World Menopause Day is held every year on the 18th October. The day was designated by the International Menopause Society (IMS) to raise awareness of the menopause and to support options to improve health and well-being for women going through menopause. Professionals are encouraged to participate in this global awareness raising campaign.
The theme for World Menopause Day 2022 is Cognition and Mood. This theme focuses on what’s known as ‘menopause brain fog’ – a group of symptoms that occur around the time of the menopause and can include:
- Difficulty remembering words and numbers
- Disruptions in daily life (misplacing items like keys)
- Trouble concentrating
- Difficulty switching between tasks
- Forgetting the reason for doing something
- Forgetting appointments and events.
Research has found that memory does in fact change at menopause.
Over the past couple of years, there has been extensive research into the issues that can affect menopausal women at work. There is now more acknowledgement than ever before that there need to be tools available to enable management of menopausal symptoms at work as well as ways to help employers to increase their own awareness and understanding about the menopause so that they are able to better support women at work in a helpful way and make appropriate adjustments in the workplace if required. These considerations should be fundamental aspect of any Diversity and Inclusion agenda for a business.
#menopause #facts
The menopause is a natural part of ageing and per-menopause usually occurs between 45 and 55 years of age. In some women, it can start as early as their 30’s. In the UK, the average age for a woman to reach the menopause is 51. Most women who go through the menopause will experience menopausal symptoms at some stage, some of which can be quite severe and have a significant impact on everyday activities including working life. The entire process can last anywhere between 2 –10 years.
#Disability
Some symptoms of the menopause may be protected under the Equality Act if they satisfy the legal definition of a disability under the act. If the symptom is a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long term’ adverse effect on the woman’s ability to carry out normal daily activities, employers need to beware that they would be under a duty to ensure that they do not treat the employee less favourably and make any necessary reasonable adjustments.
By way of a reminder, ‘substantial’ means more than minor or trivial, and ‘long term’ means lasting or likely to last 12 months or more.
Common symptoms include:
The most common symptoms are hot flushes and night sweats, which can in turn affect the quality of life for up to 25% of women, although more and more research is being done to understand the cognitive impact, especially the frequency and impact of the often spoken about ‘brain fog’.. The symptoms are particularly hard to deal with especially when at work as they can cause low performance, discomfort, tiredness and embarrassment. Some women also experience interrupted sleep patterns, mood swings, anxiety, irritability, weight gain, headaches, hair loss, overactive bladder, and incontinence.
Research has revealed that certain symptoms can begin months or even years before menstruation stops and can last around four years after the last period, although some women experience them for much longer.
Despite the fact that there are more than 3.5 million women over the age of 50 currently working in Britain, very few companies have guidance on how to support employees through this significant life changing stage.
What employers can do to help
Menopause needs to be turned into a normal topic of conversation. This helps others to understand what happens during the menopause. Increasing this level of understanding is key to give us the skills needed to support colleagues, friends and family.
Employers can:
- Create support groups, giving employees a safe space where they can discuss their experiences and offer peers support.
- Offer flexible working arrangements;
- Offer paid leave if feeling unwell due to menopause symptoms “menopausal leave”;
- Provide a private, cool and quiet space;
- Provide a working environment assessment to ensure physical workspace does not make symptoms worse;
- Provide support and guidance resources;
- Organise menopause awareness briefings to its leadership teams;
- Have a dedicated Menopause Champion;
- Training to raise awareness of the issue and get the message across to staff.
- Creating a defined policy can reassure employees, keeping them happy and productive.
Additional bespoke provisions can be helpful, such as employees being able to report any gender-specific sickness to a manager of the same gender if this makes them feel more comfortable.
Employers are advised to recognise and accommodate the changing needs of staff, and consider suitable alternatives such as flexible working practices or referral to support services. Employers could even allow paid ‘menopausal leave’ for a prescribed period which they can take at a time they feel most appropriate.
Having appropriate policies could reduce women’s worries about being discriminated against because of the menopause. Women themselves don’t want to ask for special treatment and they may well be embarrassed.
For many organisations, existing policies which include (short / long term) sickness absence procedures could already be sufficiently flexible to take account of menopause-related conditions.
The future is bright
Organisations who implement bespoke menopause policies will experience a productive, happy and age-diverse workforce, which will in turn improve their business’ performance.
Acas provides employees and employers with impartial advice on workplace rights and have several resources covering the menopause. The organisation also runs menopause events with the aim to raise awareness, break the stigma and support others.
For specialist advice on how to incorporate a menopause friendly policy or accommodate an employee’s needs please contact Kaajal Nathwani on 0208 363 4444 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
