Breaking the Silence: Menopause in the Workplace and What Needs to Change
Author: Shirley Wier
Last year, The Menopause Foundation of Canada released a groundbreaking report showing the staggering $3.5 billion cost of unmanaged symptoms to the Canadian economy. It showed 1-in-5 women have considered quitting their jobs due to unmanaged symptoms.
I do not lay awake at night thinking about the economy (much.)
I do lay awake thinking about where things went so wrong that 20% of women feel so poorly (and defeated) that they have actually considered removing their employment from the equation. And how we can best support them with quality health information, a health team to support their journey and a community who has their back….whether they remain employed or not!
AND, I also think about the 4-in-5 who would never…or could never consider quitting their jobs.
Conversations about menopause in the workplace are not siloed; this is not simply a corporate box to tick. It’s complex. Yes, we need to include menopause in the workplace wellness conversation. And we need to acknowledge the social constructs that got us here in the first place.
I promise you: by the time hormone changes, sleep disruption and other changes impact a woman’s performance and productivity at work (and and employer’s bottom line!), she has already tried to navigate her health concerns on her own!
There’s a strong chance she doesn’t have a primary health care provider/family doctor. There’s a strong chance her family doctor doesn’t have education, expertise or experience in perimenopause, menopause & postmenopause care. And sadly, it is very likely she has felt disappointed by her last doctor visit; more than half of women in Canada leave their health appointments feeling dismissed or disappointed–especially if the reason for their visit was related to menstruation or menopause. (InHerWords.ca) And these statistics are significantly higher for Indigenous women and women of colour!
Let’s back up: headlines say women are leaving the workforce due to “menopause,” but that’s not {entirely} true. Menopause is a day on the calendar marking the end of ovulation. That’s not the reason for quitting.
- Are too many women feeling uninformed and unsupported while navigating debilitating symptoms of fluctuating or declining progesterone and estrogen? YES!
- Are too many women leaving, or wishing they could leave their jobs because they are dog-tired, feel unsupported at work and at home and don’t feel equipped with the right information and tools to navigate this journey one their own? ALSO YES!
Workplaces are standing at an incredible window-of-opportunity to hold up a mirror to the culture of their organizations.
Here are just a few considerations for workplace leaders–especially if that $3.5 billion figure caught their attention–and especially if their employment brand prioritizes women’s health at all ages:
- How does our organization address stress and burnout? (We already know that burnout is not good for business. Neither is having employees who are burned out–and calling it “menopause.”)
- How easy (or difficult) is it for our employees to access the health care she needs and deserves?
- When was the last time our employee benefits package was reviewed? Was it reviewed through the lens of a 45+ year old female employee? What is the process if an employee is denied coverage, or wants to submit a recommendation for certain coverage? Do female employees regard our benefits as restrictive or flexible?
- Are there examples of ageism or sexism in our workplace?
- If our employees were to speak more openly about menopause in our workplace, how would our culture support that?
- It’s easy to host a workplace wellness session on menopause. How easy will it be for our employees (and family members) to ask follow-up questions, and navigate their current and future health?