Nuclear Waste Services (NWS) – which holds responsibility for the management and disposal of all the UK’s nuclear waste – has been awarded the Menopause Friendly Accreditation.
A subsidiary of the menopause friendly accredited Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, NWS has offices in Oxfordshire and Warrington and a head office based in Cumbria alongside an operational site that is currently tasked with running a lower-level waste repository and developing the UK’s first Geological Disposal Facility.
The Menopause Friendly Accreditation, established by Henpicked: Menopause In The Workplace, 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 as a mark of excellence for menopause in the workplace.
The nuclear industry is historically male-dominated and attracting and retaining female employees is hard. Nuclear Waste Services believes the Menopause Friendly Accreditation sends a clear sign to potential candidates, current colleagues, its supply chain, stakeholders and communities that it is serious about creating a workplace supportive of any employees who will go through the menopause.
In order to achieve The Menopause Friendly Accreditation, NWS was assessed by an Independent Panel and had to demonstrate evidence of its effectiveness in five key areas, namely: culture, policies and practices, training, engagement and working environment.
NWS prioritised education, information and engagement with all colleagues which, importantly, was supported at senior leadership level. Manager and colleague awareness sessions empowered people to have empathetic conversations and be successfully signposted to support.
NWS has a number of Menopause Champions who have been instrumental in increasing engagement across the company. “To be recognised in our industry for our framework that supports menopause in the workplace is truly wonderful,” says NWS Menopause Champion Gill Bradley. “Our whole journey has been paramount to ensure that everyone, whether directly or indirectly affected, is educated and supported within a safe and empathetic workplace.”
One initiative that had significant impact was giving access to free period products in the workplace. Further, partnering with Hey Girls! to support not only colleagues but also local schools, food banks and community groups has been a great success.
For those employers who wish to become menopause friendly but don’t know where to start, NWS Menopause Champion Polly Alcorn has this advice: “Start small. Just getting the conversation going will empower others to do the same. Ask for feedback about what your workforce want and need with regards to support to shape your plans going forward. Get people who are passionate about menopause to be your flagbearers. Spread the load where you can as it’s all on top of a day job. That said, it’s one of the most important and rewarding roles I have!”
“I was absolutely delighted to hear we have been accredited as a menopause friendly employer,” says Nigel Lister, NWS Executive Director, Safety, Security, Health, Environment & Quality. “This recognition is the culmination of over two years’ work for our dedicated Polly, Gill and Kelly who have been leading on this. They have really bought NWS a long way, greatly improving awareness and providing our employees with information on how we can all support each other through the menopause transition. We still have more work to do but now have a firm foundation having created an environment where menopause is an inclusive topic that everyone feels comfortable talking about.”
“Nuclear Waste Services took an impressively thorough approach to ensure awareness of menopause friendly training, practices and support was cascaded right across the organisation,” says Deborah Garlick, CEO and founder of Henpicked: Menopause in the Workplace. “Menopause can affect everyone in the workplace – either directly through first-hand experience or indirectly through supporting colleagues. This is why male-dominated organisations need to be menopause friendly and NWS is setting a fine example of how to achieve this.”
