DO YOU HAVE A MENOPAUSE PLAN? By Hung Lee
IN THE DYNAMIC LANDSCAPE OF EMPLOYMENT, CERTAIN DISCUSSION HAVE LONG BEEN OVERLOOKED, WAITING FOR THEIR MOMENT IN THE SPOTLIGHT. One such critical conversation revolves around menopause - a natural part of life experienced by half the population.
Surely, accommodating the experiences of women in menopause is not just a matter of social responsibility but a strategic imperative for businesses.
That's why in my recent episode of Brainfood Live (recruitingbrainfood.com), I had a profound discussion about menopause in the workplace. The episode featured insights from industry experts, leading Talent Acquisition, Recruitment and Marketing professionals.
Sharing their thoughts were Angela Cripps, MD, (Recruiting Gym), Kellie Millar, Recruitment Manager (Space & Time), Breeda Bermingham, Workplace Well Being Consultant, (Mid Life Women Rock Project), Lou Furby, Senior Events & Communications Manager (SpecSavers) and Jennifer Candee, Global Director of Talent Acquisition (Cargill), Sally Higham – Head of Talent Attraction, Lonza.
Experience drives change
Lou Furby, Senior Events & Communications Manager at Specsavers, shared her journey, emphasising the need for change. Lou, who now leads the Menopause colleague network ‘Menotalk’ at Specsavers, recalls the pivotal moment when herself and another colleague realised the shared challenges of menopause, inspiring them to create a supportive network.
“It happened pretty much the same as it probably does anywhere, where two women one day sat down and said, oh my God, my Menopause is horrific, have you experienced it?”
“And as part of that conversation, we both kind of went, you know what, we employ 2000 people in our support office alone in the UK. We can’t be the only women that are having issues here. One of my challenges, the biggest challenge I faced, apart from understanding myself, and what was wrong with me, was actually having to educate my own line manager…who hadn’t really experienced anything menopause related…And we just kind of both said hang on a minute. Nobody else should go through this. Nobody should feel so awkward and uncomfortable. So let’s help.“
Sally Higham, who heads up global talent attraction for Lomza, took matters into her own hands and actively sought ways to address perimenopause and menopause in her company, by taking a KCA course (Kathryn Colas Academy) about menopause.
“I’m in the perimenopause, but I probably took it to a whole other level because I went on a course through the KCA, which then got me learning, absorbing, understanding and then thinking, how can we actually bring this into the workplace.”
And it’s important, I think, to know menopause isn’t just about ‘hot sweats’ and ‘brain fog’: there’s a wide range of menopause symptoms, from vertigo to anxiety, impacting both physical and psychological well-being. And each day is different, depending on Oestrogen/Progesterone hormone levels: “I’ve always been a very confident recruiter, an eager headhunter, very persuasive, standing up on stage doing presentations. And one day at work, I was even suddenly too scared to be around people. I started even hiding in meeting rooms, which definitely wasn’t like me at all. I started to also become quite sensitive to sounds like instant messaging. The ping, ping. They started to make me flinch. And I was getting migraines and developed anxiety and depression. And that’s when I knew something was not right.”
“Understanding the hormone stuff, that’s where I started to get a lot more clarity Because for me, I’ve always been quite practical, quite pragmatic, quite kind of glass is always half full. I’m now able to say that I’m kind of back to that stage, but my glass got empty real quick, really, and wouldn’t fill up ever. And I can see that by managing my hormones and thinking about my diet, my exercise regime, all of that has helped me to piece back together. I’m a different version.”
Education is important
With menopause the challenge seems to lie in accessibility of information and awareness. Open comms is needed, I feel recruiters, and HR people have the responsibility to at the very least make information and help available within organisations. And that anyone who is a manager should know and educate themselves about perimenopause, or menopause because at some point some of your staff will go through it.
But society’s take on menopause, is marred by unknowns and misinformation. Some women face challenges in obtaining Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), leading to confusion and some said they’ve had misdiagnosis of symptoms and were prescribed antidepressants.
So it seems there are a vast amount of factors to consider when choosing HRT, such as family history of breast cancer but other benefits, particularly if taken in your early 50s, are often not highlighted. Benefits such as fortifying bones against osteoporosis and safeguarding from cardiovascular problems caused by menopause.
“HRT is actually one of the most recommended treatments. Personally, I think it should be recommended, and unfortunately, as everyone else will say, HRT is actually not really discussed very widely with doctors. Women are actually struggling to be prescribed it.”
Personal coping mechanisms
During my discussion there were several coping strategies mentioned if you are experiencing menopause, the main on being – you have to put yourself first. How do you do that, I asked? By arming yourself with knowledge – dig deep for information that you need. When consulting your doctor, be assertive about discussing Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), organic alternatives, and all available options. Be persistent. Finding the solution that works for you.
At work, consider flexible hours, explore hybrid or remote work arrangements that suit your needs. Make time to take notes, provide helpful prompts during meetings, and create a supportive network, whether at work or in a public forum or at home, have a conversation and remember this is a natural phase of life.
Making change in business:
Make educational materials and traiing courses accessible to staff.
Develop support netwroks - groups can be informal and formal.
If you have a hybrid culture in your business, consider virtual menopause cafes.
Provide practical managerial training - to open up discussions about menopause means signposting to information, and hosting insightful training.
Address performance with flexibilty - recognise the additional support needed, consider flexible working options.
If you're a global business consider cultural differences across the world. Some countries don't like to talk about menstruation, so think how you approach the discussion on menopause.
Collect and analyse data related to menopuase to inform decisions and implement targeted support. For example, menopause is a natural event, should it be consider absenteeism if you are ill as a result of menopause? Think of offering positive solutions, think about what workplace adjustments could help.
Here’s a few resources:
A free guide to menopause in the workplace can be found here:
https://knowledge.bsigroup.com/
For details of the KCA course on menopause in the workplace:
http://kathryncolasacademy.com
https://henpicked.net/menopause-hub/
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