An introduction to menopause

Understanding the symptoms of menopause and your responsibilities

What is the menopause?

The menopause occurs when people stop having their period permanently for 12 months. Most reach menopause when they’re around the age of 50. However, the lead-up to this can take up to 10 years – this is known as the perimenopause.

With more and more cases being won in Employment Tribunals, citing menopause as a reason for unfair dismissal, companies should be taking this topic seriously. In particular, prioritising line manager training will be crucial to preventing this issue occurring in your own organisation.

It’s also highly likely that menopause will be included in the Protected Characteristics list for discrimination in the near future. This is another reason why employers need to normalise conversations around menopause now, before they are at even more risk of facing Tribunal.

Loads of research has been going on recently to gauge how many companies do support employees with menopause. The figures aren’t great!

84% of people who are unsupported say their menopause symptoms have a mostly negative effect on them at work compared with 71% who are supported.
Individuals feel most supported by their colleagues with regards to their menopause.
Around a quarter (24%) say their organisation has a stated menopause policy or other support measures in place. This leaves a substantial 43% that don’t and a third that don’t know.

Data from CIPD's report: www.cipd.org/uk/knowledge/reports/menopause-workplace-experiences/

Symptoms of menopause

The most common symptoms are:

Hot flushes
Mood swings
Night sweats
Loss of memory
Irritability
Tearfulness
Brain fog
Thinning hair
Confusion
Anxiety
Panic attacks

The Menopause and the Workplace report by the Fawcett Society and Channel 4, which polled 4,000 people aged 45-55, found that 10% had left their job because of symptoms of the menopause.

Mapped on to the UK population that would represent an estimated 333,000 people leaving their jobs due to the menopause. The survey also revealed 14% of employees had reduced their hours at work, 14% had gone part-time, and 8% had not applied for promotion.

There are around a hundred different symptoms associated with the menopause and whilst some only get mild symptoms, others get more severe symptoms.

The stigma in statistics

The stigma of the menopause

Based on a survey by the CIPD:

Most working individuals (aged 40-60) have experienced symptoms related to menopause transition.
Over half of respondents reported they’ve been unable to go into work because of this.
The most common symptoms reported are psychological such as mood disturbances, anxiety, depression, memory loss, panic attacks, loss of confidence and reduced concentration. These are reported by two-thirds (67%).
A study published in the Journal of Women’s Health reported that 37% of menopausal individuals said they felt shame related to their menopause symptoms. 83% reported feeling stigma associated with symptoms.

Remember, it’s not a case of ‘one size fits all.’ Everyone is different and what was helpful to one person may not be helpful to someone else. Unless you talk about it, you’re not going to know.

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