Dungarvan and West Waterford Chamber honoured for menopause policies

The business support organisation joined Bank of Ireland, Aldi and drinks giants Coca-Cola and Diageo, all honoured for implementing policies to support women battling menopause symptoms in the workplace.

Sponsored by Irish Life Health and Astellas Pharma, the awards are organised by Menopause Hub Academy and Great Place to Work and were held at Dublin's Royal College of Physicians last Thursday. Dungarvan and West Waterford Chamber collected the Best Small Business award.

"We're thrilled to announce that the Dungarvan and West Waterford Chamber has been awarded the prestigious Menopause Workplace Excellence Award 2024 for Best Small Business," said a spokesperson. "This recognition, presented by The Menopause Hub Academy and Great Place to Work Ireland, celebrates our commitment to creating menopause-friendly workplaces and supporting staff through all stages of life."

CEO Jenny Beresford said, "We're proud to champion menopause wellness in the workplace, fostering equality and inclusion for all."

Other winners included St Patrick's Mental Health Services (Best in Health award) and Slieve Russell Hotel (Best Champion Network). University College Dublin also received a Special Recognition Award in Higher Education.

For the first time, men were honoured for their role in developing menopause friendly policies for their female colleagues. The 'Male Allyship' award was presented to Lee O'Donoghue, a store manager with Lidl Ireland in Castlerea.

"These award-winning companies are the leading lights in efforts to make workplaces, whether global multinationals or small family-run firms, menopause friendly," said Loretta Dignam, CEO of Menopause Hub Academy.

"We were amazed by the quantity and quality of the entries submitted this year, which is proof that finally, the world of employment in Ireland is responding to the healthcare needs of women at work.

"Some women may experience very few symptoms of menopause and find it does not impact their working lives to a great degree. But for countless others, the experience is very different and can severely limit their capacity to work full-time, or work at all in many cases."

The awards recognised businesses which support female employees as they battle symptoms including anxiety and depression, extreme fatigue and brain fog.

One of the judges, Oonagh O'Hagan, MD of Meaghers Pharmacy Group, said the ceremony provided an opportunity to showcase best-in-class companies and to recognise and reward their efforts whilst setting the benchmark for other Irish companies.

Fellow judge and former Dragons' Den star, Norah Casey, said it was 'truly inspiring' to witness the breadth and quality of the submissions.

"The commitment to fostering supportive workplace environments for menopause is evident, and seeing this growing momentum is a testament to the progress we are making in this critical area," she said.

Earlier, a former Director of Public Prosecutions warned of the potential damage to business if women are forced to leave employment or have their hours cut due to debilitating menopause symptoms. Claire Loftus said more Irish workplaces need to 'catch up' and implement policies to prevent a brain drain of highly skilled female staff.