By Sarah Bolt – Founder and CEO of Forth
A recent survey found that up to 10% of women are forced to quit their jobs because of ongoing menopause symptoms. While symptoms can vary, typically they include sleep issues, digestive concerns and changes in mood, and many women surveyed admitted that they didn’t receive enough support from their employers.
What’s more, shockingly, the survey also found that women going through the menopause struggled to keep up with daily responsibilities as well as the backlash from their colleagues. The statistics don’t lie and with the fact that the majority of women will face menopausal symptoms at least once in their life, surely more needs to be done to provide women the support they need – especially when females make up to half of our total workforce in the UK.
So are businesses really doing enough to support their female workers and what exactly can you do to assist members of your team going through the menopause? We reveal everything you need to know here.
A secret problem
It can’t be denied that menopause and perimenopause have been somewhat taboo subjects over recent years. Perhaps because they are linked to fertility and reproduction, or maybe because it’s often a private issue, many women and indeed men shy away from talking about the condition. But the fact is that dismissing any health concerns, whether specifically linked to women or men, is having a bigger impact on our society. With regards to work, ignoring these potential issues is having a bigger impact on employee wellbeing, satisfaction, productivity and the team as a whole. Ignoring it often does much more harm than good, and together we can address these concerns by first understanding exactly what menopause is.
Menopause and its symptoms
While menopause is rarely talked about, most people are aware that it exists. But in recent years, the term perimenopause has also emerged – despite having some of the least commonly reported symptoms for women. We know that menopause can bring with it hot flushes, night sweats, weight gain and the end of menstruation. But, delve deep into the condition, and you’ll also find that sexual dysfunction, libido changes, and brain fog occur.
One survey of over 6,600 women who were classed as perimenopausal found that 77% had suffered with brain fog and memory issues. Of this number the majority were over 50. 74% suffered with muscle and joint pain, or increasing headaches, and just under half said they struggled with hot flushes. This is just the start though as there are over 30 officially recognised symptoms of perimenopause, all of which can affect women in varying ways.
When you combine these symptoms with the fact that many women feel unsupported at work, this can make the whole experience very challenging – and have a direct impact on concentration, productivity, comfort, communication and often self-worth. 34% of women going through the menopause even suffer with depression or anxiety and 29% say they lose confidence in their ability at work because of their symptoms.
A joint effort – what role businesses have in supporting their female employees
First things first, businesses need to realise that menopause and perimenopause can really affect the way their female employees work and the way that they as employers behave can result in additional and unnecessary stress. For this reason, it’s up to employees to take the first step in supporting their team members.
- Start the conversation – Menopause is often regarded as a taboo subject and if things stay like that the issue will never be properly addressed. So, be proactive and help women to be heard. Whether it’s educational sessions about the condition and its symptoms, or drop in workshops with trained professionals, by helping all of your team to understand menopause, you’ll be directly helping the women who are suffering from it.
- Arrange training – If you realise that someone’s performance is falling, it’s up to their manager to help them. But not every manager will be able to recognise symptoms. Therefore, train your managers to understand the concerns and put in place menopause policies to support the wider team. Currently, only 3% of businesses have such policies, and the same percentage of line managers have relevant training.
- Provide support and guidance – Menopause is extremely hard for the women going through it so if you can provide them with physical, emotional and mental health support, it’s more likely to mean that they feel they can come to you in the future, and will appreciate their working environment. Plus, happy employees have a direct impact on retention too.
The most important thing to remember is that menopause and perimenopause are two natural stages of a woman’s life, but they can lead to very different symptoms and experiences for each individual. Having the right support and guidance at work can be all the difference though and can provide endless benefits for both the woman going through menopause and the company they work at.
