Category Archives: Women’s Health

Menopause, Menopause at work, News, Wellbeing at Work, Women's Health

Organix awarded Menopause Friendly Accreditation

Organix Brands Ltd, which was launched in 1992 with a clear mission to create tasty and nutritious children’s food using the best organic ingredients, has been awarded the Menopause Friendly Accreditation.

Based in Bournemouth, the company recognises that the wellbeing of its employees is so important through every life stage and wants people to know they can carry on working in a supportive and understanding environment. By committing to be Menopause Friendly, Organix worked closely with Henpicked: Menopause in the Workplace to source information, resources and training which, together, opened up many conversations and generated some really positive feedback.

The Menopause Friendly Accreditation, established by Henpicked: Menopause In The Workplace, recognises high standards and proven practices that embrace menopause in the workplace. Industry-recognised, it is the only accreditation that sets clear standards which must be met. As such, it is truly meaningful and considered by many as a mark of excellence for menopause in the workplace.

In order to achieve The Menopause Friendly Accreditation, Organix was assessed by an Independent Panel and had to demonstrate evidence of its effectiveness in five key areas, namely: culture, policies and practices, training, engagement and working environment.

Ensuring that menopause is a safe and inclusive subject to talk about was key to Organix. Three successful outcomes of its menopause friendly strategy include:

  1. Menopause has now become a taboo-free everyday conversation
  2. People managers all feel fully confident in supporting their team with conversations about the menopause
  3. As a company, Organix understands the impact menopause can have on working lives and knows what to do to ensure people are able to carry on doing their jobs well and with confidence.

 

“We are delighted to have been awarded this accreditation.  We want our employees, and people who are thinking of working for the company, to know that we take this subject seriously,” says Lucy Critchley, HR Advisor at Organix. “Working towards and achieving the Menopause Friendly Accreditation shows we are willing to put in ongoing time and effort to support our people with their wellbeing.”

 

By providing the right support, awareness training and signposting, Organix firmly believes it will foster a fully inclusive workplace which will help them attract the valuable skills and talent that men and women of all ages have to offer.

“Whenever we consider the wellbeing of our employee’s, we also consider how inclusive we are being in our approach; although this can be seen as a mainly female subject, it’s been great to see the men in the team come along to the training and refer to the support documents,” continues Lucy. “They have been very open and appreciative, stating that they now have more understanding to support both their colleagues and family members.”

 

“Recognising that everyone needs to know about menopause, whether they are experiencing it themselves or providing vital support, has been the bedrock of the Organix approach,” says Deborah Garlick, CEO & Founder of Henpicked: Menopause in the Workplace. “I am especially heartened to learn of the very positive way that their male colleagues have embraced the training, seeing how what they learn can help their workplace relationships and those at home.”

 

For other organisations looking to embark on their own menopause friendly journey, Lucy offers this advice: “Don’t try to do it all at once, talk to your people first – ask them what they need and use that for your list of priorities. But realise that everyone’s needs on this are different, some may be very open about their thoughts and experiences whilst others may prefer to give their views anonymously, so consider gathering feedback through different channels.”

 

Women's Health

Lisa Snowden Opens Up About The Menopause: ‘It Doesnt Have To Be The End Of Your Life’

TV presenter Lisa Snowden has spoken out about going through the menopause and her mission to break the stigma surrounding the issue.

 

She told GB News: “It affects everybody. It affects the men in our lives, the men that we live with, the men that we work with. It’s like it affects everybody. Yes, 51% of it affects us ladies directly, but it does have an impact on everybody.

 

“It’s amazing that we’re talking about it so much more openly now, and us women can understand the signs and the symptoms and can get the help that we need to feel better and to start taking control and sort of just really owning our menopause, because I’ve spoken soberly about it.

 

“It doesn’t have to be the end of your life. It can be the start of a really new relationship with yourself once you’ve got a handle on the signs and the symptoms.

 

“There are about 60 symptoms and counting with perimenopause and menopause, and that’s why it’s really hard to understand what’s happening.

 

“We have oestrogen receptors from the roots of our head to the tips of our toes, so we all experience a very different perimenopause and menopause.

 

“And perimenopause is the start when the hormones start declining, and then when you go into menopause, you go into it, not through it, and that’s kind of where you haven’t had a period for a year or more.

 

“It can be about ten years that process and like I said, everybody’s menopause and premenopausal symptoms are very different.

 

“But what I want to talk to you about today is the fact that it’s National Eye Health Week, and one of the symptoms that I didn’t know that I was going to be experiencing are eye changes.

 

“I’m working with Vision Express, and they’re the first optician on the high street to really upskill their clinical staff and train them in menopause and the link to eye health.

 

“It’s not only eyesight that starts to be affected, but a lot of us women experience dry eyes, which is what I’ve got, which doesn’t sound like much, but it is really quite debilitating.

 

“You could get very sore eyes, really gritty, itchy. They can be very kind of watery as well. And what happens is the glands around the eyes get really blocked, so the oil stops producing, and it can have, obviously, an impact on your vision and make everything blurry as well.

 

“I want to encourage people to get their eyes tested. A lot of women, I think it’s over a quarter of women over 45, didn’t realise the impact that the menopause was going to have on that eye health, not only for vision, but also the other things that you can experience before.

 

“Eye health is really important, not only to make sure that you get your eye test, eyes tested regularly, but do the advanced eye test, because it will look at the overall health of your eyes, and it can be prevented.”