How Perimenopause & Menopause Can Affect Mental Health in the Workplace

This year's theme for International Women’s Day is #EmbraceEquity
 


Equity recognises that each person has different circumstances, and allocates the exact 
resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome. 



Menopause impacts everyone differently with no two experiences being the same. Individualised practical solutions, including ad-hoc reasonable adjustments, are essential to ensure there is equity amongst those experiencing menopausal challenges at work. 
Some may not need any, others a few ‘manager agreed’ adjustments and others may require a range of workplace adjustments which should be regularly reviewed.



How equitable is your workplace when it comes to menopause reasonable adjustments?

Anxiety, brain fog, low mood, irritability, sleep deprivation, emotional changes. These are some of the psychological symptoms people often suffer from during the menopause.

However, there’s still all too often a stigma around talking about menopause at work and with mental health menopausal challenges often being invisible too many not surprisingly lack confidence to discuss and share them with colleagues or their managers.

This often results in an unwillingness to ask for the help or support they might require, which can quickly lead to increased mental health problems as they navigate menopause alone and without appropriate support.

“I feel like I’m going mad” “My mind just keeps going blank” “I never used to be this stroppy” “I can’t remember a thing” “Can’t believe I found the cereal in the fridge” “My job is totally dependent on my brain functioning and it’s not” “I feel like I’m going mad” “I can’t remember my colleague’s name” “That’s not like me.”

These are typical phrases shared at many of our Talking Menopause at Work awareness and training sessions which highlight the importance of organisations increasing menopause awareness and education ensuring all employees recognise the huge mental health impact menopause has at work. Psychological symptoms all too often affect individuals more than physical ones.

One in ten women leave work due to symptoms of menopause. Furthermore, according to the Fawcett Society’s 2022 Survey Results, 77% of those experiencing one or more symptoms they describe as “very difficult” with 69% having difficulties with anxiety or depression due to the menopause, 84% experience trouble sleeping and 73% brain fog.

Additionally, menopause has caused 14% of women to reduce their working hours, and around 8% said they would not apply for a promotion because of their symptoms, with 61% saying they had lost motivation at work due to their symptoms. 

Opening the discussion around menopause and offering support will help those suffering feel more comfortable and better able to navigate working whilst struggling to cope with psychological symptoms for example. Individuals will feel more able to discuss about what adjustments they might need (such as flexible working, more time to do certain tasks, longer breaks, the ability to work from home at certain times, sharing responsibilities/tasks with colleagues etc.) and how their employer can help them navigate what can be an incredibly tough time.

Managers also need support with menopause awareness and education to enable them to appropriately support their team members to explore potential reasonable adjustments. In addition, Menopause Champions play an incredibly valuable role as a single point of (confidential) contact to both those suffering and their managers to often facilitate conversations and give individuals the confidence to seek appropriate support.

Sarah and I have known each other since 2019. We share a deep passion for improving the lives of women in perimenopause and menopause.

Sarah is the Co-Founder & Director of the UK’s Talking Menopause Group, which is a leading provider of menopause workshops, learning, and individually tailored programmes assisting organisations to transform their culture and create menopause-confident working environments.

If you’d like to make your workplace more menopause confident, they are there to help!