Building more inclusive workspaces

Members in local government, health, schools and elsewhere across Cambridgeshire and beyond have been expanding their knowledge of all aspects of menopause through an online menopause café run by the Cambridgeshire County branch.

Launched in January 2022, the café has covered a broad spectrum of menopause issues, including employment rights, exercise, diet, overcoming stereotyping, sex life, HRT and alternative therapies.

“Most training sessions are open to all, including managers and colleagues and relatives or friends wishing to offer support — we believe that menopause is an issue for everyone,” says branch education co-ordinator and union learning rep (ULR) Bess Sayers, who facilitates the café.

“But some discussion sessions are only open to people experiencing menopause and menopausal symptoms, including trans people, to allow participants to share stories and offer each other mutual support in a confidential space.”

With attendance steadily rising since the launch, the branch paid for Bess to complete an accredited Menopause Awareness Diploma Course, with the Centre of Excellence online learning provider.

“I tried to finish it as quickly as I could to help the menopause café, so it took about two months of doing it in lunch breaks and evenings in the end — I thought, ‘I’m going to get this done’ because I knew it was desperately needed,” she says.

Having completed the diploma helps Bess deliver many of the sessions herself. The branch also pays for external speakers to share their knowledge of specialist subjects such as dietary advice, pharmacy support, alternative therapies and meditation. On average, around a dozen members take part every month but as many as 40 people logged on to one session.

To build on the success of the café, Bess helped draw up a menopause policy for Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority, where she works as a public transport manager.

With the policy now in place, the authority has paid for Bess and two colleagues to undertake Menopause Champion Training with leading  provider Henpicked. The three have already delivered awareness sessions across the CPCA and are planning more this year.

Bess told UNISON Eastern: “The Cambridgeshire branch UNISON Menopause Café provides a safe place for members and non-members to discuss and learn about the issues affecting them.

“The best thing about facilitating the café is the group themselves, their positivity, and their willingness to share and offer mutual support.”

This article first appeared in U Learn, UNISON College’s annual learning magazine.