It’s important to remember that the menopause is normal and that support should be available to help you at work.

Menopausal women are the fastest-growing demographic in the workforce, so it’s important now more than ever to be able to speak openly about menopause at work.

Menopause can affect a woman’s working life. Sometimes menopausal symptoms or working conditions can impact your ability to concentrate or carry out your role to the best of your ability.

In a survey of 1,000 adults in the UK, the British Menopause Society found that 45% of women felt that menopausal symptoms had a negative impact on their work and 47% who needed to take a day off work due to menopause symptoms say they wouldn’t tell their employer the real reason.

Many women have said that they often find managing their menopause symptoms in the workplace very challenging. Coping with symptoms in the workplace can be hard, especially as many women find it difficult to talk about menopause at work.

Menopause has become an important issue for employers of all sizes, with unions and employment organisations calling for more support for women adversely affected by menopause symptoms.  Although the issues around menopause, the lack of research and impact on daily life had begun to appear in the mainstream media previously, it was Davina McCall’s Channel 4 documentary in 2022 “Sex, Mind and the Menopause”, which created a shift in the way the subject was treated in the UK. The resulting open conversation in society instigated action by the government, employers and others.

While the menopause is becoming more talked about in the workplace, we still have some way to go – with the CIPD reporting that 59% of women experiencing menopausal symptoms said it had a negative impact on them at work.

What’s more, nearly a third of women surveyed said they had taken sick leave due to their symptoms, but only a quarter of them felt able to disclose the real reason for their absence. Unions and employment organisations are calling for more support for women adversely affected by menopause symptoms.

Barbour have created a guide for businesses to refer to outlining Legal requirements, Policies, Culture and Training. Barbour Menopause and the workplace Guide

The Government have also released a Policy Paper with more useful information; Menopause and the Workplace: How to enable fulfilling working lives: government response – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)