MAKES US STRONGER

According to tradition the meeting started with a joint lunch and then it was time for the first lecture of the day on the subject of internal politics. Internal politics is a force beneath the surface and a way of using one’s social abilities to get one’s way. It concerns structures within a company and how these structures and relationships are used and affect work.

“Quite often, assistants and coordinators can feel alone in a corporate structure,” says Mats Erwald lecturer in office politics at the Erwald Group. “They are at the heart of things and are expected to be loyal to their company and their supervisors but also to their colleagues. Those in this role can often be subjected to pressure and if it is not understood what is going on, it can be very frustrating. You need to feel secure with your relationships and your decisions and understand that you are a part of the game, whether you like it or not.”

The lecture included presentation of a case, different ownership structures and how these can affect internal politics, the definition of internal politics, how to avoid pitfalls and also group exercises and joint discussions.

Time to go on with the group to Falkenberg Strandbad. On the bus, Jeanette presented a number of film clips from this year’s Sphere Forum to give a flavor of this year’ theme – ”Stronger together – Combining Perspectives”.

The next topic on the agenda was the menopause. According to a study in the UK*, figures show that 1 in 10 women leave their jobs due to menopausal symptoms and that 1 in 4 consider doing so. At the same time, women are the fastest growing members of the workforce, and companies need tools to attract and retain their female employees who are going through menopause.

Torild Stokes, Stena UK Ltd, who gave the presentation, works to help companies and organizations with training and coaching on the subject of menopause.

Generally, menopause – a natural stage that occurs in every woman’s life – is divided into pre-menopause which usually comes at an age between 45 and 50 and menopause itself is when menstruation has not occurred for 12 months. All women’s experiences of the stages are unique, but some of the symptoms that can affect work are feeling overwhelmed, difficulty in concentrating, difficulty in remembering things, decreased self-confidence and sleep problems. Most women find this more bothersome than hot flushes and sweating at night.

“In the UK, people are raising the issue because they are beginning to realize the scale of the problem,” Torild says. “Many shipping companies in the UK are preparing menopause policy documents and are working to include menopausal issues as part of their diversity, equity, and inclusion statements.

“That’s a good first step. Now when we’re investing in getting more women into leadership positions, it can be devastating if they choose to quit or reduce their working hours because of problems we have too little knowledge of. That companies and management teams are increasing their awareness is good. We need allies, but we as women must have an open dialogue on the topic and talk to each other to remove the stigma of menopause. We need to build confidence through knowledge, so that we can meet this transition to a new stage in life in a positive way,”
Torild concludes.