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TV presenter to take part in Retail Trust event addressing the health and wellbeing of retail workforce
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More than 100 retail HR leaders will be brought together at the free event to help improve staff wellbeing
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Registrations now open for the Retail Trust Leaders’ Summit, 9 November, Andaz London Hotel, via the Retail Trust’s website.
Davina McCall has joined forces with industry charity the Retail Trust in urging retail employers to better support menopausal and perimenopausal women.
The award-winning TV presenter has been at the forefront of fighting the stigma around the menopause following her Channel 4 documentary, Sex, Myths and The Menopause.
Davina will call on retailers to tackle the taboo and create a more open workplace culture at a free Retail Trust event this November aimed at improving staff wellbeing, where she will be interviewed by best-selling author and former Sunday Times Style, Cosmopolitan and Elle editor Lorraine Candy.
Menopausal women are the fastest growing work demographic in the UK and a raft of studies have shown the impact of the menopause at work:
- 76% of respondents felt their symptoms had been problematic in the workplace, according to a 2018 survey*
- 20% said they had considered quitting their job as a result, rising to 44% of those experiencing the most severe symptoms
- Another study found that 32% of respondents felt the menopause was treated negatively at work, and 63% said it was treated as a joke**
- Just over three-quarters of women reported that their employers offered no information or support around the menopause, according to a separate report***
Davina McCall said: “There’s still a taboo in talking about menopause and perimenopause in the workplace and this has to change. We need to make it normal and unremarkable for people to discuss it at work, which is why it’s great that the Retail Trust is putting menopause on its agenda. For retailers that really care about their employees’ wellbeing, creating an open and supportive culture around menopause is a great start in helping to tackle it.”
The Retail Trust Leaders’ Summit will bring together more than 100 leaders from across the industry to address a range of issues central to the health and wellbeing of its workforce. Businesses can register now to attend the free one-day event on 9 November at Andaz London Hotel which will also explore ways of improving mental health, diversity and inclusion, and retaining talent.
Other confirmed speakers include Lord Mark Price, founder of digital engagement platform WorkL and the former managing director of Waitrose and deputy chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, Louise Stonier, chief people and culture office at Pets at Home, and Lisa Smosarki, editor in chief of Stylist.
Darren Miller, co-founder of the Black Business Institute, Emma Stewart, founder of flexible working consultancy Timewise, and HR consultant Marcia Hazzard will also speak at the event.
Chris Brook-Carter, chief executive of the Retail Trust, said: “Retail workers everywhere have suffered many consequences of the pandemic and the future success of the industry now rests heavily on the hope, health and happiness of its workforce. We’re running this event because we want retail employers to ask themselves whether they are really doing enough to support mental health, ensure inclusivity and build rewarding careers, and the menopause is something that they can no longer ignore as part of this.
“Women make up a large proportion of the British retail sector so the industry already has a real responsibility to step up and support those experiencing the perimenopause and menopause, many of whom will be at the peak of their careers and under other pressures. But every single one of us need to know and talk about the menopause and Davina is absolutely right that the support starts with creating more open conversations at work that will help us all to tackle this taboo.”