Commended: The Open University Business School Impact Award for Supporting Business and Organisational Goals
The teams at MCF and RMBI Care Co are on a mission to achieve Menopause Friendly status as part of its strategies to provide an inclusive working environment that fully supports colleague wellbeing.
Learning at Work Week provided MCF and RMBI Care Co with an ideal opportunity to open up dialogue and raise awareness of menopause and the impact it can have on individuals within the workforce. This is a particularly important issue for RMBI Care Co as females make up approximately 84% of its workforce.
By using Learning at Work Week to shine a light on this often-overlooked issue, the teams at MCF and RMBI Care Co hoped to create an environment in which colleagues felt comfortable talking about menopause and asking for support.
To launch their Learning at Work Week initiative in MCF their Chief Executive used his quarterly all colleague briefing to announce a full week-long schedule of activities. A launch video for RMBI Care Co featuring their Managing Director and Group HR Director outlined why they thought menopause was such a key issue for the organisation, and shared plans to achieve Menopause Friendly status.
During the week, the teams invited staff to engage in a comprehensive and varied range of activities including events, podcasts, videos and interactive quizzes. The schedule of activities was designed to fit around varied working patterns with sessions that could be accessed at any time; as well as events delivered at specific points throughout the working day.
To complement these activities, a ‘supporting menopause’ guide and policy was issued to all line managers to help them feel more confident in having conversations with their staff. To help widen participation and awareness, stalls were set up at care homes which staff were invited to visit and chat about the initiative with colleagues. Menopause goodie baskets were also handed out to staff which they were able to take home for their own use.
To ensure the week was a success, the teams at MCF and RMBI Care Co organised daily check ins to get feedback from colleagues which helped to refine future activities. Staff forums were also used to provide colleagues with a platform to share their experiences from the week. This feedback was used to help shape a post-event action plan which aimed to ensure the momentum gathered during the week is maintained and learnings embedded throughout the organisation.
Feedback and engagement from colleagues in the initiative surpassed all initial expectations with all reporting a noticeable improvement in awareness around menopause. Multiple colleagues also came forward to volunteer to become menopause champions. As a champion colleagues will act as point of contact within the organisation for individuals who want to additional support and guidance.
As a result of MCF and RMBI Care Co.’s involvement in Learning at Work Week the organisation has accelerated its progress towards becoming a Menopause Friendly organisation. The week has also enabled MCF and RMBI Care Co to strengthen its wellbeing offering to colleagues and ultimately improve its ability to recruit and retain its workforce.