Flexible working hours for menopausal women

[rosie39forever]

Labour have announced that they will force large companies to introduce flexible working hours to help cope with the health implications of menopause if they win an election

news.sky.com/story/flexible-working-hours-for-menopausal-women-to-become-labour-policy-11815509

I wonder if that will lead to ageist agencies not hiring menopausal women.
At the moment I can get any job I want as the small, private businesses I work as a locum for don't want to hire women of childbearing age because of the cost. Pretty obvious as they only seem to hire older people and young men.
If they know they have to give us flexible working they will not hire us.
Not such a problem if you work for a big company that can absorb the costs and disruption involved but it will definitely be the end of my lucrative locums.

As far as I've read I understand it to be only larger companies above a certain number of employees (though don't know what the number is as yet). I would think it would be similar to the current law for flexible working. The positive for me is that it would give recognition to menopause and it's varied symptoms and the effects it could have on women.

What kind of flexibility would you personally have liked that you didn't have?

I would feel better about all people with chronic conditions having flexible working, not just folk at some stage of menop.

My pre hrt meno symptoms were quite extreme insomnia so much so that I was hallucinating so couldn't drive or hold a coherent conversation, 40+ hot flushes per day and drenching night sweats, plus joint pain so bad that I thought I had arthritis. So I think to be able to feel comfortable with your employer to be able to go to them and say that I'm going through this because of menopause can you be a bit flexible with my start time would be positive (I know some jobs can't allow this) so I suppose just having the freedom to have the conversation with an employer rather than the usual "oh it's women's problems" is a step in the right direction.

Mm
Not sure about this. What about women who work for small companies/ or do a job where it’s just not possible to work flexitime - not everyone works in an office! Is it Tough luck for them ? What about women who sail through menopause - will they get the same. Why not?

How will companies police this. Will we all have to divulge private medical history? How ‘affected’ do you have to be before you can ask for flexitime ?

Can the employer refuse flexitime? Insist the women takes hrt so she can be ‘normal’ again and work normal f/t hours
Will employers only employ non menopausal women/ men ?
So many questions

They need to get flexible working “right” first before they start broadcasting “rolling it out for [x] group” because truly flexible working is a MYTH, up there with yetis and unicorns.

As a menopausal woman: this is ridiculous. There are so many health conditions you could consider. Just vote grabbing irresponsible cynical gesture politics.

This would be great.