To celebrate World Menopause Day, HRreview has collected expert insights concerning the ways in which organisations are failing to provide adequate menopause support.
A staggering 80 percent of menopausal women are still in work and approximately two out of five women choose to leave work as a result of lack of care.
With over 3.1 million menopause-related queries in the last month, it is clear women need more information and help with perimenopause and menopause.
Andy Briggs, Group CEO of Phoenix Group and UK Government’s Business Champion for Older Workers and the Ageing Society comments:
“A growing number of employers are becoming aware of the importance of supporting their employees who experience menopause. This comes at a time when the over-50s portion of the labour market is growing rapidly, leading to most women experiencing menopause during their working lives.
“However, there is still a stigma around discussing menopause at work, with 25 percent of women having considered giving up work because of menopause, one million women having quit the workforce because of it (i) and economic inactivity amongst those aged 50-64 near its two-year peak (ii).
“World Menopause Day is an important opportunity to challenge this stigma, bring attention to how employers can provide support to their staff and enable those experiencing menopause to stay in the workforce.
“From training line managers and creating specialist support groups, to implementing policies around flexible working and pushing to normalise discussing menopause amongst staff, there are many steps employers can take.”
Noelle Murphy, XpertHR, comments on the role of menopause support in building inclusive workplaces for World Menopause Day:
“Menopause is often a taboo topic at work and its symptoms are either not always known or easy to identify and distinguish. But with more discussions and conversations happening around symptoms, the stigma is gradually being broken down.
“Given the lack of understanding and openness around menopause, it can often be uncomfortable for line managers and employees to discuss the impact of symptoms on working lives.
“Yet, studies show that 80 percent of people who experience menopause-related symptoms are in work which makes it so important to create a culture and environment where discussions on this can be open and constructive. This will allow employees and managers to manage work as effectively as possible.
“Employers can put in place reasonable adjustments to support employees experiencing symptoms of menopause so that they feel comfortable, productive and engaged in working life. There is no one-size fits all solution, as employees undergoing menopause will have different experiences and so adjustments should be tailored, where possible, to the needs of the individual.
“This might mean changing the office temperature or adjusting working hours. Many adjustments are inexpensive and relatively easy to implement and, in most cases, will be temporary but will make a huge difference and ensure organisations are able to attract and retain strong female talent.”
Amelia Brand is the Editor for HRreview, and host of the HR in Review podcast series. With a Master’s degree in Legal and Political Theory, her particular interests within HR include employment law, DE&I, and wellbeing within the workplace. Prior to working with HRreview, Amelia was Sub-Editor of a magazine, and Editor of the Environmental Justice Project at University College London, writing and overseeing articles into UCL’s weekly newsletter. Her previous academic work has focused on philosophy, politics and law, with a special focus on how artificial intelligence will feature in the future.