How chemical firm SABIC is leading the way with menopause workshops – including for men
FEATURE
How chemical firm SABIC is leading the way with menopause workshops – including for men
Ambassadors - SABIC ' s Ian Gourley ( left ) and Steve Turner .
Chemical company SABIC is building on the success of winning a national health leadership award by offering progressive health and wellbeing support to its employees .
A global giant with a Teesside heart , the company won the Health Leadership Award at last year ’ s Chemical Industry Awards ( CIA ) in recognition of its employee health and wellbeing programme . But there was no resting on its laurels .
Having taken on board employee feedback to implement a comprehensive health and wellbeing strategy for its Teesside employees throughout last year , the team behind the initiative wanted to raise the bar even higher during 2024 .
Menopause Ambassador Workshop One topic raised by male union representatives during a regular meeting with the company was the menopause and how to raise awareness among male employees about the possible impact to their wives and partners to enable them to support and understand them better .
With menopause having been a hot topic in the news over recent years , SABIC had previously run a stress and menopause workshop for its female employees . When the training provider , Still Human , contacted SABIC to offer a workshop for Menopause Ambassadors , it was agreed by SABIC ’ s health and wellbeing champions that it would be beneficial for them to become trained in order to support both male and female employees in their ambassador role .
The workshop was well received by all 11 participants , five of whom were men . Some of the attendees gave personal examples of symptoms they had seen in their partners , which helped them understand why they were behaving differently or in certain ways . They felt they could share this sort of insight with other male employees who might be in a similar position .
SABIC is now developing a policy on how to support employees , both male and female , through this transition in life . They intend to launch this to all employees to coincide with Menopause Awareness Day on October 18 .
Julie Liddell , managing director of Still Human , who led the Menopause Ambassador Training , said : “ As the industry in which SABIC work is maledominant , to be having conversations about menopause within the sector is groundbreaking .
“ Training several of their male employees as Menopause Ambassadors is commendable as they are lighting the beacon of change for menopause awareness in the workplace .
“ By completing the training , the qualified Menopause Ambassadors can play a key role in raising awareness and supporting colleagues - both male and female - on a subject that will impact them all in some way .
“ This will improve how they are able to perform as not only colleagues and managers in the workplace but also as supportive partners and friends outside of the workplace . We would like to encourage other businesses in the Tees Valley area to undertake this course and would definitely encourage more men to complete this training .”
Other health and wellbeing initiatives SABIC ’ s health and wellbeing team responded to a suggestion of an annual health allowance payment to enable employees to either take up or sustain a hobby or service linked to wellbeing . The idea has been successfully rolled out , enabling Teesside colleagues to claim for such items as gym memberships as well as sports clothes and equipment across a wide range of activities .
The team has also introduced a free meditation and hypnotherapy app for employees , covering a whole host of issues such as sleep , weight , anxiety and building confidence and resilience . The app is also open to the families of staff as well as having topics relevant to children .
The group is continuously looking for new initiatives and ideas that would benefit employees . The company is currently running regular musculoskeletal workshops with a physio in different areas of the business so staff can easily access the service for appropriate treatment . Healthy onsite eating demonstrations are also planned , while the team is exploring how they can better support employees with neurodiverse needs .
Other European health and sporting opportunities available for employees are a cycling event taking place near SABIC ’ s Geleen site in the Netherlands , an annual SABIC football tournament , also held in the Netherlands , and a walking challenge .
Nicola Duffey , senior manager HRPB , UK , who is also chair of the health and wellbeing group , said : “ SABIC is fully committed to improving the health and wellbeing of all employees by providing and promoting a wellness culture and by showing care , compassion and empathy to all .
“ The intention is that health and wellbeing is seen as importantly as EHSS ( environmental , heath , safety and security ) by focusing on five key areas : social inclusion and belonging , mental and emotional health , physical health , work-life balance and listening to feedback .
“ Our ultimate aim is to make SABIC Teesside a happier , healthier place to work and allow our employees to be the best versions of themselves they can be .”
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