Page 17 - BPW-UK - E-news - Edition 110 - March 2023_Neat

Is the workplace improving for women?

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International Women's Day on 8 March 2023 was a day that celebrated
women everywhere. The aim for the day was to focus on the women's rights move-
ment and to highlight issues affecting women: gender equality, reproductive rights
and violence and abuse against women.

One important aspect is that of employment and the associ-
ated arrangements to support women. HR consultancy business
Cream HR director and founder: Anthony Sutton, encouraged
businesses to ensure that they are looking after their female staff
and continue to prioritise this aspect noting with disappointment,
that since the 2022 International Women's Day, the Government
has rejected committee recommendations to pilot workplace
menopause leave. He said: ‘It is crucial that this topic gets atten-
tion as it is estimated that around 13 million women in the UK workforce are peri-
menopausal or menopausal…………..Do companies really want to risk losing skilled
and experienced workers because they lack the support they need?’

Childcare is another significant area and the UK has some of the highest child-
care costs in Europe meaning that many people (usually women) can't return to
their previous role after maternity leave. Research from the Institute for Fiscal
Studies (IFS) shows that after the birth of a child, 13% of women leave work, even
when they are the higher earner of the couple. Of women who continue to work,
there is a significant reduction in working hours (a fall of 26% on average). In con-
trast we see little or no reduction in the paid hours of fathers - even where they
earn less than their female partners before their child is born.

Other aspects of family life which predominantly affect women include miscar-
riage, fertility challenges and menopause. All of these things can cause anxiety, de-
pression, physical health issues and in many cases cause women to consider leaving
their place of employment. It is a topic that should be taken seriously by business-
es.
A staggering 1 in 4 pregnancies end in loss, and yet most businesses still pro-
vide little to no support for women, and men, facing this loss. Support will look dif-
ferent for each person in each situation but some things Cream HR urge employers
to consider are:
• offering a flexible working pattern,
• Enhance sick pay,
• sabbatical leave to allow women to take a break from work without having to
leave altogether,
• ensuring you're providing an open and safe environment where people feel com-
fortable talking about how they are feeling.
•

Finally, Anthony says "it's really important when trying to maintain a happy
and productive workforce to look at what issues might affect them. It's ok celebrat-
ing women on special days of the year but I want to encourage employers to look
more at supporting women in the workplace all year round through policies and ac-
tions."

Courtesy of Jill Turner