CEREDIGION County Council is committed to supporting staff suffering with the symptoms of menopause, committee members have hear, as the authority drafts a new policy.

Members of the corporate resources overview and scrutiny committee heard on Wednesday, 21 July, that a “draft menopause policy has been developed to help those experiencing troublesome menopausal symptoms, and to support them, their colleagues and managers in tackling the occupational aspects of menopausal symptoms.”

Members heard that the policy was something that has been called for by the union Unison “for some time.”

A report into the policy put before members said: “A key aim of this policy is to support those with troublesome menopause symptoms and to reduce absenteeism due to these symptoms.

“This may include temporarily introducing reasonable adjustments to support employees to remain in work in the short, medium and long term.

“Support and training will be provided to the employee, their colleagues and line manager, raising awareness of the impact of the symptoms on the employee.

Ceredigion County Council leader Cllr Bryan Davies told the meeting that he was “very proud of this new policy.”

Scrutiny committee members recommended that the county council’s Cabinet approve the new policy.