Is This Room Free?
Welcome to Is This Room Free? In this podcast I will be talking to HR professionals and listening to the stories of their careers. I will be finding out about the journeys they have taken and what they learnt along the way. The purpose is to help others in the profession identify and understand the various paths available and take inspiration from my guest speakers. Whether you are someone who is looking to get that first step on the HR career ladder or an aspiring HR Director, I hope you get value from these conversations.
Is This Room Free?
Alison Allen - Why menopause awareness is so key in organisations today
My guest for this episode is Alison Allen who, following a successful career in internal HR, set up her own HR Consultancy in March 2023.
Alison's real passion through her career has been about developing people, so as well as providing generalist HR support to her clients, she also works as a coach and a mentor, an Insights practitioner, she is a trained and accredited mediator, and offers bespoke line management development programmes.
Not wanting to stop at just that, Alison is also a qualified Menopause Workplace Trainer.
Originally intending to be a Teacher, Alison realised that wasn't for her and embarked upon a period in L&D before moving into generalist HR. Her first HR role was a standalone position for a multi-site, national business and we discuss how you succeed in a role despite never having worked in it before and, therefore, with very limited knowledge and expertise. She then moved her career forward with a mindset of plugging the gaps in her own skills base to ensure she had as complete a tool kit as she possibly could.
There's a pattern within Alison's journey of going back to former employer's but in a new role that aligns with her own wants, needs, and development goals and we discuss how and why sometimes you need to leave a company if opportunities aren't available but why there's also no reason you can't return in the future if circumstances change.
When she decided to go self-employed, Alison knew that she wanted to become a specialist in menopause awareness and we talk through why this is such a critical topic.
75% of people going through the menopause have symptoms and, of those, 1 in 4 has serious symptoms. 100 years ago the average age of menopause was 57 and your life expectancy age was 59. Whereas now menopause typically occurs between the ages of 45-55 and average life expectancy is 83. Therefore, where is now appears in life is with women who are in the prime of their careers and often in influential and significant roles.
25% of women are considering leaving their employers due to lack of support and this is why it's so important we recognise the impact the menopause can have and employers do all they can to help.
There are so many wonderful aspects we cover in this conversation beyond the menopause but this is certainly a hot topic that needs more awareness and education around so I hope you enjoy listening.