We Need to Talk About Menopause

Milton Keynes College Group’s Iman Essadiki and Mark Fell discuss how they’re making menopause support a workplace priority. Recognising that women comprise 60-70% of the further education workforce, they explain why menopause isn’t just a personal issue, it’s essential for retaining talent. Here’s how they’re tackling the menopause and creating an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.

Mark: 

At Milton Keynes College Group we see ourselves as an inclusive employer that puts our people at the centre of our practice, and that means being aware of the things our staff experience at different points in their lives.  The more we can help people to navigate those experiences, the better the time they’ll have at work and the more effective and productive they will be.  That’s why we make extensive use of our Employee Assistance Programme which offers 24/7 guidance and support on numerous topics, be they financial, relationship, physical, mental, and of course menopause.  

The FE workforce is 60-70% women, with maybe half of those people aged forty-five or older, so the impact of menopause is greater on our sector than most.  We’ve been conscious for some time about the potential damage of the motherhood penalty in career terms, and it’s important we recognise the menopause penalty as well.  A 2023 survey from UK workplace-healthcare provider SimplyHealth found 23% of women aged 40 to 60 considered resigning due to the impact of menopause, and 14% were actually planning to hand in their notice.  Apart from the injustice of it, FE can’t afford that waste of talent.  Colleges should be values-driven places, and one of those values is looking after people.  We can’t change the fact that women experience menopause, but what we can do is make sure our practices don’t create additional barriers for them.

Iman: 

There’s an important education piece here for our managers who need to be well informed about staff who are going through menopause, but also for students who have mothers, aunties, teachers and numerous other women they encounter daily.  That’s why we’ve now included the topic in our personal development programme for learners. While most 16 to 19 year olds are a long way from this themselves, we’re preparing them for work environments, so they need to understand how life changes for people at different stages in their lives, and have the necessary tolerance, respect and so on.  When I was a teenager, my mum was going through menopause and I think if I knew then what I know now it would have probably have prevented many disagreements, and it will be the same for our students.  

Mark: 

We’ve introduced mandatory menopause training for all staff across the organisation – not just managers and teachers but everyone including estates and office colleagues.  It’s in two tiers; the first is the management training as they’re the ones who need to set the tone and direction within their areas. The general menopause training is for all other employees so they have a better understanding about what menopause is and the impact it can have.  It’s all online through our Learning Management System and everyone has to pass it; it’s a compliance issue.  We’ve made it as interesting and engaging as possible, so there are questionnaires, video segments, self-assessment sections and podcasts.  The feedback has been really positive with lots of people from all areas saying it’s been useful.  Managers receive monthly updates on who’s done the training so they can give a nudge to anyone who’s not meeting their obligations. 

Iman: 

We’ve tried to avoid a one-size fits all approach.  The impact of menopause isn’t the same for everyone.  There are differing implications for people from the LGBT community or those of colour for example, and we’re getting a lot of added insight from women themselves.  Neurodiverse individuals often have a harder time than other people because research has shown they can experience more extreme pain and discomfort.  We have colleagues from many different cultures, and the mores surrounding menopause vary enormously, and we all need to understand that.  

We’ve had a lot of interest from men on campus.  The chair of our Men’s Network takes groups out for walks where they talk about things and menopause has been one of the topics.  Men often report they feel like they’re walking on eggshells when they actually want to have this conversation.  We’ve tried to open it up and to show that asking questions is not only okay, but welcome.  It’s important that there are a variety of different ways for people to find out about the subject, so we’re also running menopause cafes, where anyone can come to chat in a really informal setting.

Mark:

We use the Microsoft employee communication platform, Viva Engage, and on there there are good links with videos and other easily digestible bits of educational content, which has been well used.  It’s also worth bearing in mind that Milton Keynes College Group is a significant provider of prison education, and we’ve made sure staff in that part of the organisation have as much and as easy access to menopause training and information as those working on campus.  It’s important that we don’t just mark our own homework on this, so we’re working towards accreditation from Henpicked to demonstrate we have a menopause-friendly workplace.  And there’s a crossover there with our sustainability work around classroom conditions with things like air conditioning, so that staff who are perimenopausal or menopausal aren’t working in a greenhouse.

Iman:

It’s worth pointing out that we’re not just trying to tell people who aren’t experiencing menopause about it, but also providing support for women who are.  We’re covering quite a range of themes from nutrition, stress, caregiving challenges, sleep management, health checkups… There isn’t an element of life that isn’t affected, so we’re doing our best to get as much talked about as possible.  As much as anything, we see it as a duty of care to the people with whom we work.

Mark:

Staff tell us that by highlighting and openly discussing topics such as menopause, they feel supported, listened to and heard. That reassures us that we’re being supportive and inclusive employers.

By Iman Essadiki, EDI and People Development Adviser, and Mark Fell, Executive Principal, Milton Keynes College.