INDEPENDENT councillor Ursula Gavan called on employers, locally and nationally, to help their employees meet their work commitments while managing the impacts of menopause, perimenopause and menstruation during their working lives.
Cllr Gavan believes this #StopTheStigma conversation is needed in response to the demands of workers (who make up more than half of the population) and as a low-cost opportunity for employers as they compete to recruit and retain talent in a challenging labour market.
“Everyone’s menstrual/menopausal experience is unique, and the level of support needed may vary. Yet workplaces are not always set up to deal with the reality of what they go through, and it’s not often something that is openly talked about either,” she said at last week’s full meeting of Limerick City and County Council (LCCC).
Gavan highlighted a few simple initiatives such as providing free sanitary products to all employees, making sure there are accessible, proper toilet facilities, and use of darker fabrics for upholstered furniture and permission for darker fabrics in uniforms.
She also mentioned a form of temperature control to help those experiencing hot flashes, including proper ventilation, use of more breathable fabrics in uniforms, and improved training on symptoms of menstruation and menopause for line managers and supervisors
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This is part of the #StopTheStigma campaign by Fórsa, Irish Congress of Trade Unions, Financial Services Union, SIPTU, UNITE, Irish National Teacher’s Organisation, and the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation.
