Menopause at Work Lauren Chiren offers strategies for supporting health and enhancing productivity

According to a report published by the NHS Confederation on 2nd October 2024, around 60,000 women are unable to work due to severe menopause symptoms. Addressing these health issues could add an estimated £1.5 billion to the UK economy annually by enabling more women to stay in the workforce. Entrepreneurs and business leaders can help to lower this number by addressing it head on. Here's steps to open the menopause conversation at work, and how you can help to support your team members.

1. Break the silence

This is the first step for any organisation!

Too many people are struggling in silence, often unaware of what menopause is, or how it can impact them (86% of women), so the very first thing an employer must do, is create a pathway to normalise conversations about menopause. It's been seen as a taboo topic for so long, so those with symptoms and the people managing them often find themselves at sixes and sevens. By holding sessions to raise awareness, creating guidance and training managers, you immediately reduce stigma and create a culture of empathy and understanding.

Practical steps:

• Encourage leaders to start the conversation. Like mental health and work-life balance are openly discussed in many organisations today, menopause should also become a regular topic of conversation
• Provide training for managers, having certified menopause coaches and champions signals to the business that team members can ask for support when needed. Open communication helps boost an inclusive culture where people going through menopause can feel like they belong
• Holding Menopause Social events - hybrid / in person / online - letting folks buddy up with one another and share what is working for them and what support is available at work through Employee Assistance Programmes and Private Healthcare

2. Offer flexible working arrangements and adjustments

One of the biggest challenges women face during menopause is managing sleeplessness, fluctuating symptoms, such as fatigue, hot flushes, and brain fog, which can impact productivity and confidence at work. Offering flexible working hours or the option to work remotely during challenging periods can make all the difference. Everyone is different and their experience of menopause is unique, so flexibility must be tailored to the individual.

Be mindful that women and some of our transgender, non-binary and gender questioning colleagues may experience menopause - so make sure your language is inclusive too.

Practical steps:

• Ensure that your flexible working policies or guidance specifically mention menopause as a potential reason for requesting adjustments
• Offer flexible hours or work-from-home options for women experiencing severe symptoms where the role allows. For example, shorter work days or the ability to start later can help manage the impact of symptoms like insomnia or morning hot flushes
• Be creative when considering non desk based roles and especially around shift workers, uniforms, access to natural light and cold water

A great example comes from one of the Fortune 350 companies we've partnered with. After adjusting their remote work policies to accommodate menopausal employees, they saw a marked improvement in both morale and retention rates.

3. Implement menopause savvy and supportive practices

Beyond flexibility, it's essential to formalise support for menopause within your employers inclusivity, health and well-being strategies. This shows employees that menopause is being taken seriously, and it also makes it easier for staff to ask for support.

Practical steps:

• Include menopause in existing health and wellness policies and guidance documentation or create specific menopause policies / guidance outlining the company's support
• Consider offering access to menopause-specific healthcare resources, whether that's telemedicine services, menopause coaching, nutritional counselling, or specialist consultations
• Think about upskilling managers with soft skills training - how to hold a sensitive conversation and understand where to access support for themselves as they support their colleagues through menopause

Additionally, companies should consider offering paid time off or sick leave specifically for menopause, so people don't have to use vacation days to manage their symptoms. Too often people will avoid sharing what their time off is for, for fear of being judged or being seen as weak or vulnerable

4. Create Menopause Champions

One powerful way to embed support for menopause into company culture is by training menopause champions—individuals within the organisation who are trained to provide advice and act as advocates for employees going through menopause.

Practical steps:

• Identify and train champions across different departments. These champions can be peers or managers who provide support and ensure that menopause issues are taken seriously at all levels of the organisation
• Make sure champions receive formal training on menopause and the specific challenges it brings, so they can offer informed, compassionate advice
• Champions are the key 'go to' colleagues who managers can rely on for support, individuals going through menopause can talk to to learn what help and support is available and just having someone to talk to, confidentially can literally make all the difference from someone considering taking time off or even leaving their job

One of our aims at Women of a Certain Stage is to train 20,000 menopause champions, mentors, and coaches globally. Companies that have implemented this approach have seen higher levels of trust between employees and management, with women feeling more comfortable discussing their needs.

5. Provide education and training across the organisation

Education is key. Menopause affects everyone—either directly or indirectly—so ensuring that all employees have some understanding of the topic is crucial. This doesn't just benefit menopausal people; it also educates the wider team on how they can be supportive colleagues.

Practical steps:

• Offer menopause awareness training as part of your general diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategy
• Incorporate menopause into broader health and wellness initiatives, whether through webinars, lunch-and-learn sessions, or access to expert content
• Review your entire colleague journey from job design and person specification to recruitment and onboarding through to exit and test for how menopause inclusive it is

6. Build a culture of empathy and inclusivity

This must come from the top - leaders have to behave in a way that demonstrates true empathy and inclusivity and often need specialist training in these behaviours as well as menopause to build an inclusive company culture that goes beyond policies and procedures—it's about fostering empathy and understanding. Recognise that menopause affects people differently, there is no one-size-fits-all approach, and when colleagues feel seen and heard, they will engage and perform at a higher level.

Practical steps:

• Encourage empathy by sharing stories of people who've navigated menopause while working, either through internal communications or by inviting external speakers to discuss their experiences
• Invite partners and managers and colleagues of people going through menopause to share the challenges they faced and how they overcame them
• Celebrate your commitment to inclusivity. Show your employees that you're actively creating a workplace that supports all life stages. Recognising menopause in the same way you would parental leave or caregiving responsibilities is a powerful way to demonstrate inclusivity

In essence, the key approach of recognising that women over 50, are the fastest growing economically active demographic, who are central to our businesses, and stepping into the leadership positions, are hugely valuable, talented and full of skills, knowledge and experience underpins the need for employers to become truly menopause savvy and supportive.