH The Countess of Wessex.

In addition to that, the firm shared that it is one of 48 founding partners of GenM Official, which offers workers access to resources, while enabling the business to be part of the wider conversation and encouraging better menopause support within other businesses too.

A section manager at Royal Mail, Marguerite Ladkin, noted that the campaign was a “great” addition, stating that it’s “very difficult to talk about as I work with mostly men. I have had conversations with them but it’s not something they can understand. Look forward to getting involved with this”.

Similarly, Ryan Hanstock, customer operations manager at Royal Mail, praised the move. He said: “What a fantastic way to open up and talk about something which can often be a difficult situation.”

Zareena Brown, chief people officer at Royal Mail, also commended the initiative, sharing that it’s “really important” to offer support its 16,500 female employees.

“As chief people officer for the Royal Mail I am proud that today we have announced enhanced menopause support for our colleagues,” Brown explained.

“This is really important for us as a business as we have around 16,500 women that are likely to be experiencing perimenopause and menopause symptoms. Normalising the conversation and improving the support in this area matters to us all.”

Other leaders also showed their support for the campaign, as Angela Noon, chief financial officer at Siemens, said: “Brilliant initiative.”

Anne Hartslief, managing director of Lockstep, added: “Talk about pioneering a new and necessary way in a new world. Well done on taking the lead.”

Lack of support

While organisations like Royal Mail are putting actions in place to support their female workers, research from Peppy last year revealed that over half of UK businesses aren’t offering any menopause support for their staff.

It found that 54% of these organisations do not offer practical or emotional support for their employees going through the menopause.

Mridula Pore, CEO of Peppy, commented that while “the menopause movement is clearly gaining ground in the workplace” more still needs to be done.

Receive news like this straight to your inbox by signing up to the Reward Strategy newsletter here.