DWF launches menopause policy in bid to tackle legal sector’s staffing crisis
DWF has launched a new firm-wide policy to support women going through the menopause, as it seeks to boost its retainment of staff in the face of an exodus of older women from the UK’s workforce.
The UK law firm’s policy seeks to support DWF employees going through the menopause with a view to raising awareness around the issue and making it easier to access support.
The listed law firm’s new policy comes in response to research from the Fawcett Society showing one-in-ten British women aged 45-55 have left jobs because of symptoms of the menopause.
The policy launch also comes as UK law firms continue to face fierce competition to recruit and retain top talent, in a shift that has seen the salaries, bonuses, and perks handed out to lawyers surge to all-time highs.
DWF chief executive Sir Nigel Knowles has previously spoken out against the huge salaries being paid out to newly-qualified (NQ) lawyers in arguing they are just a sticking plaster aimed at fixing the sector’s recruitment crisis.
The law firm chief has instead called for more “sustainable” solutions to the legal industry’s recruitment problems, in warning a failure to build “healthier workplace” environments will see young talent find employment in more “enlightened” sectors elsewhere.
DWF’s new initiative comes as top City law firms, including Linklaters and Baker McKenzie, have increasingly pursued efforts to support those going through the menopause, in line with efforts to boost diversity and strengthen retainment of staff.