Experiences of Menstrual Health and Menopause at Work: A National Survey

Participant Information, Consent Details and Privacy Notice 

This page is for participants taking part in the NHS Survey. It provides details about the survey, information about consent and the standard privacy notice required by all research undertaken at the University of Glasgow.

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Should you wish to keep a copy of this information, click here for a downloadable PDF copy    

Participant Information

1. Study title and Researcher Details

• University: University of Glasgow

• School or subject area involved: College of Social Sciences

Project title: Experiences of Menstrual Health and Menopause at Work: A National Survey

• Researcher details:

  • Name: Professor Kathleen Riach

  • Contact email: kathleen.riach@glasgow.ac.uk

2. Invitation to take part in this survey

You are being invited to take part in a research survey. Before you decide to participate, it is important for you to understand why the research is being done and what it will involve. Please take time to read the following information carefully and discuss it with others if you wish. Feel free to email the researcher any questions if something is not clear or if you would like more information. Take time to decide whether you wish to take part.

3. What is the purpose of the survey?

This survey aims to inform national policy and workplace support surrounding menstrual health and menopause transition at work.

While women and people who menstruate make up around 80% of the healthcare workforce, there is a lack of evidence exploring the impact the menopause may have on employee health, well-being, and experiences of work. This is even more the case for menstrual health, where there is a global lack of research informed evidence around how menstrual health at work is experienced or supported.

Increasingly, policy, the public and workplaces are paying attention to the relationship between menstrual health and menopausal transition and work. However, a lack of evidence surrounding the lives of those experiencing and negotiating menstrual health and menopause means we are in danger of generating impact and practice that does not recognise the diversity and plurality of experience and the subsequent support needed.

This survey seeks to gain an insight into the experience of those experiencing menstrual health and menopause at work and find out what they feel works in best supporting them – and what does not.

4. Why have I been chosen?

You have been chosen to take part in this study because you are a women or person who menstruates or experiences menopause, are aged over 18 and are either employed by the NHS or are employed by another employer but work in an NHS service.

5. Do I have to take part?

Participation in this study is completely voluntary, and you are free to stop completing the survey at any time.

After you have completed and submitted your survey you can withdraw your responses until the 30th November, 2022.

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You may have been made aware of the opportunity to take part by your employer or another group, such as your trade union. They will not know whether you have participated in the survey. Taking part in this study will not impact your employment in any way.

6. What will happen to me if I take part?

You will complete an online survey that consists of ‘tick box’ answers, and some section where we ask you to write about your personal experiences.  You do not have to complete any questions you do not feel comfortable answering.

7. Will my taking part in this study be kept confidential?

All information which is collected about you during the course of the research will be kept strictly confidential. Your responses will be identified by an ID number so that you cannot be recognised.

You will be asked for your month and year of birth. You will also be asked at the end for a special word only you would know.  This will ensure that we can identify you and your data should you wish to withdraw your answers before the 30th November.

8. What will happen to the results of the research study?

The research data and analysis will be used to write a free and publicly available report about ‘what works’ in supporting women and people who menstruate at work in terms of menstrual health and menopause.  It will also be used to create an overview of findings for the participants (including yourself). We can send these to you in the Spring of 2023 if you include an email address at the end of the survey. This email address will not be connected to your data and stored separately to your answers. The findings may also be used in research reports, presentation and other outputs.

10. Who has reviewed the study?

This study has been reviewed by the College of Social Sciences College Research Ethics Committee at the University of Glasgow.

If you have any questions about the survey you can contact myself, Professor Kathleen Riach on kathleen.riach@glasgow.ac.uk . If you have any concerns regarding the conduct of the research survey you can contact Dr Benjamin Franks (socsci-ethics-lead@glasgow.ac.uk) as Acting Lead for Ethical Review, College of Social Sciences.

Consent Details

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Title of Project:    …… Experiences of Menstrual Health and Menopause at Work: A National Survey….

Name of Researcher:   ………Professor Kathleen Riach…….   

By taking part in the online survey, you are confirming you agree with the following statements:

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 I confirm that I have read and understood the Participant Information above for the above study and have had the opportunity to contact the researcher to ask further questions.

 I understand that my participation is voluntary and that I am free to withdraw my survey responses anytime up until the 30th November, 2022 using my month and year of birth and memorable work without giving any reason.

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I consent to my survey responses being collected

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I acknowledge that responses will be referred to by an anonymous alphanumeric code ( e.g. ABD123)

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  I acknowledge the provision of a Privacy Notice in relation to this survey

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I understand that  all names and other material likely to identify individuals will be anonymised.

I am aware that the material will be treated as confidential and kept in secure storage at all times.

I understand that the material will be retained in secure storage for use in future academic research

I understand that material may be used in future publications, both print and online.

I waive my copyright to any data collected as part of this project.

Other authenticated researchers will have access to this data only if they agree to preserve the confidentiality of the information as requested in this form.

Other authenticated researchers may use my words in publications, reports, web pages, and other research outputs, only if they agree to preserve the confidentiality of the information as requested in this form

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Privacy Notice

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Privacy Notice for Participation in Research Project: Experiences of Menstrual Health and Menopause at Work: A National Survey

By law, all research surveys and project are required to provide a privacy notice.  Below is information on how your personal data will be stored.

Your Personal Data

The University of Glasgow will be what’s known as the ‘Data Controller’ of your personal data processed in relation to your participation in the research project ‘Experiences of Menstrual Health and Menopause at Work: A National Survey’. This privacy notice will explain how The University of Glasgow will process your personal data.

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Why we need it

We only collect data that we need for the research project and will de-identify any personal data from your survey answers. This will be done by assigning your answers an alphanumeric number e.g. AB123.   

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Legal basis for processing your data

We must have a legal basis for processing all personal data. As this processing is for Academic Research we will be relying upon Task in the Public Interest in order to process the basic personal data that you provide. For any special categories data collected we will be processing this on the basis that it is necessary for archiving purposes, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes.

Alongside this, in order to fulfil our ethical obligations, we will ask for your consent to take part in the study.  To give your consent, you will be asked to   check a box on the opening page of the survey.

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What we do with it and who we share it with

All the personal data you submit is processed by Professor Kathleen Riach, Professor of Organization Studies, University of Glasgow, UK. In addition, security measures are in place to ensure that your personal data remains safe: anonymisation of survey answers, secure storage on the University of Glasgow’s servers, encryption of files where data is stored. Please consult the Participant Information Sheet which precedes this notice for further information.

We will offer to provide you with a copy of the study findings and details of any subsequent publications or outputs on request. Should you wish to receive this information, please leave your email address or home address on the final page of the survey. This information will be kept separate from your survey answers.

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What are your rights?

GDPR provides that individuals have certain rights including: to request access to, copies of and rectification or erasure of personal data and to object to processing. In addition, data subjects may also have the right to restrict the processing of the personal data and to data portability. You can request access to the information we process about you at any time.

If at any point you believe that the information we process relating to you is incorrect, you can request to see this information and may in some instances request to have it restricted, corrected, or erased. You may also have the right to object to the processing of data and the right to data portability.

Please note that as we are processing your personal data for research purposes, the ability to exercise these rights may vary as there are potentially applicable research exemptions under the GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. For more information on these exemptions, please see UofG Research with personal and special categories of data.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, please submit your request via the webform or contact dp@gla.ac.uk 

Complaints

If you wish to raise a complaint on how we have handled your personal data, you can contact the University Data Protection Officer who will investigate the matter.

Our Data Protection Officer can be contacted at dataprotectionofficer@glasgow.ac.uk

If you are not satisfied with our response or believe we are not processing your personal data in accordance with the law, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) https://ico.org.uk/

Who has ethically reviewed the project?

This project has been ethically approved via the College of Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee or relevant School Ethics Forum in the College.

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How long do we keep it for?

Your personal data will be retained by the University only for as long as is necessary for processing and no longer than the period of ethical approval (31st March, 2023) After this time, personal data will be securely deleted.

Your research data will be retained for a period of ten years in line with the University of Glasgow Guidelines. Specific details in relation to research data storage are provided on the Participant Information Sheet which precede this notice.

End of Privacy Notice _________________________________________________

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