Aiming to empower those managing the menopause at work, the measures include an additional 10 days’ special leave for those experiencing symptoms, quiet reset spaces for colleagues to take time out to relax and medical care within the Bank’s private healthcare benefit.

Extra support has also been made available in Danske Bank’s buildings for staff, including free sanitary products, the availability of desk fans for colleagues to control the temperature in their workspace and a desk booking app where staff can choose where they sit. In addition to the Bank’s current Flexible Working Policy, these measures are designed to make the work environment as comfortable as possible for colleagues experiencing menopause symptoms.

Developed in collaboration with colleagues and Benenden Health, the Bank’s healthcare benefit provider, Danske Bank has also introduced a detailed Guiding Principles to educate all staff on the menopause so that women feel confident about raising issues related to their own personal experience.

Caroline van der Feltz, HR Director at Danske Bank added:

“Across the business, we aim to facilitate an open, understanding working environment so we have created a detailed support guide and will provide additional training to raise awareness and educate all colleagues and ensuring women feel confident about raising issues relating to their menopause in the workplace. Overall, we aim to build a more inclusive culture and our desire for women to see Danske Bank as the place to be for their career through all stages of their life.”

Additional training will also be provided to People Leaders within the business who have direct line management responsibilities to provide extra assurance to women that their concerns relating to the menopause will be heard, understood and supported.

Jenny Moore, Employment Lawyer at Danske Bank, said:

“Supporting women experiencing symptoms of menopause transition means understanding that not everyone experiences menopause in the same way. Like any other health condition, colleagues will have different symptoms and need different support at different times. So, in working with our colleagues we have created Guiding Principles on Menopause Support including a Menofesto of commitments and a package of support that means when our colleagues change, so do we."

The Guiding Principles were developed with clinical input, colleague engagement including the Bank’s affinity networks, and external experts.

David Moore, Digital Learning and Wellbeing Consultant at Danske Bank added:

“With a diverse and multi-generational workforce, empowering and supporting colleagues as individuals has never been more important. In practice that means, for example, personalised wellbeing action plans rather than adopting a one size fits all approach. We’re all going to be affected by the menopause in some way, so I particularly welcome the focus on raising awareness among all employees, male and female, so that we are better able to support not just our colleagues who may be experiencing symptoms of the menopause, but our partners, family and friends too.”

On World Menopause Day, 18 October 2022, the Bank will launch a ‘Tell Me More’ Series on Menopause – with Advanced Nurse Practitioner Cheryl Lythgoe MSc and colleagues joining the discussion and sharing their lived experiences.