Holland and Barrett have recently launched a great commitment to menopausal and perimenopausal women with their Pause and Listen Pledge. I have just visited the Romsey shop where the pledge is proudly displayed and all the local staff have signed up to it.
There’s been real progress in recent years to bring the menopause to the forefront of the conversation, thanks to the many high-profile women who have been openly speaking about their experiences in the media. However, while the awareness has improved, there is still a big job to be done in helping women feel heard. In fact, new research reveals that two thirds of women do not talk about the menopause for fear of being judged, or being told what to do or think about menopause.
The Pause & Listen Pledge asks people to promise to unconditionally listen to and support people experiencing the menopause. Holland and Barrett has trained 4000 colleagues on menopause and some of the larger city centre stores have “pause & listen rooms” to offer a quiet space to chat. It is really obvious in the Romsey store that the staff are knowledgeable and want to give customers, some of whom may be anxious about asking about menopause, the opportunity to chat and find out a bit more.
Pause & Listen Pledge
We won’t pretend to know how your menopause feels.
We won’t say millions of people go through it every day.
We won’t tell you to just get on with it.
We won’t say “You’re way too young to go through the menopause”.
We won’t make light of your menopause.
We will give you the chance to offload.
We will help you try to find ways to get through it.
We will understand that your menopause is unlike anyone else’s.
We will show you that you don’t have to do this alone.
And above all we will always listen and support you.
