A local nutritionist is calling for more training on the government’s menopause policy.
Joanne Posey is asking if the government will tackle the issue seriously and will be talking to a number of MHKs regarding the issue of a lack of awareness of the policy.
She says otherwise we could face a ‘huge, unnecessary and costly loss of talent’ from the workplace.
The matter was addressed in the House of Keys last week when Garff MHK Daphne Caine asked about guidance for public sector workers.
Cabinet Office Minister Kate Lord-Brennan assured there was advice available and training had taken place in February for anyone interested in learning more on how to support colleagues, but said few were aware any guidance existed.
Mrs Posey held the training session in February and wishes to raise awareness of the issue and potentially provide further training in the future.
She said: ‘We need to understand that menopause is not niche and the policy really is just the start. It’s evident that more training is required.
‘I made the presentation on menopause which was very well-attended, regrettably though there were no men in attendance and just from the conversations that I had with some of the women that came along, the suggestion was that the line managers perhaps weren’t appreciating their new responsibilities under the new policy and under the equality act.
‘It’s clear that having the policy is a good start but if the staff don’t know it’s there and line managers don’t know they have obligations then it’s just a piece of paper.
‘I am meeting with Daphne Caine this coming Thursday to get her thoughts on it.’
Mrs Posey said she has worked with local corporate companies which have provided more positive experiences and hopes for the same with further government sessions.
‘The corporates and I worked on quite a high level of proactivity and I typically now do expect blokes to turn up and I will get questions around “how can I address this with my staff member? What if they don’t want to talk to a bloke?”,’ She said. ‘To be involved on a greater, more regular level within government, particularly as they are our biggest employer, I think would be very positive for the workforce.
‘Within these presentations are suggestions of how you can tackle this because clearly it’s a very sensitive area.’