ESS, part of
Compass Group UK & Ireland, has held a menopause awareness event for
colleagues, clients and industry partners.
The event, which aligned with
Menopause Awareness Month and anticipated World Menopause Day on October 18,
aimed to raise awareness and provide practical advice on how to support those
affected by menopause. It was hosted by ESS’ training provider, 3t, at its
state-of-the-art training centre based in Dyce.
The event
featured a diverse panel of experts and stakeholders who led an engaging and
insightful discussion on various menopause-related topics. The initiative
stemmed from a request by ESS colleagues through the company's engagement
forum, seeking information and advice to better support team members, family
and friends navigating menopause.
65 attendees
joined the session which explored the challenges that menopausal and
perimenopausal women and their family, friends and colleagues can face, the
potential impacts of these in the workplace and helpful support strategies for
everyone affected by menopause.
The panel
included Allan Errington, Head of HSSE – ESS; Gillian Simpson, Lead Programme
Delivery Manager – Step Change in Safety; Irene Bruce, Head of ESA, Employment
& Skills – OEUK; Dr Laura Wyness, Registered Nutritionist; Jennifer
McGroarty, Head of HR – ESS and Shauna Wright, Regional Officer for Unite the
Union. The event was chaired by Ronnie Kelman, Managing Director – ESS Energy,
Government & Infrastructure.
A highlight of
the day was a nutrition session delivered by Dr Laura Wyness, Registered
Nutritionist and author of Eating Well for Menopause, who shared her expert
insights on dietary strategies for menopause. ESS chefs prepared several of her
recipes, giving guests the opportunity to sample nutritious recipes that
support menopausal health.
The event is
part of a broader campaign being led by ESS’ Energy business to raise menopause
awareness across the traditionally male-dominated energy sector. Many workers
live offshore for weeks at a time and the request for support from ESS’ teams
has been embraced as a great opportunity to promote menopause awareness. Other
initiatives in place include line manager information sessions and a
menopause-friendly menu competition for ESS’ unit teams to develop their own
recipes throughout the month.
Dr Laura Wyness, Registered Nutritionist and author of Eating
Well for Menopause, commented: “Nutrition plays
an important role in managing menopausal symptoms and supporting health during
this life stage. It was great to see the chefs’ enthusiasm for making
beneficial menu tweaks and the interest from the audience to learn more about
key nutrients and how your diet can support health and wellbeing around
menopause.”
Irene Bruce, Head of ESA Employment and Skills at OEUK,
commented: “This event to raise awareness of the menopause was an
invaluable opportunity to share experiences. Well done to ESS and their
colleague engagement forum for providing an environment where we feel free to
ask questions that enable us to continue to learn more and understand each
other better. As someone currently living through the menopause, I can relate
to the challenges and I’m keen to help broaden understanding of where help and
support is available. I believe the chance to speak openly about the menopause,
without fear or embarrassment, is a good thing and every day is an opportunity
for us to learn more.”
David Newbigging, Senior Key Account Manager at 3t,
commented: “We’re proud to host this important event for ESS - a
highly-valued customer of 3t - at our Dyce training facility, providing a
platform for open dialogue and awareness around menopause. As a centre for
learning and development, we believe in fostering education on topics that
impact the wellbeing of our industry’s workforce, and this event is a perfect
example of that commitment.”
Ronnie Kelman, Managing Director – ESS Energy, Government
& Infrastructure, added: “When our teams identified menopause awareness as an area
where they would like some support, we were keen to maximise the opportunity.
As we learned in today’s event, NHS data shows that around 13 million women in
the UK are currently menopausal or perimenopausal and almost eight out of ten
menopausal women are in work. These are important conversations and today’s
event is just the start of our programme of initiatives to equip our team
members, whether they are going through menopause themselves or have colleagues,
family members or friends who are.”