“We understand that menopause will have a direct or indirect impact on everyone at some point. We want all colleagues to feel understood and supported, as well as equipped to support others who are going through menopause. Hence, it is important for us to normalise menopause,” said Archana Chadha, Head of Human Resources, HSBC India.
Menopause is when a woman’s periods stop due to lower hormone levels. It occurs when menstruation ends, and it involves a drop in estrogen levels. It usually happens between the ages of 45 and 55, but can also be earlier or later. The average age for a woman to go through menopause is 51. It can be earlier than this, naturally or due to surgery, or illness. Some women sail through their menopause with barely a symptom, but it’s not an easy transition for all. And symptoms may start years before menopause, during the perimenopause phase. According to the Faculty of Occupational Medicine (FOM), nearly 8 out of 10 menopausal women are in work. 3 out of 4 women experience symptoms, 1 in 4 could experience serious symptoms. One in three of the workforces will soon be over 50, and retirement ages are now 68.
The Gennev survey found that symptoms that most impacted work productivity included sleep disturbances (80%), mood changes (78%), anxiety (75%), brain fog/cognitive issues (75%) and joint pain (52%).
Some other symptoms vary greatly, and commonly include (but aren’t limited to):
By talking about it openly, raising awareness and putting the right support in place, perhaps we could get to a point where menopause is no longer an issue in the workplace at all.
Menopause symptoms can have a significant impact on women at work. Research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development found that two thirds (67%) of working women between the ages of 40 and 60 with experience of menopausal symptoms said they have had a mostly negative impact on them at work. Let’s talk about its impact:
As a result of this, over half of respondents were able to think of a time when they were unable to go into work due to their menopause symptoms.
How workplace adjustments could attract and retain valued employees suffering from menopause:
Let’s see which companies have already taken steps to support their female employees during menopause-
Standard Chartered Bank
They have introduced toolkits, conversation guides and counselling support, as well as e-learning and internal events. Employees experiencing the menopause are also well supported by flexible working policies and workplace adjustments to help them better manage their symptoms.
Adobe
Employees, their partners or spouses have complimentary access to Peppy Menopause and Peppy Fertility services including one-to-one access to experts, online resources or moderated group chats.
Microsoft
It provides counselling and hormone therapy access to their employees in order to address menopause.
Organon
They provide menopausal leave, keeping managers informed about the issue, and implementing a range of practices aimed at destigmatizing the topic, such as giving employees a space to take a quick break during a hot flash or providing a desk fan.
Organisations including HSBC India, IBM, HUL, NatWest Group and Intuit are trying to normalise menopause through a raft of initiatives: from raising awareness; enhancing medical coverage to cover menopause and providing access to doctors/ menopause specialists and mental health support, leaves and flexible work policies to help women employees navigate this stressful time.
HUL has assimilated its initiatives on menopause within the larger umbrella of equitable policies.“At HUL, our equitable policy approach ensures that we support our employees across all life stages. Our flexible work options, group medical insurance, and unlimited sick leaves cater to all diverse needs, including that of women going through menopause, said Anuradha Razdan, Executive Director, HR, HUL