The ‘M’ word is one workplace taboo we can overcome

Nicola Jones is national chair of Women in Property and executive project manager at consultancy Gleeds

NHS England is a trailblazer in the care of its menopausal women employees.

Its recent guidance – the first national NHS guidelines on menopause – allows women to work flexibly, should they need to, when coping with the symptoms of menopause.

Well done to them. Its chief executive, Amanda Pritchard, referred to “breaking the stigma”, and she’s right.

Unfortunately, menopause is still a taboo area, yet menopausal women are the largest growing demographic in the workforce with menopausal symptoms affecting over 75 per cent of women.

The majority of women will be menopausal for about a third of their lives, most of them working through it – or trying to. And believe me, it’s not easy.

“Imagine having spent 20 years building your career, firing on all cylinders, in control, and then things start to change. And many don’t know why”

Many people will be familiar with the stereotypical image of ‘the menopausal woman’: stressed, overemotional, hot flushes…

But what about the memory loss, forgotten words, lack of focus?

Some women report genuine concern that they are showing symptoms of early onset dementia when the real culprit is perimenopause – the years before menopause. Not many people know – including women – that menopause is technically only one day of a woman’s life: the day she hits one full year without a period. After that, she is postmenopausal.

The average age that this happens is 51 but the impact of perimenopause can be from a woman’s early 40s onwards, with many symptoms continuing for years after that single day.

Imagine having spent a good 20 years or so building your career, firing on all cylinders, in control, a great investment for your employer.

And then things start to change, almost imperceptibly at first, but enough for you to question your judgement, ability, professional acumen and social skills. Your colleagues are a little bemused, if not wary.

Your employer starts to lose faith. Your confidence takes a nosedive. This is what happens to thousands of women in the workforce, often over a period of years, and many don’t know why.

Too often women have been so impacted by these invisible symptoms that they have felt no other option than to leave their job. In fact, one in four women will consider quitting because of menopausal symptoms.

This is hard enough for them, but it is an unsustainable situation for businesses.

Losing highly skilled women with such depth and breadth of knowledge is costly for any organisation, and fixing the issue should be part of the retention strategy and inclusion policy.

There is also a legal responsibility to support staff with menopause-related issues; the British Menopause Society notes obligations under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and the Equality Act 2010.

Taking steps to change

So, what to do? Employers are urged to break the taboo, change the language and train people to become aware of the matter.

Men also find this helpful, finally coming to recognise the out-of-character behaviour of their colleagues – and partners – for what it really is.

Just opening up about the ‘M’ word is a major step in the right direction. Extending that recognition across the work environment is of massive value to women.

his may include establishing a virtual chatroom for employees to discuss issues and seek advice from one another; helping them to understand that they’re not alone; or allocating a ‘quiet room’ where women could take a breather and, quite literally, cool down.

Run workshops for managers of all genders so they can spot the signs of menopause and be empathetic rather than jump to the wrong conclusions.

And remember, many women are unaware of the extent of the symptoms, or that what they are experiencing could be perimenopause.

There are some excellent coaches out there who can guide you and your teams.

Get them involved – and make it a priority.