Businesses need to do more to support women through menopause

With Menopause Awareness Day taking place last week, new data shows that nearly a quarter of women in work say that they feel unsupported through the menopause.

The report, compiled by Impellam, also found that 8 out of 10 women say their employer hasn’t shared menopause information or trained staff, and 9 out of 10 women say they feel unable to talk to managers at work about the menopause.

With the symptoms affecting women both emotionally and physically, this is a topic that businesses must be prepared to talk about with their staff and provide a safe space for conversations.

Especially when figures show that 75% of women are set to experience menopause symptoms, and one in 10 who worked during the menopause say that they have left a job due to their symptoms.

Over the year, Impellam Group has been investing in building better menopause support across its 13 global recruitment brands – this was kicked off by Becky Webber, Operations Recruitment Director of Tate Recruitment, who had been experiencing menopause symptoms that were causing struggles with low confidence, limited self-esteem, and various physical symptoms.

Since sharing her story with colleagues on International Women’s Day, Becky has been supporting Impellam’s Menopause in the Workplace Strategy, as well as the growth of an employee education and support group.

Impellam’s workplace changes include:

• Creating a psychologically safe space where people feel able to speak up, share their experiences and talk about their struggles.
• Providing menopause awareness training for managers so they can identify when someone may be struggling and feel comfortable starting a conversation.
• Bringing all colleagues into the conversation and normalising menopause to help create a supportive environment. Involving the people in the change they want to see.
• Offering adjustments at work to help colleagues feel more comfortable – for example, later start times for those struggling with sleep, and access to fans or windows for those experiencing hot flushes.
• Raising awareness to help those who may not recognise the connection between their symptoms and the menopause, so they can ask for help sooner.

To find out more about contracting please contact Jaime on 01442 795 100 or email jaime.thorpe@dolanaccountancy.com.