Menopause is an important part of life for many people. It is a significant transition that also brings many symptoms and secondary side effects. For lots of people going through menopause severely impacts their life in many ways, including their work.
Going through menopause is difficult in two important ways: the symptoms it causes and the stigma that surrounds it. Many women struggle to feel comfortable working while going through menopause because of societal stigma and associated stereotypes/attitudes.
As such, it is important for people going through menopause to be appropriately supported in the workplace. It is something that should be openly discussed and explored without any stigma or bias towards it. With the right support and working environment, going through menopause at work can be made much easier. This means fewer people leaving work, having absences, and being generally unhappy at work.
At Careers with Disabilities, we believe in supporting everyone to have equal opportunities and safe surroundings at work, regardless of who they are or what they are currently going through. That is why we have created our Disability Advice Hub, to provide information about as many disabilities, conditions, illnesses, and health problems as possible. When we all have as much information as possible, it is much easier to support those around us.
With that in mind, let’s talk about menopause at work and how it can be best supported.
Support for Working Through Menopause
Many people experiencing menopause symptoms feel that they need to leave their job because of it. The discomfort of the symptoms mixed with not feeling that they can openly talk about the issues cause stress and anxiety. Rather than receiving the right support at work, many people feel pushed out of their jobs altogether.
This doesn’t need to be the case. It is completely possible to work while having menopause symptoms. All it takes is support, flexibility and reasonable adjustments. All of these things are available from inclusive, disability-confident employers. When you find an inclusive employer, things can be much easier.
Some types of support and adjustments that you may find helpful during menopause include:
- Changes to the physical working environment, including moving your chair closer to a window to deal with hot flushes or moving into a private area
- Flexible working hours or hybrid forms of work in which you can work at home some of the time. Both options can help to manage symptoms and to manage fatigue
- Time off for doctor’s appointments and treatment such as HRT
- Decreasing your workload or lengthening deadlines during particularly symptomatic times
To make the most out of this support, it is key to disclose your experience to your employer. While this may not feel comfortable at first, it is important to remember that you have nothing to be embarrassed about and that you are entitled to the support you need at work. Disclosing that you are going through menopause will help you receive this support. Not doing so will prevent it from happening.
Menopause Discrimination
Sex is a protected characteristic under U.K. employment law which means you cannot be discriminated against due to your gender. Going through menopause is related to your biological sex and can also be seen as a medical condition that impacts your everyday life, so it is something doubly protected under the Equality Act. This means that your employer must make the reasonable adjustments you need related to menopause. It also means you are protected from any range of discrimination or harassment in the workplace.
If you are being treated unfairly at work because of menopause or you aren’t getting the support you need, you can talk to Citizen’s Advice about your next steps. You might want to go through the steps of reporting your employer or filing a complaint. You also might want to look for a new job where you will be treated fairly and where you will be offered flexible options that will work for you during this time. If that is the case, you can check out our disability-friendly job board for accessible jobs posted by inclusive employers.
You deserve adequate support and appropriate treatment at work. If you aren’t getting it, it may be time to move.
How Employers Can Help
As an employer, it is vital to support employees going through menopause and its related symptoms. If it is not a topic you know a lot about, your very first step in doing this will be learning more about menopause and how it affects people, particularly so how it affects them at work. Secondly, it is important to think about any bias or judgement you may already have towards this topic and work on that too. Bias against conditions, illnesses, and disabilities holds employers back from adequately supporting their employees and it stops those employees from getting the support they need. So it is vital to work on this.
After this, the best ways to support people going through menopause at work are:
- Responding to reasonable adjustment requests quickly and appropriately
- Checking out the Access to Work scheme to get financial support with reasonable adjustments if you need it (your employee will make the claim and you will be compensated)
- Running training and awareness sessions around menopause at work so other colleagues are on the same page
- Disciplining any instances of discrimination or bias against menopause in the workplace
- Listening to your employees openly and non-judgementally about their experiences and what they need from you
- Committing to becoming an inclusive and disability-confident employer
If you are serious about becoming an inclusive employer, you can check out the guides on our site. You can also take a look at the many services we offer employers and how they can help you both support your current employees and recruit from a more diverse and disability-friendly pool of candidates going forward.
There is a lot of power to be had in workplace inclusivity. Get involved before you get left behind.
