International Women’s Day – getting it right in the workplace

Picture of Rhiannon Jepson

Menopause has been a topic of conversation for a number of years now, since celebrities who were facing hormonal struggles spoke out on the topic and made it comfortable to discuss and encouraged women to be open about how they were feeling.

Just a year ago the UK Government issued a report entitled ‘Shattering the Silence about Menopause’, which was result of a 12 month study into menopause in the workplace, and how the UK can learn and progress to provide much needed support to the nearly 4 million women aged between 45 and 55 currently employed.

In 2022, we conducted a survey of 500 working women who were going through or had been through the menopause1, and our results indicated at that time that only 26.9% felt supported during this time. The majority of support provided was flexible working and regular breaks, which whilst extremely valuable, it only makes a small difference when dealing with the symptoms that are often debilitating.

A smaller number of businesses are offering further understanding like offering care packages within the workplace which contain sanitary products and fresh clothing and underwear, implementing a menopause absence policy and training people managers to feel comfortable when having an open conversation with their team.

Has anything changed?

As we approach International Women’s Day 2025, we were keen to see if anything had changed for women in the workplace over the last 3 years. Have businesses listened to the women who were considering quitting heir jobs due to lack of support, or were worried about taking time off to manage menopause symptoms?  Our latest results show there HAS been an increase in the support felt by women over 45, with an increase of 17.6% up to nearly 45% of women saying yes, they did feel supported by their employer2.

Chart 1

In terms of the type of care offered, there has been a significant increase in both mental health champions and support groups, with small increases in flexible working and regular breaks.

Chart 2

We spoke with Culture and Service Lead for high street retailer Oliver Bonas, Donna Gutteridge, about inclusivity, the role of women in the business and the support they provide to their people.

Q: We had the pleasure of joining your Growing (B)older support group last year, where we discussed how our businesses have supported women as they face menopause and other issues as we grow older. Could you talk a little more about this group and the policies that Oliver Bonas has in place to support as well?

A: Our Growing (B)Older voices network serves as a platform for our older team members to connect and discuss the challenges of aging in the workplace and society. Although all our current members are female, we warmly welcome male team members to join us. Our aim is to support and encourage each other while addressing topics such as menopause, future career prospects, and ageism. We believe our group can serve as an example to our younger peers, demonstrating that aging is a great and wonderful journey, and that women are supported by their peers and Oliver Bonas as they grow older.

Q: Do you have any other specific women’s support groups within Oliver Bonas, such as for single parents or young parents?

A: While we don’t have women-specific groups, the majority of our voices network comprises predominantly women. We currently have a total of 7 Voices groups in our network, ranging from our Black and Mixed Heritage Voices to our LGBTQ+ Voices. Within these groups, we discuss additional learning opportunities, celebratory events, and everything in-between.

Q: As it is International Women’s Month, we are celebrating female music artists. Do you have a favourite female artist who will be on your playlist this month?

A: My playlist is always filled with strong women, from classics like Lauryn Hill and Neneh Cherry to up-and-coming artist Rachel Chinouriri, a young Black singer-songwriter nominated for Artist of the Year and Best New Artist at the Brits. My always and forever favourite, especially when I fancy singing along at full volume in the car, is Taylor Swift. Oh, and I have just discovered Self Esteem, she is brilliant. Especially enjoying her album – Prioritise Pleasure.

Women's Day 2025 
Q: Thinking about stores, what training is given to store managers to support their female colleagues?

A: We don’t have any specific training solely for supporting female colleagues, but we ensure that our training resources—whether face-to-face workshops, virtual webinars, or educational resources—have a thread of inclusion woven throughout.

Q: As the theme for International Women’s Day 2025 is ‘Accelerate Action,’ aimed at gender equality, how does Oliver Bonas tackle the subject of gender equality in the workplace?

A: At Oliver Bonas, we are proud to boast strong female representation across our Store, Support Office, and Web and Warehouse teams. In fact, 85% of our total workforce is female, and this is reflected at every level from Team Member to Director. While we are proud of this representation, we are not complacent. We continue to strive to make Oliver Bonas the most inclusive workplace it can be, ensuring everyone can bring their authentic selves to work and feel supported and safe to do so.

What can you do?

Want to learn how your workplace can improve its menopause and female care and support?  PPL PRS signed the Wellbeing of Women in Workplace pledge in 2023, and you can find out more about what us, and businesses like us, are doing.

References:

  1. Survey conducted by PPL PRS via Attest. 500 UK women between the ages of 45 and 60 surveyed on 28 November 2022
  2. Survey conducted by PPL PRS via Attest. 500 UK women between the ages of 45 and 60 surveyed on 27 February 2025

 

Author

Picture of Rhiannon Jepson

Rhiannon Jepson

Rhiannon Jepson is a Member of The Chartered Institute of Public Relations and has worked in communication roles for around 7 years. She joined PPL PRS in November 2017, shortly after studying for a degree in English Literature, where she developed her love of writing and creativity. Since then, she has completed the CIPR Foundation course and enjoys bringing together her love of communications and music through her role as Senior PR & Communications Executive.
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