"Tea doesn't make night sweats better": Avanti West Coast under fire for handing out 'gimmicks' to help female employees going through menopause

Avanti West Coast recently took the initiative to help female employees undergoing menopause by offering them a bag with a few items. The move has received a negative response from the public on social media, calling it an "insulting gimmick."

Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen also announced the news on February 15, 2024, through their official page on X (formerly Twitter) with a picture of the product. The photo shows nine items in the bag, including a fan, jelly baby, tissue, paper clip, candle, tea bag, pencil, chocolate, and a penny.

The post described menopause as "debilitating" for many women and added,

"Rather than handing out insulting gimmicks to female employees you'd be better placed developing workplace policies and procedures that value and support peri-menopausal and menopausal women!"

The post's comments section was flooded with multiple responses, with one of them writing that she is already going through the same phase and chocolate does not help. Another one said that tea does not help in making "menopause better."

A reaction to the gift on X (Image via X/@ASLEFunion)

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Netizens share their criticism towards Avanti West Coast's gift for the women employees

Avanti West Coast has been dealing with a few issues for some time. In between all these, the train operating company launched a new product for women, which received a lot of criticism on social media.

Many people have questioned the reason behind the move, and women undergoing menopause have also targeted the company.

Netizens post their reactions to the gift (Image via X/@ASLEFunion)

Netizens post their reactions to the gift (Image via X/@ASLEFunion)

Netizens post their reactions to the gift (Image via X/@ASLEFunion)

According to The Guardian, a spokesperson for the company also revealed more details about the product. They said they made it after one of the female employees told them. The spokesperson continued,

"It is part of a much wider and well-used package of support provided by Avanti West Coast, as part of our commitment to be a proud menopause friendly employer."

The spokesperson also stated that the company has created different initiatives for menopause, such as "launching guidance for colleagues and managers." They aim to start a support group where women can get help for menopause and create a "specialist library" so that the staff members can get books free of charge.

In December 2023, there was a demand to check Avanti West Coast's operations after they canceled around 20 services from London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly. According to BBC, the company mentioned the shortage of crew members and industrial problems as the reasons behind the cancelation.