5 things your business can do to have a menopause-friendly workplace

You might think menopause is a trend at the moment; the latest thing in DEI and wellbeing in workplaces. Maybe you’re feeling like this is something you need to ‘tick off’ the list to make sure you’re keeping up. You might think interest and chatter around menopause is probably going to fizzle out at some point soon.

 I’m here to tell you that’s not going to happen. Like mental health, menopause has been shrouded in silence, secrecy, ignorance  - and, yes, shame – for centuries. Now a new generation of women is hitting midlife, and we’re not prepared to accept that outdated status quo. That goes double for the millennials and Gen Z-ers coming after us. We want to talk about it and we want to feel supported.

 So: menopause is not going away, and the cohort of women entering this life stage is only growing. People in menopause make up the fastest-growing workplace demographic globally; there will be a billion of us by 2025. However you slice it, this is going to impact your business. Right now, it’s affecting women (and some trans and nonbinary people) in your teams. How well those women do – their progression through the ranks; whether or not they step up to senior roles; their loyalty to your business and maybe even their ability to stay in the workforce at all – may well depend on how supported they feel at this stage of their lives. And if you want to attract the best talent in the future, it’ll be beneficial to have tangible, visible support in place.

 So: if you own or run a business, what can you do to make it a menopause-friendly environment?

1.     Learn

Part of the reason for the stigma that’s been attached to menopause for generations has been a general lack of knowledge about it. It’s the reason I wrote my book; it’s also the reason some – including some women – may believe that menopause might make a person less effective in their job, or weaker than men. (Jokes and memes alluding to women ‘losing it’ don’t help here, either. They’re nonsense, but still widespread). My own research found 39% of women did not feel comfortable talking about their menopause with their managers at work; that’s in line with overseas research which has also uncovered a distressing trend of women feeling forced to leave their jobs due to lack of menopause support. So: step 1 in the process of becoming menopause friendly is to learn. Understand what menopause is all about – and what it isn’t. Crucially: this is a natural and temporary transition that everyone with ovaries will go through. It is not an illness. It is not a deficiency. It’s simply another life stage – like puberty or pregnancy – for which somepeople may require extra support.

2.     Acknowledge

Simply acknowledging that people in your business may be heading into, or in the middle of, this transition, can go a long way to making people feel comfortable to speak up. Acknowledging and letting it be known that you’re open to talking about it and doing what you can to help, can make an impact; creating a safe and supportive space where women feel supported and able to share. For some, knowing that may be all they need.
It’s important also to acknowledge that every woman is different, and every menopause journey is different. Some women may need lots of support; some may need none. And not every woman wants to talk about it, either. Be sensitive to that.

3.     Educate

Learning doesn’t just extend to senior staff. Offering the opportunity to learn about menopause for all your people – of all genders – can be hugely beneficial for everyone (and help banish that stigma I talked about, too. There’s no point managers being empathetic if colleagues are not. That may take the form of a workshop or webinar (I can help here, as can others) to get the conversation started. Sometimes having someone external come in to talk frankly and comfortably about menopause strips the subject of its awkwardness and helps people who are going through it to feel more empowered to talk themselves. Education might also take a more informal form; you could try organizing menopause-themed lunches or coffee chats, where anyone can come along and share. You might make resources on it available (more ideas below) or you may like to appoint menopause ‘champions’ in your workplace; people those who want to talk can go to informally for support and information.

4.     Support

Once everyone knows and understands what this menopause thing is all about, it’s time for the rubber to hit the road: how are you going to truly support the people in your business who are going through it? The workplaces at the forefront here are creating and implementing workplace menopause policies.

A crucial first step in coming up with a policy is more important learning: understanding where your people are at, and what they need. Open the channels of communication with everyone who’s affected by menopause; ask questions; be curious. Let them help you come up with a set of actions that truly offer the support they need.

A menopause policy doesn’t have to be complicated. You may already have other wellbeing actions in place that can be included or adapted into your menopause policy, and things you might add could be quite simple. It’ll be different depending on what type of work you’re engaged in and the environments in which your people are working. It’s important to bring colleagues and managers along on the journey, too, so framing it as a ‘toolkit’ can be a great way to set it up.

Some areas to consider and explore: flexible working; leave policies; access to medical, health and wellbeing services; conditions in your workplace such as temperature control and bathroom access; quiet spaces and times (including online); uniform and PPE supply and policy; conversation guides for line managers – the list goes on. Key: put it together in a way that makes it a dynamic, living document that’s truly useful and that your people – of all genders – will actually want to use. (I can help you with this process, too, if that sounds overwhelming).

 5.     Communicate

Once you’ve got your policy in place, it’s super important to keep talking. Make sure everyone knows you’re actively committed to being a menopause friendly workplace and keep those conversations going.

You don’t have to be talking about it all day every day. My vision of the future is one in which menopause is a mundane, commonplace, totally un-shocking thing that can be mentioned in any kind of conversation, whether it’s at work or at home or with a stranger on the bus. It’s also a future where menopause is not a roadblock for women in their careers and work ambitions. If you’re at the helm of a business, this is your challenge and your opportunity. You’re a big part of making that future a reality.

 Niki Bezzant 

*I’m committed to helping workplaces become menopause friendly. If you’d like to chat about how I might help you, I’d love to hear from you. There’s more on talks/webinars/workshops and menopause policy here.