This week’s round-up of more farfetched areas of HR takes in menopausal railway employees being offered jelly babies and lessons for HR from, er … Taylor Swift’s boyfriend.
How thoughtful of Avanti West Coast to provide their menopausal employees with a gift bag containing things that may help during those, you know, menopausal moments. What a nice thing to do. There was never a risk of such a gesture being perceived as condescending, patronising and demeaning, was there?
The pack, given to staff during menopausal support drop-ins, included – alongside possibly useful items such as a fan – a jelly baby sweet “in case you feel like biting someone’s head off”, a tissue “if you’re feeling a bit emotional” and a paperclip “to help you keep it all together”. There was also a pencil “to write down things you might forget” and chocolate, because … we don’t know.
Aslef said train company’s handout to women was “insulting gimmick”, while Transport Salaried Staffs Association called the gesture “dismissive” and “belittling”.
@AvantiWestCoast the menopause is debilitating for some women, it’s not a joke. Rather than handing out insulting gimmicks to female employees you’d be better placed developing workplace policies and procedures that value and support peri-menopausal and menopausal women! pic.twitter.com/mMcYOypxFV
— ASLEF (@ASLEFunion) February 15, 2024
According to Avanti the packs were designed by a company support group, made up of women who were going through the menopause themselves.
The drivers’ union Aslef shared a photo and said: “The menopause is debilitating for some women, it’s not a joke. Rather than handing out insulting gimmicks to female employees you’d be better placed developing workplace policies and procedures that value and support perimenopausal and menopausal women!”
The Guardian quoted paralympian and peer Tanni Grey-Thompson who said: “I’m going through this. Haven’t slept properly in a year. Chocolate doesn’t make it OK.”
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At Personnel Today, staff have clubbed together to buy jelly babies by the box, because even without anyone being menopausal we have discovered that if offered to senior managers during personal appraisals, negative feedback seems to evaporate. The paperclip approach has proved less effective, however, with people “falling apart” despite – even because – they were offered one.
Apparently, Avanti now offers 100% cotton shirts to support those with menopause symptoms. Watch out for chocolate stains.
Anyone for a Swiftie?
We love a tangential link at Personnel Today. So we could only admire the work of employment law firm Primas Law who sent us the intriguingly titled email “Who could ignore Travis Kelce’s noticeably aggressive interaction with his head coach, Andy Reid at this year’s Super Bowl?” The obvious answer – apart from “who is Travis Kelce?” – was “me!”
After all, there was lots of Six Nations rugby at the weekend and plenty of real football. So why use a faraway sporting event in a faraway land (we’re talking American Football here by the way) as your hook for some wise words on workplace misconduct? The cynics among us think it could be because Kansas City “tight end” Travis Kelce is Taylor Swift’s boyfriend. So perhaps he has become a household name? No, even for those of us with an interest in American Football the name merely conjures up another massive athlete with huge inflated shoulders whose no doubt chiselled face is obscured by a helmet and grill.
Speaking of this “hard to ignore” Kelce incident, Danielle Ayres, a partner at Primas Law, writes that some employees get “too big for their boots or feel that they are above the law”. She reminds us that “regardless of an individual’s seniority, position, or tenure, misconduct must be handled appropriately. Failure to do so may open the door to potential legal claims. Take Travis Kelce’s case, for example: if a staff member raises their voice or physically confronts a manager or team member, even in the heat of the moment or due to passion for their job, it requires careful attention.
“Appropriate actions may involve a public apology or a verbal or written warning.”
Or you could offer said angry person a jelly baby.
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