Civil Service launches Menopause Policy to support staff

Date published: 8 March 2022

Females account for 50% of the 24,000 Northern Ireland Civil Service workforce. With over 55% of female employees over the age of 45, a significant number of employees are likely to be affected by menopause. The aim of the Policy is to raise awareness and understanding of menopause and outline the support available.

Announcing the new policy, Finance Minister Conor Murphy whose department has responsibility for HR for the civil service said: “We want to ensure our staff are supported to cope with the challenges and impact of the menopause. I hope this new Menopause Policy will create an environment where female employees feel confident to raise issues and ask for reasonable adjustments if necessary. Equipping managers to provide support will ensure women can continue in employment and have their needs taken into account.”

Welcoming the policy, Head of the Civil Service Jayne Brady said: “This new policy builds on the Civil Service’s efforts to support women going through the menopause. In recent months we have delivered seminars on menopause with one event, “The M Word – Making the Menopause Mainstream”, attended by over 600 colleagues. We are already seeing the benefit of increased awareness with Departments establishing support groups for staff. This is only a first step for us as we want to continue to build on this progress through further guidance and the roll out of training to support the implementation of this policy.”

Highlighting the importance of the policy, Health Minister, Robin Swann added: “Employers have a hugely important role to play and I welcome the work that the Northern Ireland Civil Service is taking forward to support its female workforce. Last month I attended the first meeting of the UK-wide Menopause Taskforce, which has been established to strengthen coordination across government in raising awareness of the impact of menopause, improving care and support for women, and ending the taboos and stigmas that still surround what is a natural part of ageing. My Department will continue to engage with the Taskforce to identify any opportunities to improve menopause healthcare in Northern Ireland.”