companies need to get to grips with menopause - or risk losing talent

Companies face losing valuable talent unless they get to grips with menopause in the workplace. 

Every year, women who should be at the peak of their professional careers are finding themselves overlooked, marginalised and even discriminated against by their employers. This is leading to significant numbers of women leaving the workplace. 

With so much effort going into improving gender equality in the workplace, it is unthinkable that all of this progress is for nothing when these women feel the need to walk out the door due to the lack of proper understanding around menopause. Employment tribunal figures involving menopause are increasing every year. 

So why is it vital that you should support employees in this way? Many companies don’t realise that this isn’t just a health and wellbeing matter, it runs much deeper than that. Marginalising or losing experienced and talented employees affect company culture, productivity and the bottom line. 

A recent study conducted by Newson Health Research and Education discovered that 59% of respondents had to take time off work due to their symptoms and of these women, 50% resigned or took early retirement.

The average age of menopause is 51, with symptoms starting years beforehand. With one in six women in work being over 50, this is the biggest workplace demographic that you cannot afford to ignore.

Menopause in the spotlight

Previously a taboo subject, menopause is now getting the attention it deserves in the workplace and on a national scale too. Recently, companies such as Bupa, HarperCollins UK, Tesco have pledged to make their companies flagbearers for supporting employees through menopause. 

Going one step further, fashion giant ASOS launched a range of policies that allow additional leave, support and flexible working through fertility treatment, pregnancy loss and menopause. Acknowledging these life stages is a huge leap forward for employee wellbeing, and helps to create a culture that puts employee wellbeing at its centre. 

Changing the conversation around menopause

Many women feel unable to talk about their symptoms at work and employers are unsure how to have the conversations necessary. 

Research by Women In Hospitality, Travel & Leisure found that 52% of women did not feel that they could discuss their symptoms openly with their manager. More worryingly, 59% said the workplace culture was not supportive of women in menopause.  This supports Fiona McKay’s recent findings that the workplace is the last place that women feel safe to share their struggles.

Studies have shown that the negative impact of symptoms can affect engagement, job satisfaction and increase sickness levels. 

It is only through understanding menopause, that companies can start to be proactive and assist employees through this stage of change.

How can companies manage menopause in the workplace?

Effectively supporting your employees through menopause requires more than box-ticking policies. Understanding and support need to be embedded at all levels of an organisation. Policies which allow flexible working and time off are great, but this also needs to be backed up by educating managers and co-workers on the issue, so that they are equipped to have the conversations needed. 

A company culture set up to practically and emotionally support women through menopause will see the immense benefits of talent retention and increased engagement. 

Navigating the menopause maze

Our Managing Director, Fiona McKay knows first hand what happens, particularly to high performing professional women in the workplace as they enter menopause. 

‘Even though it can be a complex and uncertain time for women as they enter menopause, it’s pretty simple what needs to happen.  Conversations need to change so that the outcomes for women and their organisations change too.  And yet, for most women, the workplace is the last place they feel safe to share their struggles, for fear of personal and professional penalty.  This has to change.”

Having seen the damaging effects of gender-biased feedback, the avoidance of feedback altogether, and feedback that is based on perceived personality and behaviour changes, Fiona’s new research has shown that this doubles the disadvantage for women to progress in menopause.  The dire state of discussions for women as they transition into this stage of life along with the potential for discrimination spurred Fiona on to create the Menopause Maze ™ Programme. For businesses, its an end to end solution, rooted in the evidence Fiona has revealed from her research on gender-biased feedback, which includes developing workplace women in menopause to have different feedback conversations on their futures, equipping managers to change their conversation styles, structures and approaches, training Menopause Mentors and auditing companies to become flag bearers of our new Menopause Maze ™  brand standard.

And for individual women, Fiona has also created an online programme equipping them with the tools they need to succeed at speed, get certainty in an uncertain time and provide transition coaching that focuses on their futures rather than just their day to day functions.

Find out more

If your organisation is ready to start changing the conversation around menopause, take the first step and fill out the form below for more information.

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