Why misaligned menopause action could be costly for business

Every woman’s experience of the menopause is different. In a workplace setting, this can make it hard for employers to ensure suitable support is in place for all those who need it. But without directly understanding and addressing the different and sometimes unspoken influencing factors, initiatives designed to improve women’s experiences at work may have limited impact and prove costly for businesses.

Despite the topic of the menopause generally being more open, a study by the CIPD found that 17% of workers who felt unsupported by their manager or colleagues when it comes to the menopause would consider leaving their job, with 6% actually having done so. Data also suggests that the annual cost to the economy related to the menopause is approximately £1.5 billion due to unemployment and a further £191 million due to absenteeism.

These figures indicate that there is more work for employers to do before women feel truly supported in their roles. The recent Employment Rights Bill, which requires large employers to produce Menopause Action Plans, and the Plan to Make Work Pay which provides guidance to smaller employers on how to support employees through the menopause, are huge steps in the right direction but policies and guidance for managing the menopause at work are only part of the solution.

The issues are often more fundamental and stem from age-old workplace ideals and perceived generational stereotypes which can heighten the hurdles that women face when working during the menopause.

Unspoken impacts

As highlighted in my recent research article, the experience of power, threat and meaning-making can all exacerbate the emotional distress associated with menopausal symptoms at work and its outcomes. In other words, feeling disempowered at work for going through the menopause transition can have a significant detrimental effect on women’s psychological safety. Therefore, it is not enough to just consider the impact of physical symptoms but the psychosocial, contextual factors experienced by women, when putting support in place.

Inequalities of power can play a key role in emotional distress and are hugely relevant when considering the experience of menopause at work. For menopausal women, the often gendered and ageless ‘ideal worker’ notion can lead to disadvantage, by exposing them to ageist and sexist attitudes in the workplace. Associated feelings of shame, guilt and incompetence can lead to exclusion for women who feel that they are not effectively managing their menopausal symptoms.

Another contextual factor is in workplace diversity. Environments that are typically male-dominated or reflect a masculine culture, such as the police force, or science and technology occupations, can create a greater sense of threat. This is worsened when workspaces, dress codes, and other work arrangements do not consider menopausal women’s bodies. Organisational culture also influences the taboo around the topic of menopause, impacting threat-related distress.

These are just a few examples of the role that workplace influences can play in menopausal experiences. And whilst every woman will deal with the onset of menopause differently, understanding the impact of the workplace environment will ensure that every woman feels supported, no matter how vocal they are about their journey, symptoms or experiences. Only then can employers make sense of how to best support women at work and design more effective initiatives.

Making positive changes

Any initiatives should help to reduce the power imbalance and sense of threat that menopausal women may experience. For example, leaders could work to reduce the ideal worker narrative by identifying systemic ageism and sexism within their organisation that reinforce this ideal. When initiatives to support menopausal women do not consider the diversity of needs and circumstances, such as occupational level or disposable income, they can make certain groups of women feel marginalised, regardless of any good intentions.

Positive responses from organisations to women’s requests for adjustments, however small, such as providing desk fans, may also lower the perceived threat by validating their experiences.

At an individual level, women should also be given the opportunity to understand their experiences and beliefs around menopause and work that may be detrimental to their wellbeing. Support and guidance can be provided through training, coaching or group-facilitated sessions, where women can explore their own experiences in the context of the workplace environment.

Instead of inadvertently adding to the difficulties of dealing with the menopause and pushing women out of the door, workplaces have an opportunity to create really positive outcomes and continue to support women to thrive during every stage of their career.