A gift bag designed for menopausal women working at Avanti West Coast, containing a fan and a jelly baby, has been branded “demeaning” and an “offensive gimmick” by rail unions.
The package included a hot sweat fan, a jelly baby candy “in case you feel like biting someone’s head off”, a tissue “if you’re feeling a little emotional” and a paper clip “to help you keep it all together†.
The cards and associated small items, including chocolate and tea bags and a pencil “to write down things you might forget”, were distributed to staff at the drop-ins for supportive conversations about menopause.
Avanti said the packs had been available for a year and were designed by the company’s support group, made up of women who were themselves going through menopause. However, they sparked outrage on social media after being highlighted by rail unions.
The drivers’ union Aslef shared a photo and said: “Menopause is debilitating for some women, it’s no joke. Rather than handing out insulting tricks to female employees, you would be better placed to develop workplace policies and procedures that value and support perimenopausal and menopausal women!”
The Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association called the group “appalling, demeaning and dismissive.” It added: “Women deserve informed support and respect from their employers, not denigration.”
Among those who responded was Tanni Grey-Thompson, the peer and Paralympian, who commented: “I’m experiencing this. I haven’t slept well in a year. Chocolate doesn’t make it right.â€
A spokesperson for Avanti said: “This is a gift bag designed and created by our own menopause support group and derived from a suggestion from a colleague based on her own personal experience. It is part of a much wider and widely used support package from Avanti West Coast, as part of our commitment to being a proud menopause-friendly employer.
“Over the course of the past year, Avanti West Coast has undertaken a wide range of initiatives to support menopause, including launching guidance for colleagues and managers, creating a support group on internal channels – a safe place for women to chat and find support around menopause and perimenopause – and set up a specialist library that gives staff free access to books on the subject.”
Dr. Louise Newson, menopause specialist and author, said: ‘If someone had given me some of that stuff and I was about to give up my job as a doctor, I would have burst into tears. If it’s a delaying tactic, I’m shocked. But if it’s a way to help people learn more and hopefully point them in the direction of the right treatments, then I’m okay with that.”
However, she warned that not enough employers and organizations were giving women enough good advice: “If someone had a broken leg, I would give them all the support and empathy and everything they needed, but I would also encourage them to leave it to repair. . You also have to involve healthcare professionals.’
Newson said only a minority of menopausal women were receiving HRT, adding: “It’s important that we don’t just give people flexible time or cut back their working hours, or talk about it – we need to be a little more proactive in getting them into to understand what treatment is available, in the same way as we would if they had another condition that would affect them in the workplace.”
Jemima Olchawski, the CEO of the Fawcett Society, said: ‘Our groundbreaking research into menopause has shown that the majority of women find at least one menopausal symptom ‘very difficult’ and that one in ten women have left a job because of the menopause …
“While it is good to hear Avanti talk about menopause, it is essential that they also have a robust menopause action plan, including training, information sharing, flexible working, absence policies and dress codes to support women going through the menopause. ” €
Avanti said it is now offering access to 100% cotton shirts to support those experiencing menopausal symptoms.
Avanti’s latest internal communications controversy comes just weeks after a leaked presentation showed company executives joking about “free money!” for the taxpayers’ business, regardless of performance.