Rethinking Menopause at work supporting women,by Layla Wyatt.

Menopause isn’t a problem that only affects women. The truth is it can affect the workplace too.

But it does have an impact on employers, too. Because it’s a natural part of ageing and fertility for women, many employers may need to realise they’re at risk of losing valuable employees due to their changing needs during this period. So, it is crucial to implement assistance for menopausal women to continue the workforce of an organisation.

“Menopause is when a woman stops having periods and goes through hormonal changes, resulting in symptoms like hot flashes and mood swings. The average age for menopause is 51 years old, but it can happen as early as 45,says women’s health expert Layla Colling from Health Hero Life.

If you want to know more about menopause and how it’s affecting the workplace, read on!

What Is Menopause?

Menopause is a time in a woman’s life when her body stops making eggs, and she can no longer get pregnant. It usually happens between the ages of 45 and 55.

The menopause transition begins with the end of menstrual periods and lasts until a woman has stopped menstruating for one year. During this time, hormone levels change dramatically.

During menopause, women can experience symptoms, and every women’s menopausal symptoms vary differently. These are a few:

Physical Symptoms:

  • Hot flushes
  • Headaches
  • Poor sleep
  • Erratic periods

Psychological Symptoms:

  • Anxiety
  • Mood swings
  • Reduced self-esteem.
  • Poor concentration

Three phases of menopause:

  • Perimenopause (before menopause)
  • Menopause (during menopause)
  • Post menopause (after menopause)

How It Affects Women at Work

As the symptoms of menopause can affect women in many ways, It can significantly impact their work life, and employers need to be aware of this.

Unfortunately, many menopausal women not only suffer from their symptoms and lack understanding and support from their organisation to assist them.

As a result, menopause can lead women to quit their job. According to a survey conducted by Wellbeing of Women, 1 in 4 women considers this as they cannot manage the stress and symptoms.

How Women Can Manage Menopause at Work

  • Practice stress management. There are many ways to do this: exercise, meditation, yoga, or even a nap can help relieve stress.
  • Getting enough sleep is essential because it helps the body be more energised throughout the day and less tired when working hard.
  • It’s also essential for women to eat a healthy diet high in fruits and vegetables that provide vitamins and minerals needed for hormone production (such as Vitamin D). Women who have low levels of these nutrients may experience unpleasant symptoms such as hot flushes or night sweats
  • Another way women can manage menopause at work is by getting enough exercise. Exercise helps reduce stress, which can make symptoms of menopause easier to manage.

Benefits To Organisations

  • Empowered women in the workplace can help the company to have a more diverse and flexible workforce. It will also allow them to attract a younger demographic.
  • They can also benefit from this by giving women more opportunities for advancement and creating a better work environment for all employees. With better conditions, employees will increase efficiency and productivity.
  • With the presence of experienced women employees, they can bring maturity and wisdom to your organisation—they’ve got years of experience under their belts. They can help guide younger employees through tough decisions and tricky situations.

Allison Hutchens of Mind Body Energy is running a 4-week program with Angela Emmerton, a clinical nutritionist from Nutritional Matters, called Let’s Talk Menopause. Together, they aim to help women overcome menopause, break taboos and stereotypes about menopause and encourage the normalisation of menopause in the culture and setting of the corporate to help its women employee to gain confidence and retain productivity and efficiency.

Management Strategies to Support Menopausal Women at Their Work

  • Create a supportive work environment where employees feel comfortable bringing up issues that may be causing stress or anxiety, such as anxiety around menopause or mental health issues.
  • Provide training on stress management to the employees.
  • Make sure that they have access to medical benefits during this period.
  • Conduct seminars for the awareness of menopause for all employees, men and women, to ensure that there are no negative stereotypes associated with menopausal women in your workplace culture or structure.
  • Implement a flexible work policy.

Empower Women in the Workplace with Mind Body Energy

A workplace is where stereotypes, gender bias, and other forms of discrimination often hold women back. It’s important to notice these issues because they often go unnoticed or unaddressed.

Menopause is one such issue often overlooked as a cause of workplace problems. Menopause is a natural process every woman goes through at some point in her life. However, it can impact work performance when its symptoms take effect, so a company must support assistance to menopausal women who have helped prosper the company for the past years.

Mind Body Energy offers a wide variety of training and coaching, specialising in improving the health and well-being of individuals and corporate individuals who experience stress from work.

Contact us today for any questions, and let us help you lead a healthy work-life balance!