Managing menopause in the workplace

The scale of the issue

Menopausal women are the fastest-growing demographic in the workplace; however, many of these women may be struggling to manage the psychological and physiological changes their bodies are going through. A quarter of menopausal women will experience debilitating symptoms – from hot flushes and night sweats to increased anxiety – and for some it forces them out of the workplace completely. It’s not really a surprise that menopause isn’t openly talked about in the workplace; symptoms are personal and sometimes embarrassing.

Many women discover that their symptoms have a negative impact on how well they perform at work, and many of them lose confidence. According to our research, about a million women have quit their jobs due to these symptoms. Others are forced into taking extended leaves of absence from work, taking an average of 32 weeks off over the course of their careers, which causes a business to lose a significant amount of productivity.

How you can support menopause in the workplace

1. Have open conversations with employees

Businesses should be able to identify when assistance is required and encourage open communication with employees. Everyone should feel comfortable speaking with their line manager about menopause, especially when they need direction and advice.

2. Offer services to support what they are going through

Line managers need to be able to direct their staff to services and know what assistance and support these may provide. Offerings such as virtual GP services and mental health helplines are incredibly valuable for women as they can access them any time from any location to get support on a range of symptoms they’re experiencing. Bupa Health Clinics has launched Menopause Plan, a service giving women access to a menopause-trained GP, enabling them to seek help and support during a 45-minute appointment. After their initial session, women will also receive a follow-up appointment and access to nurses who are knowledgeable about menopause care for a full year.

3. Policies need to be created to reflect menopause

Check that your business’s health and safety, wellbeing and staff absence policies and frameworks recognise menopause as a health issue. Policies need to be updated to reflect menopause, this includes sickness and flexible working policies to take into account symptoms such as night sweats and insomnia. Checking the temperature and ventilation of the workplace is also a great way to reduce risks for staff.

4. Train managers

Employers should train all managers, supervisors and team leaders to make sure they understand the following:

• how the law relates to the menopause
• how to talk with and encourage staff to raise any menopause concerns
• how different stages and types of menopause can affect staff
• what support and workplace changes are available to staff
• how to deal with menopause issues sensitively and fairly
• how gender identity links to menopause and why it’s important

Menopause Workplace pledge

We are proud to have signed up to the Menopause Workplace Pledge and are taking positive action to make sure everyone going through menopause is supported. By signing this pledge, we as a company are committed to:

• recognising that menopause can be an issue in the workplace and women need support
• talking openly positively and respectfully about menopause
• actively supporting employees affected by menopause

We are delighted to be supporting women in the workplace. Unfortunately, menopause is often viewed as a taboo subject, causing many people to feel unable or unwilling to open up about how it’s affecting them. But it’s important that organizations do their best to provide adequate support. To find out more about the Menopause Workplace Pledge, click here .

To find out how Capital Space could benefit your growing business, call 0800 107 4667 or email info@capitalspace.co.uk