Lloyds: ‘Breaking the menopause taboo at work isn’t just a nice to do’

World Menopause Awareness Month is celebrated every year in October – 18 October acts as a specific awareness day to break the stigma around menopause and women’s health in general.

UNLEASH World coincided with World Menopause Day this year, so we invited Kate Usher from Menopause in Business on stage at our Paris show to discuss why menopause concerns everyone, and how employers can (and must) step up.

There were lots of tips and tricks for employers (as well as colleagues) about how to have better conversations about the menopause at work.

The good news is that many businesses are already ahead of the curve around menopause – this was one top conclusion of the Tech Talent Charter’s 2022 diversity report.

Employers increasingly see menopause policies as being a core part of their wellbeing provisions, and not just the right thing to do (but the financially sensible approach).

Tech Talent Charter’s COO Karen Blake tells UNLEASH: “A menopause policy is necessary for workplace equality, to keep your best-performing staff at a critical time to maximize experience, to create an inclusive culture, and to make sure you’re fulfilling your legal obligations as an employer.”

Now “that more-rounded support medical interventions are available” it is time to break the taboo around menopause at work.

Examples of companies going above and beyond include Channel 4, Aviva, Accenture, Vodafone, Shell, Direct Line, and Pfizer. 

However, in this exclusive piece, UNLEASH is diving into the impressive progress made by British banking giant Lloyds Banking Group.

Let’s look under the hood of the bank’s new menopause promise with people director Katherine Sargent.

Inside Lloyds’ menopause promise

Lloyds employs 60,000 individuals across the UK – and 23,000 of them are women aged over 40, who may be experiencing the unpleasant menopausal symptoms, like hot flashes, exhaustion and insomnia, adult acne and anxiety.

“We’ve had an informal menopause support group…since 2016, but we knew it was a topic that was gathering more momentum internally, as well as externally,” Sargent tells UNLEASH. She is the executive sponsor for the bank’s internal menopause support group.

Sargent adds: “We spoke to our people through a series of focus groups, and undertook external benchmarking to understand what more we could be doing in this space to offer support.”

2021 research by Lloyds found that 50% of women’s menopausal symptoms impacted them at work, and one in three were considering leaving the workforce as a result.

The outcome was the menopause promise, which was launched in 2021.

It provides practical support, including access medical and wellbeing help (for colleagues and their partners through Bupa), plus the ability to work flexibility as needed.

However, the promise went even further and focused on breaking the taboo around menopause.

Lloyds provided education and training to everyone to help normalize the topic – in fact, 4,000 people have completed the e-learning model.

In addition, through an internal menopause hub (which has seen more than 31,000 hits to date) and a ‘Menopause – Let’s talk’ community for employees (currently 3,300 are part of it and it includes self-care challenges, podcasts and a coffee club).

Lloyds says it is trying to create a welcoming environment for meaningful conversations about the menopause.

UNLEASH was keen to find out how this menopause promise intersect with Lloyds’ wider wellbeing and diversity commitments.

According to Sargent, Lloyds’ work around menopause “absolutely supports us in our aims to be a truly inclusive employer”.

This is because “Lloyds has a target of filling 50% of senior roles filled by women by 2025 so there’s a direct link here to how well we support colleagues during the menopause and a very real contributing factor to achieving that target”.

“We know that women going through the menopause are more likely to be further on in their careers, and therefore heading for more senior roles, but they’re also at risk of stepping back in a role or dropping out of the workforce or all together if they aren’t appropriately supported.”

Progress to date around menopause stigma

So, that’s the theory, but what’s the reality two years since the promise was launched?

Lloyds has now been recognized as a Menopause Friendly Employer – while these external accolades are hugely important, for Sargent, the main success is “the overwhelming positive response we’ve seen from colleagues and line managers”.

The HR team at Lloyds is “continuing to hear stories where it’s made a real difference”.

“We went back out to colleagues one year on from launching the promise and found 75% of colleagues felt more supported, along with a 20% reduction in colleagues feeling uncomfortable talking about menopause,” adds Sargent.

There was also a 15% rise in employee understanding about the menopause.

Plus, the menopause learning content is one of the most watched and engaged with module across the employers’ entire training portfolio, and this has been Lloyds’ most successful wellbeing campaign.

This is impressive progress, “but we know there’s always more we can do”, adds Sargent.

Lloyds is particularly stepping up to take ‘Menopause on the Road’ and ensure that this promise is benefitting everyone, not just those in head office.

In addition, the banking giant is collaborating with Careerwear to ensure the uniforms worn in its branches are breathable and menopause friendly by 2025.

Top menopause tips and tricks

For employers, and specifically HR teams, who want to follow in Lloyds footsteps, Sargent and Tech Talent Charter’s Blake have some top tips.

“Speak to your people! Often the best place to start is by hearing from those that best understand the challenge,” shares Sargent.

She continues: “You also can’t underestimate the value of having senior sponsorship to help champion the agenda to ensure that it doesn’t fall down the priority list.”

Blake agrees: “People listening is vital here, universal policy sharing company wide, support for line managers to break taboos and equipping people to both be able to share and to offer support.

“Make sure you have clear guidance on the support available and ways to access this.”

“From our perspective, taking action and breaking the taboo around menopause at work isn’t just a nice to do,” concludes Sargent.

“Menopause education, information and support can help improve employee satisfaction and retention, and in doing so create a culture of inclusivity within your organization where everyone can thrive.”