Rethinking menopause at work
Would you know the difference between perimenopause and menopause? How about what the term ‘brain fog’ means? Most importantly, if you’re a manager or work in HR, would you feel confident in supporting someone in your company going through menopause?
These questions aren’t designed to catch you out, and If you answered ‘no’ to any of them, please know that you’re not alone; it’s still a topic that makes many people uncomfortable. But the reality is that fifty percent of the population will go through it, and it will almost certainly have some impact on their ability to do their job.
For women and non-binary people, menopause marks a huge life transition, on a par with adolescence and pregnancy in terms of the physical changes, brain rewiring and the shifting sense of identity that it brings. It’s no surprise that support is essential, including at work.
Menopause 101
But let’s backtrack a little to talk about what menopause actually is.
Contrary to popular belief, menopause in the strictest sense takes place over a single day; we say that someone has been through it when an exact year has passed since their last period. Of course, the changes that take place before and after menopause can last much longer, and it’s these symptoms- mood swings, hot flushes, insomnia, etc.- that we tend to think of when we think of the word. The average age in the UK for menopause is around 51.
Menopause is actually broken down into three stages: Perimenopause, which is the few years prior to menopause when estrogen levels begin to drop, menopause, when the ovaries no longer produce eggs, and post-menopause, which is the years following the last menstrual period.
Menopause will usually present physical, mental and emotional challenges to some degree or another for people going through it. The most common of these include brain fog, hot flushes, tiredness, anxiety and depression, but this list is by no means exhaustive. The Menopause Charity, for example, lists over 30 common symptoms, with many more widely recognised. Symptoms are generally, but not always, at their most severe in the perimenopause stage.
Menopause at work
The symptoms associated with menopause can affect people’s ability to do their job effectively.
Of a survey of employees going through perimenopause conducted by The Equality and Human Rights Commission:
79% said they were less able to concentrate
68% said they experienced more stress
nearly half (49%) said they felt less patient with clients and colleagues
46% felt less physically able to carry out work tasks.
The hidden costs of silence
This lack of support comes at a price. Absenteeism, presenteeism and job turnover are consistently high amongst employees at this stage of their lives, particularly amongst those in senior leadership positions. The same survey conducted by Korn Ferry and Vira Health revealed that 13% of respondents had quit their job due to menopause, with a further 15% considering it: That’s more than one in ten workplaces and left without experienced, talented employees because of a lack of adequate policies.
And there’s another important consideration. Creating a menopause-friendly workplace isn’t just a nice idea: It’s a legal requirement. The Equality Act of 2010 states that workers are protected from discrimination, harassment and victimisation on the grounds of disability, sex and age.
Women and non-binary people going through menopause are legally entitled to reasonable adjustments that accommodate their symptoms, and organisations are therefore obliged to recognise and make provision for this. The costs of failing to make such adjustments can run into hundreds of thousands of pounds in lost staff and potential legal costs.
Some of these adjustments are quite straightforward, such as offering flexible/remote working hours, relaxing the rules around uniforms and making sure that spaces are well-ventilated, among others.
But the mental health piece requires more sensitivity. Clearly, no one wants to ask an employee directly about their menstrual health. And in reality, many people don’t recognise the signs of poor mental health in themselves, as symptoms tend to creep up and become the ‘new normal’. Even with awareness, there’s often a lot of guilt and shame involved, and employees are well within their rights to not want to discuss their problems.
There are ways that, as employers, we can create safe, inclusive, supportive spaces:
How to support menopause in the workplace
Understand the symptoms and how to spot them
Foster a culture where menopause is openly discussed
Develop a comprehensive menopause policy
Avoid making assumptions about menopause and who might be going through it
Ensure confidentiality and safe boundaries around all discussions
Educate your teams on menopause
Provide good mental health resources, such as easy access to mental health provisions.
I myself have often had to deal with the low moods and high anxiety of menopause in recent years. Luckily, I know where to get help and what self-help can support me, but this isn’t the case for many women/non-binary folk, especially if they’ve never had issues with their mental health before, or have had issues but never sought help.
Menopause, work, and wellbeing: building a culture of support
Perhaps the most important thing we can do for workplaces is change the conversation around menopause. The more open we are in discussing this natural rite of passage, and the more seriously and confidentially we treat individual cases, the more we’ll build trust and psychological safety amongst our teams. A crucial finding of the Korn Ferry survey was that an optimistic outlook towards menopause, rather than a fearful one, was correlated with a more positive workplace experience- one in which employees are far more likely to stay.
And when it comes to menopause, there’s so much to be celebrated. Around a quarter of the respondents of the Korn Ferry survey reported an increased personal awareness due to their menopause journey. And although the years immediately surrounding the menopause can be tough to navigate, an overwhelming majority report that once the hormones have finally settled, they feel like a new and better version of themselves.
This is a time in life when your team members have wisdom, experience and problem-solving skills in abundance. They are more tolerant, discerning and compassionate. These attributes are essential to thriving businesses, and the smart organisations are the ones that recognise the importance and value of this demographic in their workforce. It’s time to reframe menopause in the workplace, for the benefit of everyone concerned.
If you’d like to explore this topic further, myself and Haley White from Menospace go into much more detail in our recent free webinar, Breaking the Silence: Strategies for Supporting Menopause Mental Health in the Workplace. To watch, please register below.