Menopause is a natural process which has sadly resulted in women ‘of a certain age’ being stigmatised for decades and indeed centuries. Now, with medical advances, increased research on symptoms and celebrities creating awareness, many more women now can find the support they need to help them through this natural stage in their lives and onto a ‘Second Spring’.
From a corporate perspective nearly 5 million women are aged 50-64 and represent the fastest growing demographic in the workplace. We now know that menopause is associated with over 30 common symptoms - way beyond what we used to consider (judgementally) as the odd hot flush or generalised grumpiness. The symptoms can vary in intensity and are unique to each individual. They can also be very debilitating and affect attendance, performance and retention – this has a real cost.
A recent CIPD report revealed 84% of people who are unsupported say their menopause symptoms have a mostly negative effect on them at work compared with 71% who are supported.
Companies have a duty of care to support women in this important phase of their life and increasing numbers now have menopause policies in place. These policies help ensure that menopause support is about wellness, inclusion, compassion, empathy and awareness (for all) - indeed the Labour manifesto contains a specific requirement on companies over 250 employees to produce Menopause Action Plans.
As a menopausal woman it can be very hard to have a conversation with a boss or important/influential colleague about what is going on for you. There are lots of (perceived) reasons why you might not want to:- your boss is a man, they won’t know what I’m talking about, they’ll be embarrassed, I’m embarrassed, they won’t really ‘get it’, I’m the only woman in the team.
If you are a senior woman, the challenges become more – there are peers and team members that expect a consistency from you that is getting harder to sustain. At Strengths Unleashed, we have developed a retreat specifically to support you - for more information, take a look at Second Spring Leaders. We know that the first conversation with your boss about it may be daunting so we have prepared a few tips to help open it up:
Review any company material/policies to know what support is already available at your organisation.
Understand the commercial realities of effectively managing this growing population in your workforce - start by understanding the demographic of your own team/organisation.
Reflect on what productivity improvements or improved retention there may be if menopausal women were better supported and included – put some stats and costs together.
Build awareness with your boss/peers – circulate relevant articles so they can read and understand more about it in their own time.
Schedule an exploratory conversation with your boss - what do they know about this topic and the potential impact on the business if it is not addressed?
Pick your moment to talk about you – after all these are things that affect you too.
Talk about how you need to build your own resilience as you face these menopausal challenges and how you would like to be supported.
Whilst some companies are putting policies in place supporting female employees going through the menopause, for places that still have work to do, the above pointers are an idea of how to open up the conversation. It starts with you in your position of leadership right now and ends with all the future women who will be impacted by it too.
Kathryn Marshall is a Strengths Unleashed Partner, coach, and Senior HR Professional, with a particular focus on businesses at an inflection point of change/transformation.
Photo: Anthony Delanoix (via Unsplash)
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