(Meno)Pause for Thought: Paving the Way to Empowerment

October is a month brimming with awareness campaigns that inspire action, understanding and conversation across the globe – from Black History Month to World Mental Health Day and Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Today, on World Menopause Day (and during Menopause Awareness Month), I wanted to take a moment to recognise and support women navigating this natural stage of life, particularly within the rail industry. Menopause is a significant transition and raising awareness is essential to fostering a workplace culture that is understanding, inclusive and supportive of all women.

At Women in Rail, we are dedicated to championing the wellbeing of women across the sector and encouraging open dialogue, education and practical support for women. By normalising these conversations, we can create an environment where women feel empowered to bring their best selves to work, without fear of stigma or misunderstanding. Having these discussions now and sharing our stories (I believe) will pave the way for the future empowerment of women.

So here goes…personally, I am navigating symptoms ranging from brain fog, flooding and interrupted sleep (some nights as little as three hours). The biggest impact for me has been on my confidence, particularly around public speaking – it was always something I’d done without thinking but it’s been recently I’ve noticed how anxious I’ve become with it. I do have techniques I use to help reassure myself and put my mind at ease (breathing exercises, understanding my own hormones, talking / writing about it!) but I think too that the real issue is the unpredictability of it all…and how I might feel each day.

The Business Case for Employers

And while we are seeing many companies make progress with menopause support, there is a real threat to our industry of experienced, skilled women leaving the workforce because of inadequate provisions being made for women during this time in their lives.

In the spirit of checklists* here are five simple things employers can do to support employees going through menopause:

• Training and workshops: Offer training for managers and staff to increase understanding of menopause and its symptoms.
• Open conversations: Encourage a culture where discussing menopause is not taboo and normalize it as a health issue.
• Provide educational materials: Share resources that explain the effects of menopause, so employees can better understand what their colleagues might be experiencing.
• Reasonable adjustments: Allow adjustments to workload or duties when symptoms are particularly challenging.
• Temperature control: Ensure workplaces have fans, air conditioning, or access to cool spaces.

Let’s continue to make the business case for supporting discussions around menopause in the workplace.

Progress and Milestones

In other news, there are lots of exciting things to update you on for Women in Rail.

• Our Board meeting this month focused on our 2025 Women In Rail Awards – we have just signed off some new categories, aligned to our three-year business plan. We hope you love them as much as we do!
• Our three-year business plan and *Gender Equity Tick (GET) List is in its final stages, and we will be sharing both in the later part of Q4.
• We have set the date set for our annual Women in Rail conference – taking place February 2025.
• Last year we partnered with the National Skills Academy for Rail (NSAR) and soon we will be sharing the results on progress we’ve seen in the representation of women in the sector.
• Last month I updated you on our trustee applications – I’m so pleased to say that we’ve had some amazing applications. So much so that we have a good pick of candidates to take to interview. Please bear with us as we go through this process.

I also just wanted to finish with a shout out to some wonderful women leaders (we need to do this more often) who I have the pleasure to work with Sarah Howells and Alison Noon-Jones FCIPD both non-executive directors on the board at TfW. They end their term on the Board this month and will be missed by everyone, especially me as their support has been invaluable and I appreciated their guidance. Having allies, mentors and just generally great people in your camp is vital to navigating this world of work.

Are there any female leaders you want to give a shout out to this Friday?

MD

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Dates for your Diary: Upcoming Events

• Join Women in Rail and the University of Birmingham for their 'Extreme Weather, Climate Change, and the Railway Industry' event – 24 Oct. More info.
• Join Women in Rail for their 'Celebrating Black History Month October 2024' event – 30 Oct. More info.
• Join Women in Rail Yorkshire for their 'Keighley & Worth Valley Railway Volunteering Day' – 8 Nov. More info.
• Exclusive SWIFT event: An Audience with Alex Hynes, Director General of Rail Services at the Department for Transport (DfT) – 20 Nov. More info.
• East Midlands & Young Rail Professionals (YRP) for their 'Christmas Quiz Night' event – 28 Nov. More info.