New national guidance to help forces better support women officers and staff experiencing the menopause has been welcomed by the chair of Hertfordshire Police Federation.

Geoff Bardell says the Federation will work with the Force to ensure the guidance is adopted.

“Around a third of women working in policing nationwide at present are 45 and over so many will be working as they are experiencing the symptoms of the menopause. It is essential that the Force does all it can to ensure they have the support they need and we are keen to work with the chief officer team, senior managers and other support groups to make sure that support is in place,” says Geoff.

“But there is also a great need for increased awareness of how the menopause can affect women so that line managers and colleagues can also be supportive.

“Often even small adjustments – such as the provision of desk fans or cooling clothing – can make a big difference to women going through the menopause while working so I think we all need to make sure women know help and support is available to them and that the Force has a policy in place to make sure there is a consistent approach.”

Last year, the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) carried out the first nationwide survey on the menopause among members. The survey – which was called EveryonePause – revealed that 84 per cent of Hertfordshire officers and staff who responded felt the symptoms of the menopause were either moderately or extremely problematic at work, while the national result was 76 per cent.

Almost half (48 per cent) said they felt their job performance had been negatively affected by the menopause while just under a third (31 per cent) felt the menopause had negatively affected their manager’s and colleagues' views on their competence at work.

Nationwide a fifth (20 per cent) of respondents said they had considered leaving their job because they found it difficult to deal with the menopause at work. But this figure was significantly higher in Hertfordshire where 30 per cent said they had considered quitting due to the menopause.

The new guidance includes information for women experiencing the menopause, line managers and occupational health teams. It also encourages forces to establish formal policies for managing menopause transition and provides a draft risk assessment form and checklist.

A working group of strategic stakeholders in policing, spearheaded by Hayley Aley, one of the Federation’s national women’s leads, had  commissioned the menopause survey which then provided evidence of the need for the national guidance.

“Everyone in the policing family got behind PFEW’s survey, which proved that forces need to do more to break down the barriers that currently exist,” Hayley explained, “It was iconic for us to aim a survey not just at our membership but to the whole police family and for this to give the credible evidence needed to give guidance to our force leaders.

“This guidance will make a difference to so many and I sincerely hope this work paves the way for colleagues in the other emergency services.”

Chief Constable Carl Foulkes, the national lead for gender at the National Police Chiefs’ Council, said: “The demographic of the police workforce across the UK is changing with an increasing number of female colleagues and an ageing workforce in key front-line roles as well as other roles in our organisations. There are clear health and safety implications for women, their colleagues and the general public, if we do not support, understand and deal with menopause issues properly.

“As such, this guidance which addresses strategic, line management and individual learning around menopause transition is important to minimise the potential impact on operational and non-operational resilience as well as valuing and understanding what colleagues are going through.”

The National Menopause Guidance aims to help support and advise individuals, line managers, senior leaders and occupational health advisers.