In recent years, menopause in the workplace has become something of an – excuse the pun – hot topic. A report published last year by the cross-party Women and Equalities Committee revealed that the UK is “haemorrhaging talent” in the workplace as a result of menopausal symptoms – and of the stigma, lack of support and discrimination that can sometimes follow in their wake. Research by the University of Southampton shows that women experiencing at least one problematic menopausal symptom are a staggering 43% more likely to have left their jobs by the age of 55 than their sisters without such symptoms. When we consider that there were 4.5 million women aged 50-64 in employment in the UK in 2022, the scale of the problem emerges. The impact of the menopause on the UK workforce is enormous - not to mention the knock-on effects on other related issues, like the gender pay gap and the drive for equality in senior leadership roles.
Hmm. It’s a little sobering, isn’t it? The silver lining to all of these statistics, though, is that menopause is no longer the secret it once was, spoken of only in whispers and behind closed doors. In fact, October 18 is World Menopause Day. It aims to raise awareness of the menopause and of the support options which can help to improve health and wellbeing during the menopause. And that can only be a good thing, for everyone.
So, back to basics. What symptoms are traditionally associated with menopause? Well, firstly, there are the better known ones. Hot flushes and insomnia are enough to make life tricky for anyone, whatever their role. But then there are the migraines and the anxiety. The memory problems. The reduced concentration. The resulting loss of self confidence. Shall we stop there? I think we’ve all got the picture. All in all, it’s enough to make the cheeriest of us feel a little unsettled. Some of us’ll sail through, whilst others will find it pretty debilitating. Our personal lives may take a hit, but our professional identities may feel the impact even more. It’s hard to be our best and most efficient selves on no sleep, after all…
But all is not lost - there is hope out there. There’s no reason why all of those years of experience and hard work should be lost. There are steps we can all take – and which you can support in your own organisation - which can help to alleviate the impact of the menopause on your career path, and that of the women who’ll follow you. Obviously, we’re not medical experts. Sadly, we don’t have the magic bullet that will finally enable you to cool down. But we can signpost possible solutions for how to manage those months or years when the clock ticks away into the small hours, and sleep is still eluding you.
A report published by the CIPD last week highlights the need to have transparent and honest conversations within workplaces about menopause and its impact – and to make sure that managers are educated, trained and involved in these conversations, to break down any taboos. Things will only really change when we can all talk about the issue openly, after all. The next step is to encourage our organisations to think about how to put in place proper support structures. This might be a formal menopause policy or guidance document. It might be a management decision that enables people to control the temperature in their working areas. It might be an official pathway laid out to make sure that people know who to speak to in their companies when they need help with navigating through their working lives with menopausal symptoms. It could be a flexible absence management policy which takes into account menopausal symptoms.
But one of the most important considerations – and one which we’re fully behind, of course - is the positive impact which flexible working can have on managing menopausal symptoms. It’s important to note that there isn’t going to be a one-size-fits-all-solution here. Everyone’s different, and lots of us will have different combinations of symptoms and different needs. That said, thinking about the range of options open to organisations is a good starting point.
Some individuals might choose to reduce their hours or enter into a job share during this period to reflect the extra effort it takes to concentrate on work. Others might choose a later start time, to enable them to get adequate rest at a time of insomnia. Some people might prefer to work from home, so that they can control the temperature of their working environments. Annualised hours might enable employees to make the most of times when they feel most productive at work, and to work fewer hours when they are experiencing more severe symptoms. We always feel that the biggest step towards success is establishing a culture where these conversations are normalised – once that shift has taken place, anything is possible.
In short, then – we don’t ever want anyone to feel that menopausal symptoms are hastening the end of their working lives. You have years of knowledge and experience to bring to the table. A good employer will recognise that, and will be as flexible as is necessary to make it possible for you to navigate a path through these years. If you’re looking for more flexibility in your working life due to menopause symptoms, or for any other reason, please do get in touch. We’re always delighted to hear from you, and to talk about all things flexible.