Gower College Swansea's Director of Human Resources, Sarah King, recently spoke at an annual Menopause in the Workplace conference in Cardiff, which was led by Policy Insight Wales.
The conference was set up for organisations to learn how to better support, value and retain staff members who are experiencing symptoms of perimenopause and menopause.
In light of new guidance issued by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), it is now imperative that employers make reasonable adjustments for employees going through menopause.
Sarah presented on how the College has worked hard to ensure that it raises awareness of the issues and supports the wellbeing of its staff with a timetable of holistic activities and workshops throughout the academic year.
"It was a fantastic opportunity to be able to speak at the conference," says Sarah. “This is a key People Strategy for the College and I was delighted to share the positive impact this work has had for our staff. It has also helped us with recruitment, retention and ensuring we promote gender equality.
"We’re really proud of the work we have done in this area and the recognition we have received. At the UK CIPD Awards, ours was named Best Wellbeing Initiative, and we were also highlighted as a best practice employer in the DWP’s Shattering the silence about menopause: 12-month progress report.”
In 2022, Gower College Swansea signed a workplace pledge to commit to becoming a menopause friendly organisation and it is also an accredited menopause employer with Henpicked.
And in the most recent celebration of excellence and innovation in the HR landscape, Gower College Swansea was named the Public Sector Organisation of the Year at the British HR Awards 2024.