Creating a menopause friendly workplace

Let’s start with some facts & definitions to help frame the discussion. According to the Faculty of Occupational Medicine (FOM), nearly 8 out of 10 of menopausal women are in work. 3 out of 4 women experience symptoms, 1 in 4 could experience serious symptoms. One in three of the workforce will soon be over 50, and retirement ages are now 68.

Perimenopause is the time leading up to the menopause that starts for many women around 45 years of age and can continue for 5-10 years. Menopause is actually just the term used to describe the anniversary of the last period. Post-menopause is the time following the menopause and symptoms can reduce considerably.

Surprisingly little has been done to date in the workplace to make suitable adjustments for the period of time where women experience huge psychological and physical changes. In predominantly female occupations this can have a devastating impact on the well-being of your employees and the overall workforce. It has been shown that 1 in 8 menopausal women feel that they have no other choice but to resign when they become unable to effectively manage their symptoms at work. This is really concerning and will also impact women’s financial ability to ensure that they have suitable pension provision in their retirement years.

Talking about it is the best place to start, allow the conversation to start flowing and provide education and awareness sessions to your workforce but especially managers. If the discussion becomes normalised we won’t see women having to hide their symptoms or to be too embarrassed to ask for additional breaks or any other adjustment that will allow them to work more comfortably.

If we want to ensure that this large section of the workforce are retained, your working arrangements need to be flexible enough to ensure they meet the needs of menopausal women, who may need to leave suddenly. They may also need more breaks during the day and not fear being penalised for doing so.

Whilst there is currently no legal requirement to have a menopause policy in the UK or to protect employees experiencing menopause symptoms, this is likely to soon change. Getting ahead of this by stating your position on how your business will support women through this time will be a great starting point for the conversation and signals that not only do you recognise this life event but are creating change to make your work practice more supportive.

Practical things to do in the workplace to be more menopause friendly

· Increase awareness

· Set up a peer support group

· Include as part of managers training and write guidelines to ensure consistent treatment

· Allow people more frequent short breaks as needed

· Give people permission up front to take breaks suddenly when needed

· Where Uniforms are worn – look into sweat-wicking alternatives to help keep cool

· Allow use of fans (check current COVID guidance)

· Period products in bathrooms for emergencies

· Availability of books and other resources for employees to borrow

· Implement a Menopause Policy (you can purchase a template or have a bespoke policy written by Project Wellness - contact us)

Don’t forget to check out the Bookshelf page for great books on the Perimenopause and Menopause that are great to share in the workplace