Menopause and Work: Why business should take menopause seriously
Why businesses need to be ahead of the curve with menopause at work!
In the past couple of years there has been a real focus on the experience of those going through menopause at work. Recent research has highlighted the physical and mental impact menopause has on women at work.
BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour and BBC Radio Sheffield shared findings of a ComRes poll looking at how menopause affects women at work and in their relationships, and the treatments they found effective.
A whopping 70% of working women didn't want to make their employers aware of their menopause symptoms.
48% felt that their mental health had suffered as a result of menopause.
25% said that menopause made them want to stay at home.
The wellbeing of Women, published a major study looking at how symptoms of menopause affect women’s careers. Myra Hunter, Emeritus professor of clinical health psychology at King’s College London, and her team tracked 124 women from the public and private sectors who were struggling with menopause symptoms. The study concluded that a simple self-help cognitive behavioural therapy programme, provided in a short booklet with practical and accessible guidance on coping with stress at work, had a positive effect. It helped to reduce the degree to which women felt their symptoms were causing them problems, and improved the way in which they felt they could discuss menopause in the workplace, thus challenging the stereotypical belief that women in menopause are 'past it’.
Tina Weaver, CEO of Wellbeing of Women, said ‘It’s alarming so many women suffer from these debilitating symptoms and feel so unsupported during the menopause that they drop out of the workforce,’ she said. ‘This natural process has been overlooked and considered a taboo for too long.’
We’re a growing army
More women than ever before, are working later in life both through the increase in the pension age, or personal choice. Whether women are returning to work after their children have flown the nest, setting up their own ventures, having to work due to financial need, or just because they like it, it's inevitable that a larger proportion of women will be working through their menopause and beyond. The more employers can do to acknowledge this, and 'normalise' it, have support systems in place, the better!
Challenging situations
Whether it’s random mood swings, brain fog, hot flushes, fatigue, insomnia or anxiety, colleagues might not understand or appreciate that your fluctuating hormones are causing a personal storm for you. For some of you, menopause and its knock-on effects can be one of the most challenging events you’ve had to deal with during your working career. You're not in control of your hormones and this can have painful consequences. Check out our Physical Symptoms pages for more help and advice.
Flash-backs
Both Jo and Ann have experienced the challenges that menopause presents in a working environment. Ann with anxiety, brain fog, memory loss, low self-esteem, irrational mood swings and let's not forget flooding from heavy periods, (total embarrassment but thank God for the cardi around her waist!) - not easy when standing in front of a class of eager design students looking for inspiration and motivation. Jo experienced up to thirty hot flushes a day, accompanied by hot sweats as her internal thermostat went into overdrive causing her to lose focus, concentration and confidence. It was made even worse when well-meaning colleagues pointed this flushing out to her, aggravating the problem. For Jo, debilitating flushes were one of the reasons she decided to try HRT patches. She weighed up her personal risk against the benefits and the happy HRT patches she sticks to her hip, won out!
5 facts from the above-mentioned surveys which we think add to the argument that businesses should take menopause more seriously.
5 figures from research showing why menopause merits more support
An ageing workforce
In the UK there are around 4.3 million women aged 50 and over in employment. It is estimated that by 2020, at least 1 in 3 British workers will be over 50. According to the Department for Work and Pensions report published in 2017, the biggest increases in employment rates over the last 30 years have been for women aged 55-59.
‘Change’ is inevitable
All female workers and some members of the trans and non-binary community will go through menopause. The average age of menopause for women in the UK is 51, although perimenopause symptoms can begin for some in their early 40s and for others, can go on into their late 50s and beyond.
Check the percentages
3 in 4 women experience menopause symptoms. 1 in 4 of these women experience severe physical or psychological symptoms. Many of these women are in employment. Could employers taking heed of these figures, ensure women are better protected in the workplace? We’re following a number of employers public and private, the more enlightened employers are asking what their people need but there’s still a way to go for too many.
Signpost support
8 out of 10 choose not to talk to their employer, so miss out on the support that could help, instead staying under the radar, with changes in performance and attendance not being appropriately recognised and addressed. Forward thinking employers signpost support so that people will be able to talk without fear and know where to seek support, if and when they need it.
Rewarding revenue
In 2017 a cross-party group of MPs seized on the ‘returnship’ trend. Too old for internships, the term has been adapted for older people, usually women, resuming careers following a period of caring for elderly or sick relatives, newly single or empty-nesters needing direction. A year-long enquiry reported that increasing the number of women in work by up to 5% could create about £750m extra in tax revenue and a fall in benefit spending.
Contact Positive Pause to see how we can help your business to support all colleagues through menopause at work - their own, their partner’s, or someone they line manage.
