October is Menopause Awareness Month – and as a government report on the effects of women’s economic participation highlights, menopausal women are the fastest growing workforce demographic. Understanding menopause and its daily impact is more crucial than ever if we are to create supportive environments and retain this valuable talent.
All women experience menopause differently and symptoms can present in a variety of ways including hot flushes, headaches, mood swings, erratic periods and poor concentration. Many of these symptoms have the potential to be debilitating and can influence daily life, including work.
According to the Facility of Occupational Medicine, many women don’t feel comfortable talking about menopause with their line managers. Furthermore, many have felt the need to reduce their working hours or even leave their employment – a detrimental effect not only to the individual but to their workplace.
Creating a healthy organisational culture that understands menopause and the challenges it may present is essential. The key to understanding menopause from the onset is that it’s a hormone issue, not an age issue, and can present in different ways to different people.
Supporting women experiencing menopause at work
The good news is that there are many things that can be done to manage symptoms – the first being speaking to a medical professional. Treatments range from hormone replacement therapy to the use of tablets, gels, creams and much more. There is no one size fits all solution, and the right treatment is one that suits you best.
In the workplace, there are lots of ways that employers can support their workers when it comes to menopause. Having a policy in place and making simple, reasonable adjustments can go a long way to helping women at work through this change in their lives. Supporting menopausal women in the workplace is good for an inclusive organisational culture, good for workers and boosts employee satisfaction and morale.
By taking a comprehensive approach to find solutions that are helpful to you and your organisation, there is no reason why anyone should have to suffer through any stage of menopause, especially at work. Remember, symptoms are often temporary and may improve over time.
Empower your workforce
At Rise Workplace Wellbeing we’re passionate about providing high quality health and wellbeing e-learning packages, designed to help organisations create a long lasting, happier and healthier workforce.
Learn more about our CPD-accredited e-learning module on menopause and how it can affect women’s health.
Contact us today to find out how we can help you and your organisation.
