Impact Story: Wellbeing and menopause transition at The Nelson Trust

The Nelson Trust is a charity that brings belief, hope and long-term recovery to people whose lives have been torn apart by addiction and the multiple and complex needs that come with it. They started working with Gloucestershire Healthy Workplaces in early 2022 and achieved the Foundation Level Award in December.  Their workplace health needs analysis (which included a staff questionnaire, review of sickness absence data and feedback from managers) highlighted that a number of their employees were experiencing difficulties around the menopause.  With a predominantly female workforce they wanted to improve women’s’ experiences and support women at work.

This case study describes the project run by Nelson Trust and the Second Spring Collective to raise awareness for staff and managers of this important transition and the support available through training for managers about menopause in the workplace and workshops for staff which provided a safe, creative space to share experiences and to learn more about resources which may help.

From research and literature on menopause and work it has been reported that 45% of women said it has a negative impact on their work life, 77% had not consulted with a health professional and 10% of women will leave work at this time due to problems with anxiety and confidence (British Menopause Society).

A workshop was developed and run for women in the organisation as well as a series of awareness raising sessions with line managers, delivered both online and in person.

Feedback from the sessions was extremely positive and for several individuals were able to take some huge steps forwards.

Some examples of the of the changes for individuals have been;

  • One of the participants had been considering changing role due to losing confidence and hot flushes during perimenopause. After the workshop she felt confident to talk to her manager who has supported her with strategies to help.
  • One of the participants attended the manager’s training and realised that she was experiencing perimenopause and sought help with her symptoms.
  • One participant had been struggling with forgetfulness and symptoms of brain fog. Following the training she was able to share with colleagues that she was going through the menopause

In addition to the examples above, we have found that raising awareness and providing training to staff and managers has ensured that our team are now better informed on this subject and will know where to go for help when needed. These sessions have helped to reduce the stigma around Menopause and encouraged conversation and mutual support across the whole workforce.

The Second Spring Collective are a group of professionals with backgrounds in health, therapy, mindfulness and coaching. They provided reflective spaces in which the experience of the menopause journey was explored through conversations, connection and creativity. If you are interested in this approach for your organisation, you can contact Second Spring Collective – by email fraser1002003@yahoo.co.uk

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