The specialist dementia nursing charity achieved ‘menopause friendly workplace’ status after meeting Menopause Friendly’s five key accreditation pillars
Dementia UK, the specialist dementia nursing charity, has been awarded The Menopause Friendly Accreditation by Henpicked: Menopause in the Workplace after demonstrating to an independent panel of experts that the organisation actively supports menopause at work across its five accreditation pillars:
- Culture
- Policies and practices
- Training
- Engagement
- Working environment
The Menopause Friendly Accreditation recognises high standards and proven practices that embrace menopause in the workplace. Industry-recognised, it is the only accreditation that sets clear standards which must be met. As such, it is truly meaningful and considered by many as a mark of excellence for menopause in the workplace.
As part of its work towards accreditation, Dementia UK – which has a majority female workforce – has organised internal learning sessions for employees and discussed the perimenopause and menopause at all-staff meetings and events to increase understanding of symptoms amongst all employees.
Dementia UK also offers menopause training for all employees and will have more training sessions throughout October in the lead up to World Menopause Day.
Nando Caicedo, Director of People and Organisational Development, said: “We’re delighted to receive this Accreditation which echoes our support for employees who are experiencing perimenopause and menopause, ensuring they feel supported in the workplace.
“Further to the assessment criteria, we are now asking Dementia UK employees about our internal policies and practices in our engagement surveys. We hope our efforts in this area will help employees feel heard and empowered, as well as potentially giving them a greater understanding of any symptoms they may be experiencing.”
“Dementia UK is one of just a few charities that have so far gained the Menopause Friendly Accreditation and all credit must go to their hard-working team for prioritising menopause friendly action,” said Deborah Garlick, CEO and founder of Henpicked: Menopause in the Workplace. “While menopause policies and procedures may start at work, they quickly cascade to customers and wider communities plus families and friends of employees,” says Deborah. “The work Dementia UK is doing in this space can have far-reaching impact: I hope other charities are encouraged by their achievement to make a similar commitment to their own colleagues and audiences.”
