West Ham United has become the first Premier League Club to receive the Menopause Friendly Accreditation (MFA) in recognition of its high standards and proven practices that embrace menopause in the workplace.
The Menopause Friendly Accreditation is industry-recognised and the only accreditation that sets clear standards which must be met. As such, it is truly meaningful and considered by many as a prominent mark of excellence for menopause in the workplace.
The Menopause Friendly Accreditation showcases West Ham United’s specific commitment to promoting awareness, understanding and support of menopause, while reinforcing the Club’s ambition to be an equity leader within the football industry. In 2021, West Ham United was awarded the Advanced level of the Premier League’s Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Standard (PLEDIS) – the highest level which can be achieved – for its unwavering commitment to continual progress in this area.
Employers are assessed by an Independent Panel and must show evidence of their effectiveness in six key areas, namely: culture, policies and practices, training, engagement, facilities and evaluation. West Ham United received the Menopause Friendly Accreditation after demonstrating a wide range of measures to support its workforce, where one in 10 of its female staff is of menopause age.
The West Ham United Senior Leadership Team is 50% female and led by Vice-Chairman Karren Brady. Key to its menopause friendly practices are workplace adjustments enabling people to work through the menopause. The Club carries out regular menopause awareness training for staff and managers and works with external services to provide financial awareness training on areas including pensions and menopause. It also has an internal support group for staff experiencing menopause, alongside strong allyship among male staff.
In addition to a standalone menopause policy, West Ham United has a dedicated Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) service that specifically highlights menopause and mental health.
West Ham United is committed to an inclusive workforce and the Clubs commitment to gender equality is far reaching. The most recently published annual Gender Pay Report last year showed that the mean gender pay gap, when male first-team players, management and coaches were removed, was -18.31% - and for the sixth consecutive year running, was in favour of women. This figure was more favourable than the then national pay gap at 15.4%.
Furthermore, the Club is also proud to sponsor Back 2 Businesship, a returners programme that up-skills, builds confidence and coaches the return of top talent into the workplace after a family / caring career break, via a six-day face-to-face bootcamp over two weeks, featuring 25 interactive sessions presented by experts in their field. The programme is focused on enabling experienced returners, predominantly women, to get back to work and into jobs, as well as updating their skills and knowledge to reboot their careers.
Speaking on receipt of the Menopause Friendly Accreditation award, West Ham United Vice-Chairman Karren Brady said: “It is wonderful that West Ham United has been named as the first Premier League Club to receive the Menopause Friendly Accreditation and on behalf of everyone at the Club I would like to say how proud we all are.
“It demonstrates our unwavering commitment to our staff and the emphasis we place on creating a positive working environment that allows people to flourish and reach their full potential – supporting and embracing their individual circumstances and needs.
“We have a key objective to be an equity leader in the Premier League and a strong commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion across all areas of the Club – a commitment that has been recognized through the award of the Advanced level of the Premier League’s Equality Standard.
“We work hard to ensure there are no barriers to working at West Ham United and our ethos is centered around enabling employees to bring their whole self to work, providing everyone here with the opportunity to reach their full potential.
“As well as helping attract and retain some of the very best female staff, our approach to achieve the Menopause Friendly Accreditation will help to raise awareness within our male workforce and encourage allyship to further support colleagues, friends and family.”
To find out more about The Menopause Friendly Accreditation, visit www.menopausefriendly.co.uk.