menopause Managing in the workplace

The Government has recently announced it is setting up a Menopause Taskforce to improve support for women going through the menopause. So what is this likely to mean for women in the workplace and for their employers?

FOR DECADES WOMEN HAVE BEEN struggling to cope with severe symptoms of the menopause while holding down a job and juggling busy family lives.

According to the “Government Report on the Menopause” launched earlier this year, menopausal women are the fastest growing workforce in the UK.

Almost 80% of menopausal women are in work, with most hoping to work for many more years, but three quarters have reported that they are considering reducing their hours, and one in four are giving up their jobs because they are finding it too difficult to balance work with their symptoms.

Calling for action

Carolyn Harris MP, who has raised the Menopause (Support & Services) Bill in Parliament, is calling for more action to be taken by employers to support women going through this transition in their lives.

In a House of Commons debate led by the MP, she urged employers: “Don’t have a policy that is left in a filing cabinet that reflects a tick box. Have a policy that reflects your workforce and what women need and is intended to help them.”

For many women experiencing extreme symptoms at this time of their lives, the

By GAYLE WHITTAKER

workplace becomes a frightening environment where they feel they have to hide the changes they are going through and the impact those changes are having on their physical and mental health.

Symptoms of the menopause vary from woman to woman. Some will breeze through with little or no symptoms, while others will be affected so severely they end up experiencing relationship breakdowns or leaving their jobs as a result.

There is no way of telling how a woman will be affected by the menopause until symptoms begin. However, there are many ways that women can manage their symptoms with the right support around them.

Employers are in a prime position to notice when a female colleague may be struggling. The peri-menopause – the period of time in a woman’s life prior to the actual menopause – can occur from the early 40s onwards.

Possible impact

During this phase symptoms can include memory loss or brain fog, hot flushes, irritability, anxiety, tiredness, unexplained aches and pains, and loss of libido among others. Often at this time women have no idea these symptoms are linked to the menopause, because they may still be having regular periods and consider themselves too young to be menopausal. It is extremely common for women in their early-to-mid 40s to start to feel one or two of these symptoms and wonder what is happening to them. Furthermore, in the experience I have seen with my clients in the treatment room, GPs will often prescribe anti-anxiety medication or anti-depressants at this stage, instead of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) or alternative treatments to help manage symptoms, often making the situation worse.

By talking openly to female staff in the workplace, employers can begin a conversation that could lead to the employee realising the changes she’s feeling may be due to the perimenopause.

Providing the right environment Making workplaces a safe space for women to talk and providing more flexible conditions to help them work around their symptoms are two of the easiest and most effective steps a business can take to support their employees.

In addition, being able to signpost them to professionals who can give them support with their symptoms will really help to make female employees feel supported and valued in the workplace.

As well as conventional medicine such as HRT, complementary therapies can play a key part in the management of symptoms during the peri-menopause and menopause by helping the body to rebalance itself and by reducing stress and anxiety.

So why not consider having a list of reputable local complementary therapists who are registered with a trade association and specialise in women’s health, available as a source of information for employees? You could also consider holding a health day in the workplace where therapists could be invited in to talk to employees about the support they can offer.

Gayle Whittaker Reflexologist Universal

Therapist 07766 701479

theuniversaltherapist.co.uk