Why Menopause Matters at Work

By Fay Capstick

This week we will be focusing on an important subject that has a huge impact on the workplace. Menopause is finally being put in the spotlight by people such as Davina McCall. Research shows that 1 in 10 women leave their jobs due to the adverse symptoms of menopause. Further, 14 million working days are lost annually. We will look at what menopause is, and how employers can help their employees and reduce the impact on physical and mental health, and the economy, from this inevitable experience.

What is the menopause?

Menopause is something that will happen to the majority of women. It happens when periods stop due to lower hormone levels and typically happens when someone is between 45 and 55 years old, though in some cases it can happen earlier. The whole process can take many years and someone has officially reached menopause when they haven’t menstruated for a year. The time leading up to menopause is called the peri-menopause.

What impact can it have at work?

Menopause is an individual experience that will be different for everyone, but for many the physical symptoms can dramatically affect their ability to work.

With increasing numbers of women entering the IT and tech industry, this is an issue that all companies will need to understand and accommodate.

Symptoms that could make daily work routines a problem include:

• Hot flashes: these can involve a feeling of intense heat and flushing of the upper body and can be accompanied by sudden excessive sweating. Many will find this uncomfortable or embarrassing.
• Sleep disturbances: A person might have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. They might wake up frequently. This could impact performance at work.
• Mood irregularity: Mood swings might occur, anxiety, anger, brain fog and depression are all possible.
• Fatigue can happen due to sleep disturbances and hormonal changes.
• More bathroom trips: More frequent and sudden bathroom access might be required.

What can you do to support your employees?

1. Education: Menopause is a subject that has been overlooked or ignored as an issue for long enough. Your workers experiencing this need your support and the support of their colleagues. Make sure all people are educated about the changes that their co-workers could be experiencing. Be compassionate and inclusive and remember that everyone is doing their best.
2. Communicate, but respect privacy: Your employees need to know that they can come forward to discuss any workplace-related challenges that they might be experiencing due to menopause. However, remember that people might be reluctant to discuss these issues. We need to make people feel comfortable talking about menopause and this includes staff of all genders. Otherwise, people will not be able to request any changes and provisions they need.
3. Let people decide how they request changes: While some might be perfectly fine requesting a meeting with their line manager to discuss any accommodations they might need, others may not be so open or comfortable. Perhaps you could have a form that can be submitted on your company intranet so that face-to-face communication is not required? This could reduce the associated anxiety some will experience.
4. Flexibility: Flexibility by an employer can really help during menopause. There are times when things like flexible working hours, remote working, or even reduced hours could be beneficial. Understand and discuss what might be needed by each individual.
5. It’s getting hot in here: Hot flashes can be uncomfortable, so ensure that there is access to a suitably cooler work or break space if needed. You could also provide desk fans or encourage personal fans to be bought from home. It is important that employees are kept comfortable while they work.
6. Dress: Hot flashes can mean that any work-mandated uniforms might not be suitable due to fabric composition and design. Consider reworking your uniforms or giving flexibility to workers to manage their changing symptoms.

Remember!

Every experience of the menopause will be different. It is your job to inform yourself and be understanding of what your workers are experiencing, something that they might not fully understand themselves.

Consulting HR experts can help you to ensure that your company has the best internal practices and policies for supporting anyone going through this experience, which remember, will likely be felt by 50% of the population.

To learn more about menopause, please visit: https://www.themenopausecharity.org/menopause/

Final thoughts

At Parker Shaw we have been at the forefront of the sector we serve, IT & Digital Recruitment and Consulting, for over 30 years. We can advise you on all your hiring needs.

If you are looking for your next job in the IT sector please check our Jobs Board for our current live vacancies at https://parkershaw.co.uk/jobs-board