Menopause many times is considered to be a taboo subject that brings uncomfortable feelings when it is brought up, especially in the workplace. Channel 4 begun a company-wide initiative to create awareness around menopause, as over half of the business population will become affected by it at some point in their lives.
The aim of this 20-minute module is to educate everyone on what menopause is, understand how women may experience menopause in order to increase confidence on approaching the subject, normalise conversations around menopause and create a supportive environment for women during this significant time of their life.
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The course is primarily targeted to People Managers in order to increase awareness around menopause but most importantly to ensure that managers are enabled to have open conversations and support their staff that experience menopause symptoms. The course is mandatory to complete for all People Managers in Channel 4 as part of the great initiative to create a supportive environment for women during menopause.
Additionally, the course will be available for everyone to do, as part of a greater initiative to increase awareness on the subject and normalise the conversation around menopause in the workplace.
The aim is to ensure that all employees understand what women go through during this difficult, yet normal period of their lives, how the changes that they are going through can affect their everyday life, have open conversations around menopause without biases, assumptions, and perceptions, and make sure they know what they can do to help and support staff and colleagues going through menopause.
On top of that, the course aims to empower women that are menopausal and make sure it opens the path to honest conversations with their managers and increases knowledge around the company policy and all related channels that they can get support during this challenging time.
In addition to that, you also want the learners to enjoy the course so much that they'd recommend it to others.
My Design Approach
A familiar voice
Getting the tone of voice right is key. I adopted Channel 4 's tone of voice which is, first and foremost, clear and simple using fewer words rather than more but also colloquial and cheeky where appropriate.
Make it relatable
Everyone will eventually be affected by menopause, not just women. I used characters that both men and women can relate to. It’s not just the colleague, it could be our sister, our partner, our mother – knowing how to support women in our lives is important for everyone.
Empowerment
This is about empowering women to talk freely about what they are going through but also empowering managers and colleagues to provide valuable information, make work arrangements and offer help and support to those who need it.
Keep the attention
Learners at Channel 4 are generally open to eLearning courses but keeping their attention is key to stop them from speeding through it. I used a variety of screen types, scenarios and interactivity to help them to engage and focus.
Have fun!
People learn when they are having fun! Using humour to exaggerate and create a bit of drama where appropriate brought the content to life and created a fun and engaging environment for people to learn.
Call to action
We always want learners to follow up on the subject and know what to do next once they close the course. I made sure that learners had clear directions to further resources e.g., menopause policy and support resources to know what is available for them.