The menopause has become a hot topic for discussion. This once taboo subject where individuals often suffered in silence, the menopause has moved to the forefront in society and, naturally, it has become a consideration in the workplace for many employers. 1 in 4 women suffering menopause symptoms consider leaving their job thinking their career is at an end. Should we be asking ourselves if we can afford to lose this vast level of experience and talent?
We spoke to Ama Verdi-Ashton of STADA UK. She explained how their company has taken significant steps in recognising and supporting those with menopause symptoms and why she encourages other employers to do the same.
What is ‘Menopause’?
Menopause usually occurs naturally as part of the aging process for women, usually between the ages of 44 and 55, with the average age being 51, when the menstrual cycle stops. It occurs because of variations in the production of oestrogen and testosterone hormones (source: National Institute of Health).
We should also note there is the term, andropause, otherwise referred to as the male menopause. This is associated with the decrease in testosterone. Unlike the menopause however, symptoms are more gradual for men compared to women.
Who does it affect?
The Office for National Statistics state nearly half the UK workforce is women. Although any woman of working age could potentially be affected by menopause symptoms due to early onset or medical reasons, 75% to 80% of women of the recognised menopausal age are in work (source: England.NHS.UK).
How does it impact people at work?
Symptoms can typically last four to eight years and include hot flushes, emotional mood swings and brain ‘fog’ with stories such as forgetting key information during a quick walk through the office. An understanding of the range of symptoms, the ability to talk about them and produce key solutions together is the way forward to keep people supported and therefore, productive.
Why is it important in the workplace?
There are some stark statistics showing how action is needed. Nationally, 90% of women asked, stated there is no workplace support for them and of those that do get some level of support, only 5% of employers offer advice, 3% have a menopause policy and 3% give training to their managers on how to have relevant conversations (source: menocourse.com).
Stada UK look to support employees at every stage of life and are committed to helping everyone bring their best selves to work every day. Women are key employees, many in senior roles within the organisation with vast experience which was crucial to retain. They could see some good things were happening, but they wanted to offer more, to make things even better. They were keen to find out if there were key challenges or issues and identify how they could be addressed.
They conducted a completely anonymous Uniqueness Survey across the whole business from 21st March – 11th April 2022. Their ‘Uniqueness Network’ devised questions to help understand any type of ‘uniqueness’ within their organisation. With several women being brave enough to be open about their experiences, the results highlighted the need for increased support for those suffering from menopause symptoms.
What can we do?
There are many simple adjustments that can be made often at minimal or no cost, such as allowing people to sit nearer to an open window and, importantly, being given the autonomy to decide how the work gets done. Having a culture where employees feel it’s ok to say ‘I’m having a difficult day today but I’ll be as productive as I can’, might be hard for some employers to accept but this approach has proven people are actually more productive by feeling valued and they are keen to repay the goodwill shown; making it an excellent long term motivation technique.
Stada UK set up a menopause working party from across the organisation, made up of both women and men, which is introducing Menopause Guidance in line with organisational values. The guidance looks to be inclusive for anyone who is affected by the perimenopause and menopause. We’ve started by exploring what menopause guidance would look like and sharing experiences.
Subsequent meetings included identifying signs to look out for, and training for managers by creating a How to Guide, helping build confidence to have conversations using positive, inclusive language.
Stada UK also offer a twelve week CBT course to help menopause sufferers as part of their Employee Assistance Programme, a free counselling service open to any employee.
As a company, we look to celebrate the World Menopause Day (October 18th for 2023) and International Women’s Day, as women’s health becomes a key focus in challenging perceptions around the menopause.
How can we measure the impact we are making?
Deloitte’s 2022 extensive UK Mental Health Report found an average return of £5.60 for every £1 invested in workplace mental health support.
Consider looking at existing data such as staff satisfaction surveys, analysing staff retention levels and making use of Exit Surveys, all could help measure the success of any initiatives you introduce.
What is the #1 action you would suggest an employer could do?
Put simply; raise awareness for all employees. There is a wealth of information available to help and signpost employees to the help they need.
https://www.acas.org.uk/menopause-at-work/supporting-staff-through-the-menopause
https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/uk/Documents/consultancy/deloitte-uk-mental-health-report-2022.pdf