The menopause – a workplace issue
Who can be in any doubt that the Menopause is now being recognised as a major workplace issue? Numerous reports and studies have been published looking not only at the financial cost of the Menopause caused by absenteeism and women having to leave the workforce early but more importantly the emotional cost paid by women who feel unsupported by their employer. What is, after all, a natural part of ageing process has until now been largely ignored by employers and what has previously been described as ‘women’s issues’ needs to be urgently recategorised. The statistics are startling:
More than 1 million women could be forced to leave their jobs due to the lack of support offered by their employer when experiencing Menopausal symptoms;
A quarter of those women surveyed were unhappy in their jobs due to the lack of support
Almost two thirds of women surveyed worked for an organisation without a formal Menopause HR policy. Currently there isn’t a law that requires employers to have a Menopause policy in the same way for example as required for maternity.
Koru Kids / Research Without Barriers
Thankfully the intervention of public figures such as Michelle Obama in the US and TV personality Davina McCall here in the UK has provoked a national conversation. The issue is also being debated at the heart of government with the creation of the UK Menopause Taskforce a body made up of ministers and clinicians from across the UK to increase access to treatment and ending the taboos and stigmas that still surround conversations about the menopause, including in the workplace.
But as well as looking at the big picture, I wanted to listen and understand from individuals who have themselves been affected by the Menopause so I teamed with the folks from Kooth who are the UK’s longest established digital mental health provider to provide real-life experience and context.
Journey with my two guests as they tell their own very personal stories on how the menopause affected both their physical and mental wellbeing and why they believe organisations have an overwhelming moral duty to have policies and support in place to provide compassionate leadership on this issue that affects so many women.
Resources:
Home v2
https://committees.parliament.uk/work/1416/menopause-and-the-workplace/publications/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/podcasthost/
Twitter: @OvenHr
https://www.personneltoday.com
