Commercial law firm Burness Paull has become the first accredited “menopause friendly” employer in Scotland, as well as the first legal firm in the UK to achieve the status.
Assessment is carried out by an independent panel including Kathy Abernethy, past chair of The British Menopause Society, and Paul Sesay, founder and chief executive of the Inclusive Top 50 UK Employers. To achieve accreditation, an employer must demonstrate an understanding of how menopause can affect employees at work, put support and resources in place to help, and be committed to the ongoing wellbeing of colleagues.
For Burness Paull, this involved the introduction of a policy framework along with a range of practical support and resources, including trained "menopause champions" throughout the firm.
Independent panel assessor Sue Fish said Burness Paull had fostered “a really inclusive culture where it’s easy and comfortable to talk about menopause”.
The accreditation is supported by Henpicked, a provider menopause training in the workplace. Henpicked director Deborah Garlick said: “It is fantastic to see Burness Paull become the first ‘menopause friendly’ accredited workplace in Scotland, and the first accredited law firm in the UK.
"Their campaign has broken new ground in best practice, brought to life with inspiration and passion."
Emma Smith, inclusion and wellbeing manager at Burness Paull, added: “We are a firm where respect and inclusion is at the heart of everything we do, and are committed to promoting a workplace culture where everyone can succeed.
"Taking practical steps to help colleagues experiencing menopause is part of that, and looking at the Menopause Friendly Programme is something we’d encourage other employers to consider.”
THG founder says he regrets London IPO
The head of ecommerce group THG has said he regrets floating the company, prompting speculation it could delist after a sharp slide in its stock price.
The Times quoted an interview with Matt Moulding at The GQ Heroes Conference saying he wished he had floated the company in New York and that listing in London has "just sucked from start to finish".
"We do have other options," Moulding said, according to the newspaper.
He also compared short sellers to bank robbers, adding THG shares had suffered from a "pretty aggressive short attack".
THG, previously known as The Hut Group, listed in London last year and has seen its share price plunge by about 70 per cent in the last two months. The Manchester-based company owns an array of beauty and nutrition brans such as Lookfantastic, Glossybox and Myprotein.
In the latest sign of investor discontent, THG's second-largest shareholder BlackRock sold nearly half its stake in the company last week at a 10% discount. The sale followed a rocky month in which THG's share price sank 35% in a single day after a poorly received investor presentation focused on its Ingenuity technology platform.
THG has announced changes to its board and published growth figures for its Ingenuity technology unit in an effort to reassure investors.
A-listed Glasgow building sold in near-£5m deal
A GRADE-A-listed building in Glasgow which was previously a church has been sold to a Middle Eastern investment group, for which the transaction is its first deal in Scotland.
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