ONEFAMILY LAUNCHES MENOPAUSE CAFÉ IN SUPPORT OF MENOPAUSE AWARENESS MONTH
- The event will take place at OneFamily’s Brighton based office on October 14th
- October marks Menopause Awareness Month with Menopause Awareness Day on October 18th
- 13 million women* in the UK are currently peri or menopausal
- The Fawcett Society estimate that one in ten women, aged between 40 and 55, working through menopause have left a job because of their symptoms and a further 13% reported that they had considered leaving
The OneFamily Group, which includes the life and critical illness brand Beagle Street, will be hosting their first Menopause Café as part of World Menopause Awareness month in October, and World Menopause Day on 18th October.
The event will be open to employees on October 14th at 1pm. It will be a respectful and confidential space for everyone. Employees of all ages and genders are welcome to come along to talk about the menopause, whether it’s to share their own experiences, listen to others, or to simply understand more about the menopause.
It forms part of OneFamily’s Wellbeing Champions programme that promotes initiatives within the business to support colleagues’ health and wellbeing, as well as helping create a supportive culture that reflects the values of the business, where everyone feels included. As part of this they have introduced a menopause policy, enhanced their parental leave arrangements and supported hybrid working arrangements among other things.
It is estimated that there are currently around 13 million women in the UK who are peri or menopausal. The menopause can cause a wide range of physical and psychological symptoms that can last for as long as a decade and can affect every part of someone’s life, including their body, mind, job, and social life. Nine in 10 (90%) women will experience symptoms, which can vary vastly and include hot flushes, night sweats, difficulty sleeping, mood swings, anxiety, joint and muscle aches, weight changes, and brain fog as well as a host of other symptoms.
Lindsay Taylor-King, People Director at OneFamily, said: “Each woman’s journey through the menopause is different and unique. Our Menopause Café is a chance for colleagues to come together, open up and talk, helping remove the stigma around this stage of life. The Menopause Café is part of our dedication to creating a supportive and inclusive environment for all colleagues, especially those affected by the menopause, whether they are going through it themselves or know someone who is.”
Case study: Beth Tait, Marketing and Digital Director at OneFamily experienced an early menopause, which was triggered by IVF treatment in her 30’s: “I’m lucky in many respects as I can now better support colleagues, friends and the partners of woman who are now facing this as I’ve now worn that T-shirt. I suffered with two symptoms, every woman is different so you can’t generalise.
My first symptom was brain fog. It’s hard to describe but it’s a bit like waking up in the middle of the night still very drowsy and in a place you don’t recognise. You are half awake, unsure of who or where you are and everything you thought you knew is suddenly gone. It’s terrifying as you try to reach for memories and facts you can’t access. And for women at the height of their careers this is especially difficult. My doctor mis-diagnosed this as depression and whilst bad brain fog can make you feel depressed because you are not the person you ought to be. Rather than sink into that diagnosis, I sought spiritual healing through nature, swimming, walking and talking about it openly. I started writing everything down that I wanted to say in work, even the simplest of conversations – so I was prepared and could still function. My written communication became better than my verbal skills.
My second symptom was hot flushes. These were huge sweeping poker hot, sweats that started in your toes and slowly made their way through the body. I was staggered that these could happen even in the middle of tropical heat on holiday, when you think it is impossible to get any hotter. They bewilder you and render you a temporary mess. I even put bed sheets in the freezer to help stay cool, the defrost process was messy. I found the only way though this symptom was to laugh and be open.
Overall, the way through is not to hide your distress, not to pretend it is nothing and not to soldier on as though you’re OK, because often you are not. Be open about it with family, friends, colleagues and your employer. OneFamily really supported me through the whole process and understood how my symptoms impacted me. Just being able to leave meetings to cool down and clear my head due to the brain fog was a big help. They knew what I was dealing with and what my symptoms were, having them understand and be there for me was incredibly reassuring. The menopause is a natural process, as an industry we should talk more about it and the life changing effects it can have.”
ENDS
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