Every woman will, at some point in her life, go through menopause.
It’s estimated there are 4.5 million women aged 50–64 in employment – a huge portion of the UK’s working population.
From severe fatigue to anxiety, symptoms of menopause can be debilitating. And when so many people struggle with symptoms at work, it’s no surprise that more and more women are bringing their bosses to tribunal for a lack of support.
Kate Palmer, Employment Services Director at Peninsula, shares her top tips for employers to support staff going through menopause.
Understanding menopause
For employers haven’t yet (or won’t ever) experience menopause, it’s not easy to understand how difficult it can be to navigate your career with symptoms.
Therefore, the first step for anyone unfamiliar with the impact of menopause is to educate themselves.
Education is key when rolling out any policies and processes to support your employees.
To kickstart your research: menopause typically affects women or people assigned female at birth aged between 50 and 64, and happens when a woman hasn’t menstruated for twelve consecutive months due to the ovaries ceasing hormonal production. This can cause sufferers to face hot flushes, mood swings, and fatigue, which can sometimes lead to a decrease in productivity at work for no fault of their own.
When managers understand the effects of menopause, they’re better equipped to introduce the right policies and support. Plus, it fosters an atmosphere where employees feel supported and have visible sounding boards available to confide in should they need to.
Having the correct policies and processes
As mentioned, introducing the correct policies and processes to support staff with menopause is key to fostering an inclusive atmosphere.
The vast majority (if not all) of employers will have menopausal staff on their team at some point. So, having a policy in place to support these women should be non-negotiable.
Employers should ensure they have a menopause policy in place to show their commitment to supporting staff. This policy should signpost the support available, such as an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), and any reasonable adjustments.
With some of the side effects of menopause classed as disabilities, such as depression, employers need to ensure that they have reasonable adjustments in place for employees who vocalise their struggles. If they don’t, they could be accused of disability discrimination and find themselves in a tribunal.
Reasonable adjustments could include something as simple as an amended dress code policy. This may involve allowing staff to swap their usual uniform for clothing made from breathable fabrics, like cotton.
Although this simple adjustment seems small, 21% of menopausal women say they are forced to dress in a way that is uncomfortable given their symptoms. So even a small adjustment can go a long way to bring your menopausal staff comfort.
Revisiting regularly
With research around menopause always advancing, make sure you regularly revisit the process and policies you have in place. Regular training is key to ensuring you have a greater understanding of menopause and its impact.
Hosting annual training sessions with all managers will allow you to listen to feedback and understand the effectiveness of internal policies. It’s important to have a platform for management to voice any concerns or feedback, helping you understand where to improve.
A group-wide session also provides a good time to notify the team of any changes to the policy. Plus, it helps managers understand how employees are responding to any menopause adjustments or policies.
However, although all managers should be involved in this process, having dedicated members of staff to discuss menopause with is beneficial. This gives employees a choice of people to approach should they need guidance. Appointing “Menopause Champions” is a good idea to help raise awareness, check the suitability of policies, and be a point of contact.
A “Menopause Champion” can also arrange internal events to publicise menopause to the wider teams to foster an inclusive atmosphere. For example, October 18 is Menopause Awareness Day – this serves as a good opportunity for the champions to arrange internal events, whether this be a charity fundraiser, a company-wide discussion, or social presence.
Talking about the menopause
For a long time, menopause has been a topic shrouded with controversy and taboo. This has caused many women to feel ashamed of what is inevitable.
Inclusive businesses that champion menopause should use their platform to challenge this taboo by simply talking about menopause. The more a taboo topic is spoken about, the more the topic becomes normalised – thus the taboo being removed.
If menopause is not deemed shameful and awkward, it will encourage more women who are dealing with the symptoms to discuss the struggles they are facing more freely – meaning employers will be able to offer better support, and take a further step towards creating an inclusive atmosphere.
The benefits of an EAP
Going through menopause comes with a wealth of mental and physical symptoms, which employees experience whilst working. The mental symptoms can be particularly frustrating, as they can make it almost impossible to perform their job to their usual standard.
Women going through menopause report feelings of anxiety, depression, a decrease in concentration, loss of memory, and even mania in extreme cases.
When women face such debilitating symptoms, this can be further exacerbated by their decrease in productivity at work, enhancing their stress levels. In this case, an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) is beneficial to offer expert help.
Approaching someone you work closely with to discuss something so personal can be daunting, which prevents many people from doing so. Therefore, having an external provider in place to be an additional sounding board can help many employees come forward.
For employees who are suffering from the more complex symptoms, seeking expert advice will ensure they access the most competent support.
With as many as 1 in 10 women quitting the workplace due to their menopause symptoms, it’s clear that every employer should take proactive steps to support their staff.
By Kate Palmer, Employment Services Director at Peninsula
