Do you do an end of year business review? I do. I focus on pre-determined key areas such as Client Results, Visibility, Reputation, ROI, Work/Life balance and score each out of five. Any area that scores less than a three then becomes a focus for improvement next year. Successes for me in 2022 include: Consistently positive feedback from clients so I’m confident they’re getting great results. Here’s what Health Education England had to say recently: “Julie has a wealth of knowledge and experience but is also so engaging when running the sessions. We have had an overwh ..read more

Have you mapped out your Menopause Training Programme for 2023? It’s only a few weeks since World Menopause Day and already the topic is disappearing from the media and our social feeds. But I’m still talking about it – are you? Menopause is relevant every day of the year and plenty of people, myself included, will still be menopausal tomorrow, next month and next year! It’s been brilliant to see so much awareness surrounding menopause these past few days, but it’s important to ensure the conversation continues.  Here are the six key areas you should be focusing on for a successful m ..read more

World Menopause Month is here and you’re probably in one of these places: a) You and your organisation have it sorted and have a got a series of activities planned to create awareness and celebrate menopause throughout October. b) There are some good ideas floating around but nothing has been formalised, time’s running out and you could do with some help! If you picked b) don’t worry – I’ve got you covered with five easy to implement ideas to celebrate, raise awareness and generate positive conversations throughout the year: 1. Comms cascade. Send out a group wide communication to all your emp ..read more

Managing menopause in the workplace can be tricky at the best of times – due to the symptoms themselves and compounded by lack of support and understanding from managers. Those menopause challenges can be heightened at certain times of year – a prime example being the summer months.   The three BIG challenges of this summer are: 1  Lack of Sleep. It’s a fact that it’s harder to sleep in warmer environments.  And you know how difficult it is to be productive after a bad night’s sleep.  How difficult it is to think strategically, react calmly, be patient, kind, and the best v ..read more

As menopause training and support in the workplace becomes an increasingly hot topic, very often it’s HR professionals who are asked to lead the initiative internally. HR and People teams are expected to produce menopause policy and guidance documents, update benefits packages, provide support for colleagues, implement menopause training for managers, create a menopause champion networks and secure senior buy in and budget – very often without any personal experience of menopause or subject matter knowledge. I regularly run training sessions for HR professionals.  They’re tailored to your ..read more

Let me talk to you about inclusive menopause training – why it’s important and three ways you can make sure your training reflects the experiences of all your employees. Menopause is a unique experience that intersects with everything already present in a person’s life – whether that be race, age, gender, disability, faith, economic status, identity, neurodiversity, relationship status, support networks or something else. One thing we are certain of however is that if things are already challenging – menopause is likely to make things harder. Did you know disabled women are affected more by me ..read more

With employment tribunals relating to menopause on the rise and legislative changes on the horizon we’re seeing an increasing pressure on organisations to establish a menopause policy to demonstrate their commitment to support people working through menopause. And yet 72% of organisations don’t currently have a menopause policy or guidance.  Whilst  it’s not currently a legal requirement there’s a couple of good reasons why you should consider a menopause policy or guidance document: Communication.  A menopause policy is a useful tool to communicate with employees and provide cl ..read more

The big menopause news for 2022 is the government inquiry asking if enough is being done to address the impact of menopause in the workplace which means this could finally be the year we see a change in government policy on menopause. The House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee sought written submissions addressing questions including: How can practices addressing workplace discrimination relating to menopause be implemented? How should people who experience the menopause but do not identify as women be supported in relation to menopause and the workplace? How well does current legisl ..read more

Menopause champions have a valuable role to play in the workplace and can help ensure your menopause programme remains lively, relevant and front of mind for all employees.   If you’re creating a menopause champion network here’s what you need to know:   Define the champion role and objectives from the outset. They can act as a ‘listening ear’, facilitate menopause meet ups, lead training and signpost support both internally and externally.  Menopause champions can also bring fresh ideas to your programme both from a personal perspective and via their internal network help ..read more

The big news this month is the launch of a government inquiry asking if enough is being done to address the impact of menopause in the workplace. The House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee is seeking written submissions addressing questions including: How can practices addressing workplace discrimination relating to menopause be implemented? How should people who experience the menopause but do not identify as women be supported in relation to menopause and the workplace? How well does current legislation protect women from discrimination in the workplace associated with the menopaus ..read more