Three ways to support menopause during world menopause month
Focus on empowering individuals, educating managers and policies that will make a difference in supporting World Menopause Month.
If you didn’t know the World Health Organisation has designated October as World Menopause Awareness month, you’re not alone. Despite high-profile celebrities, including Davina McCall, talking openly about how menopause can decimate the ability of women to function at work, the topic remains stubbornly misunderstood.
Talk to most managers about what they understand the symptoms of menopause to be, and few will be able to cite anything beyond hot flushes. Women themselves also remain unsure and uncertain about when and how to get help for symptoms that can start years before they reach menopause, ranging from fatigue to memory problems.
According to recent research, most FTSE 100 companies (60%) don’t even have a menopause policy, even though one in ten women leave work due to menopause and the condition costs business 14 million working days in the UK alone. Fortunately, there are three simple things every employer can do to help the one in two employees who will go through this transition.
Three ways employers can support menopause at work
Here are three of the best ways employers can support their employees during menopause at work.
1. Empower women to support themselves
Starting the journey into menopause remains a massive shock to most women. Menopause is officially defined as having had no period for over a year, meaning many women don’t realise the years leading up to this, the perimenopause, is when they are most likely to need support. Because they’re still menstruating, they often mistakenly assume they shouldn’t talk to their GP until their periods stop. This means unnecessarily delay getting access to treatment, and they often struggle alone.
“I just don’t feel like myself,” is the comment women entering into this phase without realising it are most likely to say. Although everyone’s journey is unique, common symptoms include feelings of anxiety and depression, loss of confidence, memory issues, fatigue, mood swings, weight gain, hot flushes and sleep problems.
By providing basic education on menopause before women get to this stage, so much of the resulting uncertainty and loss of confidence can be avoided. Use World Menopause Month to educate your workforce about the symptoms of menopause and offer online self-learning or webinars to share coping strategies on everything from lifestyle changes to nutrition and mindset.
2. Educate managers on how to offer practical support
Even when women know how best to support themselves, it’s also essential that their manager knows how to support them. Younger managers might have no comprehension of what it feels like to experience menopause symptoms. This means it can be helpful to encourage open and honest conversations between managers and those who have already gone through menopause.
Being open about such a personal topic can feel very uncomfortable for both the manager and employee. It can therefore be helpful for the employee to talk to a coach or mentor about what they’re going through and how best to talk to their manager about it, in much the same way that women are given maternity transition coaching to support the impact of starting a family on working life.
Once the employee has identified challenges they’re struggling with in the workplace, they can then discuss practical ways to overcome this with their manager. For example, permission to step out of meetings if they’re experiencing anxiety or memory loss or the chance to work more flexibly if they’re feeling particularly fatigued. Managers can also be coached how to support employees through the emotional side of menopause, including providing extra reassurance and sharing coping strategies
3. Put in place polices that will make a difference in supporting menopause
Put in place clear policies for how you will support women going through the menopause. These should cover your mission statement about how you intend to become a menopause-friendly workplace and an overview of the practical solutions in place to support individuals.
Think about how you want this policy to integrate with your wider diversity and inclusion objectives and how you will measure success. For example, you might want to measure the increased retention of menopausal women and resulting impact on retention of skills and gender pay gaps.
Clarify the role of HR and managers for supporting employees experiencing menopause symptoms. Also explain the official pathways and communication channels women can use to discuss any reasonable adjustments to working conditions they might need, be this the introduction of a desk fan, opportunity to wear cooler clothing or working more flexibly. The more clarity you can provide the better.
How Parent & Professional can help support menopause
Online menopause self-learning module: Empower female employees to learn about what to expect when they go through the menopause. Give them the knowledge and insights they need to make this transition and avoid leaving their career unnecessarily.
Manager workshops: One-hour webinars allow managers to understand the symptoms of menopause and how this can impact on individuals. Tips and insights will enable managers to support employees so they can continue to thrive in the workplace.
Transition coaching: One-to-one menopause coaching creates a safe space for employees to open up about their personal and individual challenges. It can help them find solutions to cope with their symptoms and talk to their manager, instead of feeling like the only option is to resign or take early retirement.