NEWS • 42% of employees surveyed who have experienced menopause symptoms feel uncomfortable talking to anyone at work about it. • 46% of employees going through the menopause have taken time off because of symptoms. • Nearly 3 in 10 (29%) of these did not state the reason for their absence and / or gave another reason for their absence. • 81% of employers think they would do well at supporting colleagues with menopause in the workplace. • 53% of employers now offer support for menopause. • More than two thirds (69%) of employers extend menopause support to family members. • 74% of employers feel equipped supporting employees with menopause symptoms. Aviva – one of the UK’s leading Insurance, Wealth, and Retirement businesses – has published new research today from its Working Lives campaign (1) which reveals that despite employers focusing on menopause, there’s still work to do to remove the stigma associated with menopause in the workplace. Over two in five UK employees are uncomfortable talking to anyone at work about menopause Eight in ten (81%)* employers surveyed think they would do well at supporting employees with menopause in the workplace. Nearly three quarters (74%)* of employers said they felt equipped to support employees with menopause symptoms. Under half (44%) have actively supported a colleague and of those almost nine in ten (89%)* felt they had done well. Almost three quarters (72%)* of employees have sought help for menopause symptoms but only a small proportion of those sought help through their work (6%), compared to a quarter (25%) who have spoken to friends and/or family members. Under half (45%) sought help from a GP*, and a similar number (39%) did their own research online and / or through TV programmes*. More than two in five (42%)* employees surveyed would be uncomfortable talking to anyone at work about menopause. Over half (55%)* of employees said that they would not feel comfortable talking to their manager and just over 1 in 7 (15%) said they had not sought support from their manager because they would be embarrassed. Over 2 in 5 (46%)* of employees have taken time off for menopause symptoms. However, nearly 3 in 10 (29%)* of these did not state the reason for their absence and / or gave another reason for their absence. The main symptoms for taking time off include stress and anxiety (29%), migraine (26%), exhaustion (26%) and heavy periods (25%). Dr Subashini M, Medical Director, Aviva UK Health says: “With over half of employers surveyed saying they offer menopause support and more than two thirds extending that support to family members, it’s clear that positive changes are being made to how menopause is supported in the workplace. “However, our Working Lives research highlights worrying behaviours which may impact employers’ abilities to measure the true impact of menopause on sickness absence in their workplace. It’s concerning to see that nearly three in ten employees who’ve taken time off because of menopause symptoms, don’t feel that they can give the real reason
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