Changing the culture of the workplace is something I am becoming increasingly passionate about. Last year, as a brand, Medusa introduced complimentary sanitary products for both clients and team members and launched the Salon Safe campaign, an initiative to let females know that should they ever feel vulnerable on the street, our salons offer a safe, welcoming space for them to step into.
In my opinion, there is much more work to be done to address the issues women have to contend with on a daily basis. This is why I believe that I should, that we should, as managers, stylists, employers, as partners, brothers, uncles, as men, start the conversation around ‘taboo’ subjects our female peers experience first-hand. In this article I will be talking openly about the Menopause.
Honestly, I’m not sure I even really understood what the Menopause was this time last year. I knew it was a biological change that happened to women in their late 40s/early 50s, and it came with some side effects. It wasn’t until we started to look at the culture of salons and question why so many females choose to leave as they grow older, did I begin to realise the impact going through menopause can have on a woman.
Symptoms can be stressful, debilitating and completely life-changing. 25% of menopausal women consider leaving the workplace due to the Menopause, and one in every 10 women will hand in their notice. Over 50% of our population will experience the Menopause so why isn’t it talked about? 1 in 100 of those women will experience early Menopause, meaning that symptoms will begin before the age of 50. Look around your salon, I would guess that at least one member of your team is experiencing menopausal symptoms today. And if they aren’t, I guarantee a high percentage of your clients are.
This is why I have booked myself on the Menopause in the Workplace course. I want to understand exactly what the women in my life will have to endure. My wife, my sisters, my team, my peers, my clients, my friends – it is going to happen to them all so it is my duty to be fully prepared to have helpful conversations around the subject.
I have also arranged for a Menopause campaigner to visit each of the salon teams to explain what the Menopause is, how it impacts the body, and what as a team and/or colleague we can do to support each other. From here, we will create a Menopause Policy around the working environment for the team, and arrange regular training for the team so they are equipped to make the client’s trip to the salon as comfortable as possible.
There is a lot we need to learn and change if we want to continue growing and offering a supportive working environment to all. As men, we need to educate ourselves. And I’m happy to start the conversation about the Menopause.
Stats from healthawareness.co.uk
