Menopause in the Workplace: Supporting Employees Through Life Transitions

It’s not a taboo. Menopause is natural process that affects some of our people, we need to do better by them.

Menopause is a natural biological process and a potentially taboo topic, but an important one nonetheless. I’d be keen to hear from anyone who’d like to share their experiences of this topic - good and bad. I don’t think there’s enough said about it and it’s an actual thing that many, many people across the world often suffer in silence.

It remains a topic often overlooked in the workplace people ops discussions and policies. As people people, it's pretty darn important to recognise the impact of menopause on our employees (and maybe ourselves) and create an environment that allows people to thrive during this significant life transition.

Menopause is hard enough for people to manage, but it can have wider consequences, both for our employees and, by extension, our organisations. People facing symptoms may be challenged by them enough that it affects their work performance, confidence, and, ultimately, their well-being. Being stuck in this can lead to more days off, struggles to get work done and, in the worst case, premature departure from the workplace.

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By not paying attention to this issue, our organisations risk losing valuable talent, experience and letting our peers down. They may inadvertently create an environment that feels discriminatory or unsupportive, aside from the fact that this would be a bad place for us to find ourselves, it could potentially leading to legal issues and a reputation as a company that doesn’t care.

Creating a Menopause-Friendly Workplace

Developing a menopause-friendly workplace involves a bunch of stuff that combines education, policy changes, and practical support. Some of the important factors are:

1. Raising awareness (I mean, I hate that term, but it’s correct) and promoting open dialogue about menopause

2. Allowing for flexible working arrangements (If you’re not doing this already, what the hell are you doing?)

3. Providing sensitive and relevant training for managers and colleagues

4. Offering reasonable adjustments to the work environment, even if they’re temporary. But this will often lead to helping out others too.

5. Developing clear, but sensitive, policies and guidelines

6. Ensuring access to occupational health services and support

By looking at these things through a supportive and understanding lens, we can create an inclusive workplace that supports employees through menopause and beyond.

Actionable Tips for Supporting Menopausal Employees

Each of us are unique in our own ways and there’s obviously no one-size-fits all solution for this, but here are a few things you could try to take the pressure from those who may be struggling.

1. Educate and Train:

   • Make it known: send it communication, or do specific training on what it is, what the symptoms could be and how everyone can be supportive. If more people understand that it’s just a natural, biological thing that people go through, we could remove the taboo.

   • Provide specific training for managers on supporting staff who may be going through the menopause.

2. Implement Flexible Working Options (if you haven’t already, and you should for heavens sake, this isn’t the 1940s!)

   • Offer flexible start and finish times

   • Allow for remote working when possible

   • Provide additional breaks if needed

3. Make Environmental Adjustments:

   • Ensure easy access to toilet facilities

   • Provide desktop fans or adjust air conditioning

   • Offer quiet spaces for rest (or screaming into a cushion)

4. Develop Clear Policies:

   • Create a menopause policy outlining support available

   • Include menopause in existing health and well-being policies

   • Ensure absence policies accommodate menopause-related absences

5. Promote Open Communication:

   • Encourage employees to discuss their needs with managers

   • Train managers to have sensitive conversations about menopause

6. Provide Health and Well-being Support:

   • Offer access to occupational health services

   • Provide information on lifestyle changes that can help manage symptoms, but don’t be pushy, this is a personal thing and folks deal with it in their own ways

   • Consider offering counselling or Employee Assistance Programmes

7. Review Uniforms and Dress Codes:

   • Ensure uniforms are made from breathable fabrics (if you have uniforms)

   • Allow for layering of clothing to manage temperature fluctuations

   • Be flexible with dress codes (again, we’re not at school. As long as you don’t need PPE, why have a strict dress code anyway?)

8. Monitor and Evaluate:

   • Regularly review the effectiveness of menopause support measures - ask people who are going through it what they need.

   • Seek feedback from employees on what works and what needs improvement

   • Stay updated on best practices and emerging research on menopause in the workplace

It’s not really a lot of effort, but it’s very much worth it.

Supporting employees through menopause is almost entirely a matter of compassion; the fact that this can lead to improved retention, productivity, and workplace satisfaction is a happy consequence and should never be the goal. We should care deeply about our employees and if we can create an environment where all employees can thrive, regardless of their life stage, then we’ll sleep better at night

Look, menopause is a natural part of life, and by addressing it proactively in the workplace, we can ensure that our people are not lost due to a lack of support. As we try to strive for diverse and inclusive workplaces, acknowledging and accommodating the needs of menopausal employees is a just the right thing to do and a step towards true equality and support for all.