Ruth Jackson, Chief People Officer at The Gym Group, is keen to widen the conversation about Women’s Health among employers at The Watercooler Event this year, in a panel on ‘Empowering inclusive Women’s Health’.
She’s also keen to keep spearheading reverse mentoring and DEI programmes because she believes that a sense of belonging is so fundamental to employees thriving and, therefore, company success.
This panel, in which she is appearing alongside Henpicked CEO Deborah Garlick and Senior People Champion at E.On Matt Grisedale, kicks off Day 1 of the ‘Prevention, Intervention, Holistic & Inclusive Wellbeing’ stream.
We caught up with her ahead of her appearance at The Watercooler…
How much progress do you think has been made when it comes to talking about Women’s Health in the workplace?
Significant progress, but it’s important for us as employers to keep the momentum up and continue to talk about it. Opening up discussions around later life, perimenopause and menopause help to promote inclusive spaces for those women who might not be as open to talking about their health, especially at work.
How do you feel about how menopause is now talked about in work in particular?
We’ve come a long way since the old jokes about ‘give the menopausal woman a fan’ thankfully and people do understand that there’s more to menopause than a hot flush. But there are still lots of other symptoms that are less likely to be talked about or understood.
Like what?
People are reluctant to talk about the more cognitive symptoms like struggling to think straight or experiencing brain fog at work because they fear it might make them look like they’re not coping or are perhaps not capable. It’s important we encourage these harder conversations as the symptoms are real and valid so it’s essential to keep them top of mind to properly understand what is going on and how we can support women in the workplace.
Is there anything that frustrates you about how menopause is talked about nowadays?
For me, it’s not just about having a policy or shouting about a policy, it’s how you put them into practice.
Tell me how you’ve gone beyond just having a policy…
In 2023, we introduced ‘Female Health First’, a programme aimed at women’s health and fitness. Through the programme, we’ve given cohorts of our PTs and gym managers – both male and female – in-depth training about the female body and what that means for exercise and fitness.
What are you finding is the best way to support women going through perimenopause or menopause?
Although there’s a lot more discourse now around perimenopausal women and needing to approach fitness training differently, many women still don’t know what that means or looks like in practice.
Every woman should know about how her body works, which is why we partnered with The Well HQ to support our teams with the right education and, in turn, women in our gyms.
What areas of women’s health are you focused on in addition to menopause?
We’re extending our programme to look at menstruation, pregnancy and fertility, and postnatal health which are other important phases of a women’s life. We are also encouraging our PTs to create networks and communities in our gyms to help create inclusive spaces for women.
What kind of feedback did you get from your PTs about the programme aimed at women?
Around 60% of our PTs are male, making up the large majority, so we knew it was important to equip with them the information they need to be able to better support their female clients. The response we have received has been brilliant, with many feeding back that the programme has given them the confidence to be able to talk to midlife women effectively and better support their members about topics that they might have previously struggled to navigate.
Your company has also embraced reverse mentoring, through working with Patrice Gordon, who we’ve written about before. Tell us more about that…
We wanted to ensure that our diversity policies were put into action and not just spoken about. We brought in Patrice – who is a bundle of energy! – to help us support diversity in our workplace authentically and genuinely. Our first cohort have just completed the reverse mentoring programme, and another is about to begin.
How did the reverse mentoring actually work?
For our initial pilot, we paired senior members of the executive committee and leadership team with more junior staff from different ethnic backgrounds.
When taking part myself, I was mentored by someone from our gym support team who comes from a Caribbean background. We talked about the differences in our experiences growing up, and how that’s impacted us in terms of our confidence at work or our approach to the workplace.
I was interested to hear about how that shows up for her at work and what the workplace could do differently to make sure she feels a sense of involvement and inclusion. This experience reinforced how important it is that employees feel they have a voice and a voice that’s listened to. She told me about her past working experiences where she felt completely overlooked and dismissed. At The Gym Group, she says she has a real sense of belonging which is exactly what we want to hear.
Has reverse mentoring changed the way you approach your job?
The biggest learning for me in my role is the importance of the ‘sense’ of belonging. And that’s a question that is constantly on my mind: how do we make sure that everyone feels that they belong The Gym Group so that they can be at their best?
Reverse mentoring really makes you consider how people might be impacted differently and what belonging means to each individual. The conversations I’ve had as a result of the reverse mentoring has helped me to automatically consider this as part of my processing.
Are you standing as firm on DEI despite the current backlash, emanating from the US and affecting some employers here in the UK?
I’ve talked about this at length with my CEO, my colleagues on the senior leadership team, and our EDI manager. We have a leadership team that is very supportive of the diversity agenda and it remains incredibly important to us as a business.
What are you most looking forward to about the Watercooler?
I’m most looking forward to the opportunity to talk to likeminded people about topics I feel passionate about. As well as being on a panel with Deborah Garlick, CEO of Henpicked, because I really respect what she’s done in the menopause space and I’m proud of the progress we’re making in this space at The Gym Group.
You can hear Ruth speak at The Watercooler Event, which takes place on 7th and 8th May 2025 at ExCeL in London, which is Europe’s leading trade show, with free-to-attend content, dedicated to creating workplaces that empower both people and business to thrive. She’s speaking on Day 1, as part of the Prevention, Intervention, Holistic & Inclusive Wellbeing stream.
You can find out more and register to attend here.
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