Cambridgeshire fire service wins national menopause award

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service won the Menopause Friendly Employer of the Year Award (Public Sector) at the Menopause and Menstruation Friendly Employer Awards on September 16.

The award recognises public sector organisations that build menopause awareness, education and support into workplace culture.

Hayley Douglas, assistant director of communication and engagement at Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service and its menopause champion, said: "We were filled with pride just to be listed as a finalist in this category so to hear us announced as the winners of this award was an incredible moment! Feedback we receive from across the Service evidences the impact our work to ensure we are a menopause friendly employer is having.

"Knowing that colleagues have all received awareness training about menopause, symptoms and their impact in the workplace - and at home – means that colleagues feel more comfortable having open conversations about what they are going through, knowing they will be supported.

"To have our work recognised at a national level and to win Accredited Employer of the Year from all the organisations doing fantastic work to improve menopause support in the workplace was quite a feeling!"

Now in their fifth year, the awards celebrate organisations across the UK improving workplace culture around menopause and menstruation.

An independent panel of industry experts chose this year’s winners from a record number of entries.

Deborah Garlick, CEO and founder of Henpicked: Menopause in the Workplace, said: "Together, the impact of their menopause and menstruation friendly work is shifting workplace culture, bringing meaningful and measurable change and creating environments where people feel understood, supported and able to thrive."

The service has introduced mandatory menopause awareness training, updated guidance, workplace-adjustment risk assessments and improved toilet and welfare provisions for firefighters at incidents.