With women graduating college, entering the workforce, and staying in their careers long-term, it is becoming more important than ever for employers to recognize that there are some physical aspects of life that women will always have to encounter that men will never have to experience. This includes things like periods, pregnancies, miscarriages, and menopause.
While many employers take it into their hands to limit ways in which women can get assistance for the things they have to experience because of their, well, actual biology, publisher HarperCollins has chosen to expand their healthcare policies for women to include assistance during times of menopause and perimenopause.
According to the Mayo Clinic, menopause marks the end of a woman’s menstrual cycle. While this may not seem like a big deal, menopause often disrupts a woman’s sleep patterns, energy levels, and overall emotional health. HarperCollins sees this bigger picture and launched this policy to encourage open discussions for women who may need more emotional assistance during a time in their lives they cannot control.
HarperCollins UK joined other UK companies to sign the Wellbeing of Women Menopause Workplace Pledge to promise those who experience menopause support and assistance when they may need it. According to John Athanasiou, director of people at Menopause at Work, “menopausal employees are the fastest-growing workplace demographic.” Therefore, it only makes sense for employers to keep up with the times and offer assistance for the individuals who help run their companies.
While this policy seems to be a UK standard at the moment, we hope to see it expand to HarperCollins offices around the world.
If you’re feeling inspired by HarperCollins’s move to encourage women, click here for a list of novels by women for everyone.
FEATURED IMAGEs VIA HARPERCOLLINS & WIKIPEDIA