The North East’s first ever Women and Girls committee convened yesterday at Gateshead Civic Centre and has sought to improve support for council staff undergoing the menopause.
Gateshead Council’s Women and Girls’ committee held its first meeting today, a move dubbed “monumental” by its newly appointed chairperson, coun Sharon Potts. The newly established advisory committee moved to its first item on the agenda, Gateshead Council’s proposed menopause policy.
The policy outlines how the local authority and its staff will support staff experiencing symptoms of menopause, including raising awareness of how symptoms can affect someone’s work, reasonable adjustments, and manager training. According to council documents, research from private health care provider Bupa, has revealed around 1m women have left their job because of menopausal symptoms.
Further research from the Chartered Institution of Personal Development, an HR organisation, also found that one in six people (around 17%) have considered leaving their jobs due to a lack of support in relation to symptoms.
The report went on to state: “These females will experience debilitating symptoms and, for some, it forces them out of the workplace completely, exposing UK businesses to the threat of losing their most experienced female talent.”
Coun Sharon Potts said: “This is a monumental moment for Gateshead Council. This is going to be the first Women and Girl advisory committee in the North East and we are hoping to lead by example. The plan is to start off small, and its baby steps to build a bridge to equality.”
The committee now has 10 days to make recommendations on the council’s proposed menopause policy ahead of its introduction for approval by the council’s cabinet on April 29.
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