Menopause: The Newest Protected Status?
sponsored by the International Labor and Employment Law Committee
Thursday, September 28
12:00 Noon – 1:00 PM CDT
Many conversations on preventing harassment in discrimination in the workplace focus on training employers to help build awareness on diversity, equity and inclusion and fail to address a deeper understanding of protected status and what can qualify for an accommodation. With the workforce being over 50% women, menopause has a huge impact on the workplace. For example, approximately fourteen million workdays were lost in the UK economy each year due to women taking time off to manage menopausal symptoms. Prevention of harassment and discrimination in the workplace may mean that the protected status should be expanded to include menopause and at the very least afford the same reasonable accommodations as other health conditions. This panel will examine how the UK is moving to expand protections for employees experiencing menopause, efforts to include such individuals as a protected status in the US, and best practices for how to implement better safeguards for preventing harassment and discrimination for allowing these types of leave.
Panelists:
Hon. Stephanie M. Jones, Federal Agency, Knoxville, TN
Lori L. Deem, Hughes Socol Piers Resnick & Dym, Ltd., Chicago, IL
Devjani Mishra, Littler Mendelson, P.C., New York, NY
Amanda Steadman, BDBF, London, United Kingdom
Please note: CLE credit will not be provided for this webinar.