Anne Hayes
Director of Sectors, BSI
A new standard gives businesses the tools to provide practical ways of helping employees experiencing menstruation and menopause and create thriving workplace environments for everyone.
Looking after menstrual and menopausal health is key to encouraging longer and more fulfilling work lives, which is why BSI — the UK’s national standards body — is publishing a new, free standard.
Employee-friendly environment
BS 30416 Menstrual and menopausal health in the workplace is set to be published in May and provides a set of guidelines aimed at businesses and organisations wanting to make work environment adjustments to benefit all.
The many issues faced when dealing with menstruation, or during the transition into menopause, have been under the media spotlight for the past few years.
Anne Hayes, Director of Standards says: “Now is the time that businesses want to make sure they are not losing their talent and encourage women to stay and progress to more senior leadership roles. Society will benefit if we enable them with a supportive environment.”
The standard signposts free resources available to help SMEs establish a policy and practical implementation ideas with little or no budget.
Raising national standards
BSI aims to improve the quality and safety of products, services and systems by creating standards.
Annually, it publishes more than 2,500 standards across technical, sector and management topics including recent standards relating to sustainable finance, modern slavery, net zero guidelines and healthcare.
The menstruation and menopause standard has been developed over the past year and, in creating the guidelines, has sought expertise from both sides of the equation — from HR, health and safety officers and managers to consultants, charities and unions.
Providing free tools for everyone
This new standard has been structured as a toolkit under different categories: work design, role adjustments, policy guidance, physical aspects of work and creating supportive workplace cultures. The standard signposts free resources available to help SMEs establish a policy and practical implementation ideas with little or no budget.
A launch event will be held at London’s Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists on the 5th of July and is to be hosted by health and beauty journalist, Alice Smellie, who will be joined by broadcaster Mariella Frostrup — together, they co-authored Cracking the Menopause.
The launch will feature advice and discussion from an expert panel on how to become a period and menopause-friendly employer. Anyone with an interest in the topic can pre-register to receive the free standard publishing in May.
To register for the free standard, or to attend the launch event, visit www.bsigroup.com/menopauseandmenstruation
