From the boardroom to the showroom to manufacturing, DFS is determined to make its menopause support accessible to every colleague.

Furniture company DFS has committed to being a menopause friendly employer, creating a culture where staff can openly discuss menopause. And they want to ensure that all staff can get all the help and support they need.

The company was featured on the programme, Menopause: The Change is Here, created in partnership with ITN productions and The British Menopause Society – anchored by journalist and presenter Louise Minchin. The programme coincided with World Menopause Day 2021, and shone a powerful spotlight on the impact menopause can have at work – and what employers can do.

Becoming menopause friendly

Jo Shawcroft, Chief People Officer at DFS said: “DFS has chosen to become menopause friendly because we have a huge ambition to be a really inclusive employer. We recognise there are more women in the workplace now and they are also working longer. There will be more colleagues going through this life stage who are in our group.

“It’s been really well received. We’ve had a lot of good feedback about how we’re trying to support and generally open up the dialogue around this life stage.”

DFS have done so much for their colleagues. They’ve launched a comprehensive menopause policy, trained up colleagues and line managers and got everyone talking about it. What’s also ground-breaking is the level of support they’ve put in place for staff and their loves ones, both digitally through the Peppy app and menopause expert consultations for staff by My Menopause Centre.

Creating menopause champions

Part of the programme involves having dedicated menopause champions. Lisa Rouse, Retail Divisional Director at DFS is one of them. “Being a menopause champion is about providing support at the right level to whoever might need it,” she says. “And when you understand some of the statistics about people who would rather leave an employer than stay when they’re going through these challenging times, it’s really important that we start to talk about it.”

Sarah Hey, wellbeing partner and menopause champion at DFS, added. “There have been a lot of colleagues who have come forward and said they’d never thought the company would talk about this sort of topic. They’re really impressed that we’re having the conversations.

“They may have gone through it themselves or seen colleagues going through it and never really known how to support. Now we’re providing that access for them to support themselves and their colleagues and they’re really glad about it.”

Access for everyone

Senior managers are a key part of the conversations and also keen to implement support at all levels.

Lee McNamara, group head of internal communications and menopause champion, said: “What we’ve found is, with colleagues in our manufacturing sites, for example, they can’t easily access some of the digital support we have, such as the Peppy Health app. We’re working with partners such as My Menopause Centre to put face-to-face support in place too.”

Henpicked: Menopause in the Workplace’s Deborah Garlick said: “DFS have achieved so much in such a short space of time and their action is breaking new ground in menopause support at work. They’re changing hearts and minds in their organisation, and are also contributing to the change in culture UK-wide. It’s been a pleasure to support them.”

Everyone is included in the menopause conversation at DFS. And it’s a conversation the company is determined to keep going.

Deborah Garlick

Deborah is passionate about helping women live better lives by educating on the facts about menopause. She’s the CEO at Henpicked: Menopause in the Workplace and author of Menopause: the change for the better. And also founder of Henpicked.net.