Sheffield Mind, which has been delivering mental health services across the city of Sheffield for the past 45 years, has been awarded the Menopause Friendly Accreditation.  From its Sharrow office, Sheffield Mind caters for the needs of children, young people and adults of all ages, citywide.  

“Being menopause friendly is very important to us as, while menopause itself is not a mental health
 issue, changes in hormones during menopause can affect your mental health,” says Margaret Lewis, CEO at Sheffield Mind. “Furthermore, the range of physical symptoms you might be experiencing can lead to feelings of anxiety or stress, loss of self-esteem and confidence, low mood and feelings of sadness.”

Sheffield Mind believes that supporting colleagues during menopause gives them the best opportunity to continue their excellent and important work. In addition, by understanding more about menopause, its staff can bring their learning and empathy to many of the people they help every day.

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 a mark of excellence for menopause in the workplace.

To achieve The Menopause Friendly Accreditation, Sheffield Mind 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.

Sheffield Mind took its menopause friendly journey, and the challenges it brought, very seriously.  The stigma which had been associated with menopause has been addressed, paving the way for open and constructive conversations which seek to involve everyone.  This has resulted in many changes within the workplace, ranging from the presence of hygiene baskets in the toilet areas to a dedicated wellbeing room.  Everything that has been undertaken has been done through close consultation with colleagues ensuring the right kind of support is being offered.

“We’ve thoroughly enjoyed the journey to menopause-friendly accreditation,” continues Margaret. “It’s been hard work, but we all got behind it and everyone played their part with enthusiasm - contributing ideas, delivering training, having conversations, writing blogs for our website and sitting on the working group. The process has brought us together as an organisation, which is great for staff morale.”

Menopausal women are the fastest growing demographic in the workforce and according to the Faculty of Occupational Medicine, almost eight out of 10 of menopausal women are in work. Sheffield Mind recognises that a stable and happy workforce is a productive workforce and believes that supporting staff through their menopause is not only the right thing to do, but also makes economic sense.

“What particularly impressed the independent panel was the engagement of the workforce at Sheffield Mind along every step of their journey to accreditation,” says Deborah Garlick, CEO and founder of Henpicked: Menopause in the Workplace. “Having a Menopause Friendly working group that consists of all genders and ages is a real eye opener in terms of the willingness and readiness for the conversation to start.  It was a very bold step to adopt this approach from the outset: Sheffield Mind deserves recognition for this stance and the positive impact it has had on the wellbeing of its workforce.”

Learn More

If you are interested in doing more to make the workplace more menopause aware, start your journey with our  Menopause Awareness Training Sheffield