Talking menopause in the workplace

Posted on by

Natalie LeisterAs Chair of Southeastern’s Women in Rail Empowerment (WIRE) group, Natalie Leister has spearheaded an initiative to raise awareness of menopause symptoms and provide greater support for employees impacted. She discusses what has been implemented, her learnings and why it’s so important for other employers to follow suit.

Breaking the stigma

Nearly two-thirds of women in the workplace experiencing the menopause say it has a negative impact on their work, citing issues such as reduced concentration, increased stress, confusion and a lack of confidence. Yet only 5 percent of UK businesses have a dedicated menopause policy.

“Menopause has just been that taboo topic that nobody talks about – not even your Mum!” says Leister. “Your mother talks to you about going through puberty and childbirth, but not about this. Yet it’s a natural phase in a woman’s life – the conversation needs to be normalised.”

With more women increasingly going through the menopause during their working lives, the consequences of organisations shying away from the topic and not providing adequate support are proving more pronounced, she says.

“We want to be able to attract a diverse team. But if women experiencing the menopause aren’t able to access the right support in the workplace, they’re not going to apply or they might consider early retirement. It can be a real career killer.”

Starting the menopause conversation

When Southeastern’s WIRE group was formed in late-2018, one of the first issues raised was the menopause.

“I went out and spoke to staff and managers and was surprised to find a number of women and men suffering with this in silence. People were experiencing symptoms, struggling from a lack of knowledge, and it was impacting home lives and stress levels. I realised it was quite a big issue and something we needed to provide support on.”

In September 2019, Southeastern marked Menopause Awareness Month and National Inclusion Week by running a series of manager and colleague menopause awareness sessions, facilitated by Deborah Garlick from Henpicked, a network for women over 40. Each session explained the facts about menopause, and advised how to have sensitive conversations with employees experiencing symptoms.

“It was great to see the amount of people who attended the sessions. Everybody said they took something from it and many have said they now feel comfortable having that conversation with their manager, employee, doctor, husband, wife, colleague or friend.”

One Southeastern employee who benefited was On Board Manager Richard Cheesman, who attended a session with his wife Carol. He says: “I was one of those men who would step back and keep out of the way. I now know a lot more about why certain things happen, so I am more thoughtful about what I say. I’m also much more aware of the help that’s out there if needed – both at work and beyond.”

Cheesman’s wife Carol adds: “Richard now better understands what I’m going through. It’s great that Southeastern is talking about things like this.”

For Leister, after a full week of running awareness sessions, she went home feeling like she’d really made a difference.

“The positive engagement we got from the sessions was fantastic and it has created a snowball effect, shifting how the menopause is perceived within the company. To me, that’s a tale of success.”

Southeastern_Railway_Natalie_Leister_WORK180.png

Tips for creating a menopause-friendly workplace

Leister’s tips for implementing menopause awareness and support programs within the workplace are:

1. Be honest and open

“Not everyone will feel comfortable talking about the subject – acknowledge that. By being honest and open, you’re creating a safe environment to have the conversation.”

2. Position it as an awareness exercise

“Our managers aren’t doctors. All of our communications acknowledged that this was an awareness piece, we didn’t expect them to know the ins and outs of the subject. It was just about providing some knowledge and knowing how to start the conversation.”

3. Make sure there’s the follow up

“It’s important to keep the conversation going. Our awareness sessions were followed up by internal communications, toolkits for managers and a formal menopause policy, as well as providing desk fans, flexible working conditions and breathable uniforms. We’re also currently looking at online training. This not only helps people access information ongoing, but shows the business is really committed to this.”

Encouraging women into the railways

Leister has been in the rail industry for 10 years and loves that it’s a sector where you can truly make an impact, especially in her job as an Area Manager, in which she’s responsible for 42 train stations and 240 staff.

“I can really make a positive difference to somebody’s day. Particularly at Southeastern, you have a voice and are empowered to influence change and speak up with new ideas.”

It was this desire to make a difference that led her to become involved with the WIRE group, along with a sense of duty to promote the great career paths for women within the rail industry.

“I hear so many women say, ‘On no, I wouldn’t work for the railway, that’s a male job’ – that’s the mindset we want to change. This is a great company and industry to work for. We’ve got some fantastic, inspirational women in the railway. It’s a privilege to be able to champion them and encourage more women into the railways.”

 

Work180

Content by WORK180, the jobs board with a difference! WORK180 pre-screen employers on paid-parent leave, pay equity, flexible working arrangements and more. Find out more and look at their jobs feed, visit their website, or follow them on Twitter at @WORK180_UK‬.

 

 

Four ways your company can benefit from mentoring

Posted on by

Two women talkingMentoring is a valuable addition to any woman’s professional life, but how do mentoring schemes benefit businesses? We take a look at four ways mentoring can be used to address common business challenges.

1. Tackling the gender pay gap

One of the key factors underpinning the gender pay gap, in which a company pays men more than women, is a lack of women in senior roles. ‘Vertical occupational segregation’, where men are disproportionately promoted into the most senior and well-paid roles and women are clustered in more junior and less well paid roles, is a problem across all sectors. The obvious solution is to promote more women, so for companies where there is not a deep pool of candidates for leadership roles, mentoring is essential.

Creating a leadership development scheme where women are mentored specifically to develop their leadership potential is one way to tackle the problem. But simply being a mentor improves women’s leadership skills, providing them with the opportunity to learn how to give better feedback, help others develop their skills and careers, and improve their communication skills.

Data from a Gartner study of Sun Microsystems’ mentoring scheme shows that mentors enjoy a 6 times higher promotion rate than non-mentors (whilst mentees enjoy a 5 times higher rate), so if you need to promote more women, ensure that you’re giving all your female staff the opportunity to be a mentor.

2. Improving staff retention

According to Acas, it costs £30,000 to replace a member of staff, with the majority of that cost down to the “loss of productivity caused by the time it takes – 28 weeks on average – for a new recruit to get up to speed.” Losing a member of staff doesn’t just cost money, it also means a loss of valuable institutional knowledge, some of which may never be recreated by their replacement or colleagues. Staff retention should be at the top of every HR manager’s priorities.

A 2019 survey of 8,000 full- and part-time workers by CNBC and SurveyMonkey reported that, “Happy, more productive workers are valuable to any company for the simple fact they tend to stay longer. More than 4 in 10 workers who don’t have a mentor say they’ve considered quitting their job in the past three months, compared with just 25% of those who do have a mentor.”

The cost of replacing one member of staff could cover the cost of mentoring for 125 women on the Finding Ada Network for a year, so the cost-benefit analysis of mentoring points clearly at it being great value for money.

3. Recruiting more women

The Institution of Engineering and Technology found last year that 53 percent of businesses “are concerned that a shortage of engineers in the UK is a threat to their business”. And a report from the Confederation of British Industry and Tata Consultancy Services found that demand for digital skills “outstrips supply, with over two thirds of businesses reporting unfilled digital skills vacancies”.

On top of these skills shortages is an even greater shortage of women. Only 22 percent of the UK STEM workforce are women, which makes it difficult for STEM businesses to attract enough female job applicants, especially for technical roles.

A sponsored mentoring scheme, where a company sponsors women from the community to be mentored by their female employees is not just an opportunity to give back to the #WomeninSTEM community, it’s also a way to find and develop new talent. Women who perhaps might not have considered your company as a place they want to work may do so after having a positive mentoring experience with one of your female staff.

4. Supporting ‘intrapreneurs’

The Women in Tech report found that although 80 percent of women in science, engineering and technology say that they love their work, 56 percent leave in mid-career, some 10 to 20 years in. More than twice as many women quit high tech than men – 41 percent compared to 17 percent.

“Evidence suggests that women face difficulties in accessing core, innovative technical roles,” the report says, with only 2.1 percent of all US IT patents going to individual women or all-women teams. In short, businesses are missing out on great ideas because they aren’t paying attention to women.

A mentoring scheme focused on growing women’s intrapreneurial skills, teaching them how to identify and develop innovative ideas, not only gives women the opportunity to develop their creativity, it also ensures that valuable ideas aren’t lost to the company. Helping women to realise their creative ambitions also helps increase job satisfaction, retention and promotion.

We have decades of evidence to show how mentoring benefits women, whether they are mentors or mentees. But mentoring schemes also benefit the companies that invest in them, creating a culture of learning and development that encourages creativity, innovation and growth, all of which are essential to business success.

The Finding Ada Network provides online mentoring services to STEM businesses in the UK and New Zealand. Find out more or get in touch.

Need a career change? Here’s 6 steps to make it happen

Posted on by

Woman with laptopAre you ready for a career change? If so, you’re not alone. According to a London Business School study, half the UK workforce (47%) would like to move into a new career. But how do you turn this dream into action?

Whether your career goals have changed, your industry has been disrupted or you’re just feeling unfulfilled, here are six steps to help give your career a makeover:

1. Think about the why

The first step requires some self-reflection. Why do you want to change careers and what is it that you’re looking for from your next move? Maybe it’s a bigger challenge, better work/life balance or the ability to make more money. Be clear on what it is you do want and what you don’t want, as this will help shape where to from here.

2. Identify some alternative career options

If you know you want to change careers but are not sure what to, think about your interests, your passions and what drives you, and how this could translate into a profession. You can also seek the advice of family, friends or a career coach. Another option is to do a personality test to better understand careers you’d be best suited to – 16Personalities is a good free option.

3. Do your research

Once you’ve pinpointed some possible careers and industries, start to do some in-depth research to help determine whether it’s the right fit for you. Do some desk research (e.g. explore the UK government’s National Careers Service website, relevant industry body websites and available salary guides), read blog posts and reach out to people in the industry to share some real-world insight. It’s also a good idea to search job boards to determine how many opportunities are available and the types of businesses hiring.

4. Create a plan

Now that you’re committed to a career change, it’s time to map out how you’re going to make it happen. What skills do you need to acquire, what networks do you need to build and what people do you need to speak to? And be realistic with your plan’s timeframe – it might take a while to fully transition to a new career, but the sooner you take action the closer you’ll be.

5. Consider your transferable skills

While you might not have the desired experience on paper, you most likely have some transferable skills. This could be hard skills like budgeting, marketing and working with technology, or soft skills like customer service, written and verbal communication and organisational skills. And you might have learnt these on the job or from life experience such as being a parent. Understand how your skills could translate to a new industry and be prepared to connect the dots for an employer.

6. Bridge any skill gaps

Based on your current work experience and transferable skills, are there any gaps where you need to enhance your skill set, achieve a qualification, or brush up on some knowledge? You might fill these gaps through formal education and online learning courses, or look for some volunteering opportunities, which can help give you some on-the-job experience as well as a taste of the work first-hand. It might even be an option to develop some of the necessary skills within your current workplace. So, if you’re dreaming about a career change, it might be time to do something about it. And remember it’s never too late to make a change.

 

Work180

Content by WORK180, the jobs board with a difference! WORK180 pre-screen employers on paid-parent leave, pay equity, flexible working arrangements and more. Find out more and look at their jobs feed, visit their website, or follow them on Twitter at @WORK180_UK‬.

 

 

J.P. Morgan offers free Finding Ada Network subscriptions to UK women in tech

Posted on by

JP MorganThe Finding Ada Network is delighted to announce that we have partnered with J.P. Morgan to offer free mentorship for 50 women in technology in the UK.

The scheme will pair mentees from across the UK with women in technical roles within J.P. Morgan, with mentors available from different levels across the company, from junior software developers to senior tech leaders.

This is an amazing opportunity for women with a tech or STEM background to find a mentor who can help them develop their careers over the next twelve months. Mentees will be given a year’s free access to the Finding Ada Network online mentorship and knowledge sharing network, including our world class online mentorship platform and exclusive content covering careers advice, personal and professional development, plus HR policy and advocacy advice.

We have decades of evidence that mentoring helps women succeed, that mentees improve their soft skills, confidence, and communications skills, and develop better ways to process feedback and solve problems. Crucially, mentee’s career prospects are improved too, as they are more likely to be promoted, enjoying on average a five times higher rate of promotion compared to non-mentees.

This project becomes even more essential now – as COVID-19 makes life more challenging, women especially need additional help and support. And because the Finding Ada Network allows mentors and mentees to manage their mentoring relationship entirely online, it is an ideal way to access that help and support.

To apply for this scheme, please complete the short form below.

Ada Lovelace Day Live! 2020 cancelled due to COVID-19

Posted on by

I am sad to announce that I have, with the agreement of my Advisory Council, taken the difficult decision to cancel the Ada Lovelace Day Live! 2020 event at The IET on 13 October.

This was not an easy decision to take, but I believe that it is the most responsible one.

At this point in the COVID-19 pandemic it is impossible to plan ahead to October and say for sure that we will be able to travel freely – we may well find ourselves dipping in and out of lockdowns for months to come. Even if we aren’t in lockdown, it may be inadvisable for people to congregate in large groups until we have widespread vaccination. It is our duty to consider the safety and health not just of our audience but also our speakers and those who work at the venue, so we believe that cancellation is the right decision.

We will still find ways to celebrate Ada Lovelace Day online, and will be taking the next couple of months to look at what that celebration might look like. We will let you know what our plans are as soon as we have worked them out.

For now, our thoughts are with everyone who has been affected, and our gratitude goes to all the staff of the NHS and other frontline health workers around the world, and all the essential workers who are keeping society going whilst the rest of us stay at home. These are difficult times, but we will get through them by working together and supporting each other.

– Suw Charman-Anderson, Founder, Ada Lovelace Day