WORLD MENOPAUSE DAY
the right support, there is absolutely no reason for anyone to step down or step back because it is just a transition and period, but in that period, I completely lost my confidence. It is not always the physical symptoms but the psychological symptoms as well.” Women over 50 are the fastest growing demographic in the workforce and are working for longer, and support from employers is paramount when it comes to retention, explained Helen. The survey found that tiredness (85 per cent) and sleep disturbances (81 per cent) resulting from the menopause were cited as the most problematic menopause symptoms when working by police officers and staff. This also raised the point of the menopause also impacting partners who may share a bed as it can in turn disturb their sleep. On flexible working with alterations
to start times, Hayley explained: “If an officer or a member of the team has had an evening where they have had absolutely no sleep whatsoever and they’re due in on shift at 7am in the morning, there is that flexibility given the number and scale of officers
• Education • Allyship • Shared and lived experiences • Leadership support and buy in
corporate menopause policies. She championed four pillars of cultural change:
“Women over 50 are the fastest
growing demographic in the workforce and are working for longer, and support from employers is paramount when it comes to retention”
doing those roles, that you could call your sergeant and swap to a late shift.” Hayley further outlined how half of
managers did not know whether their force had a formal policy regarding management of the menopause in the workplace and only 18 per cent said they had been given training on how to support someone. Helen, who is the head of talent development and inclusion for The Adecco Group, designed and implemented one of the UK’s first
Hayley pressed the need for consistency across forces before bringing in Andy Rhodes to provide his perspective. He stated how the service can find it challenging to concentrate on promoting change in this area due to it being “such a frenetic operational environment” but championed the need for education. Andy said they are currently in discussions with the NPCC as it is becoming a “very critical issue”. He added: “It is leading to less bums on seats, more people leaving when
they shouldn’t be leaving and that puts additional pressure on those that are left, and we end up in this negative downward spiral where we’ve got 10/15/20 per cent of our deployable strength who isn’t actually able to deploy.” Tiff Lynch then shared her experience of going through chemical menopause, following breast cancer treatment after being diagnosed in 2020. Breast cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, hormone (endocrine) therapy or ovarian suppression can cause
menopausal symptoms. From reading the 2023 survey findings there are some clear improvements, she stated, and stressed that there must now be a consistent approach across forces. “It’s now about what are we doing to do.
It has now got to a point where enough is enough and people should now be getting the right support”, she added.
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11 | POLICE | DECEMBER | 2024
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